2018 has been a busy year so far, these are some of the trends and insights you can look out for in the upcoming months.

1. 2018 Digital Communication

2. 53,492,151
If you spoke about innovation in 2017, you were competing with this…
MENTIONS

3. What’s next for
and beyond?

4. 1. Transparency
• Transparency has evolved from a “nice to have” to a “need to have”.
• More brands will see consumer loyalty increase in relation to how transparent they are.
JANESEWS
EVERLANE

5. 2. TWO WAY Relationships
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As communication
specialists, we don’t
need to talk about the
importance of social –
brands know this now.
We have moved beyond
that, and the next
opportunity is the
communal aspect of
social. Technology that is
a two way mechanism
and encourages
continual conversation
will lead the way.

6. 3. Political Associations
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• Brands aren’t expected
to comment on their
political opinions, but
this year, more brands
will need to understand
that their actions will
represent their social
standing on political
matters.
“There is an increasing
responsibility for brands to
make a social stand on
things that you know your
consumers care about.”
– CMO, Airbnb

7. 4. Artificial Intelligence
• Marketing companies are starting to invest
in machine learning to create engaging
copy, using data analytics and natural
language processing. During the testing
phase, brands have already seen a 49%
increase in conversions.
• The Washington Post developed an AI
journalist (Heliograf) that has produced
more than 850 articles and generated
more than 500,000 clicks.
• Using technology to work smarter and
garner better results will soon become an
expectation, not a luxury.
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8. 5. Dynamic Data
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Big data was the buzz word of
2016, but in 2018 brands are
taking that to the next level by
finding ways to use dynamic data
to their advantage.
Apparel brands have started
experimenting with clothing
tracking; including being able to
see when clothes are being worn
after purchase, how often, what
setting and environment they are
worn in, and the longevity of the
product.
Products and services will not only
be tracked more, but the data will
be used to drive business
decisions.

9. 6. Micro Communities
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It’s not about the size of the
group, this is a group of people
online who come together around
a shared passion.
Your brand is there to connect
people not to push their own
brand. We need to ask, ‘what is
your brand’s role within that
community?’
Facebook groups (instead of
pages), Twitter chats, Instagram
hashtags, and business WhatsApp
groups will allow your brand to be
a connector between niche,
passion groups of consumers.

10. 7. Merging vs Emerging Networks
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From live video, stories, private
messaging, and tagging, almost all
the top social networks have these
features, meaning social networks
are not unique anymore.
What does this mean for social
specialists? In 2018, we won’t create
platform strategies, but rather
messaging strategies, then use the
relevant channels to reach them in
creative and meaningful ways.

11. 8. Influencer identification
• Micro or macro, the most
important factor for influencers
in 2018 is ‘Are they real?’
• In an age where fake followers
can easily be bought, and in
some cases, created,
verification will become
essential.
• Cosmetic brand, CoverGirl,
went so far as to design their
perfect influencer. Although
she was fake, she was
positioned as a real person and
even photo shopped with
other celebrities.
• If you find what you’re looking
for doesn’t exist, brands may
consider creating it
themselves.
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12. 9. Augmenting Real Life
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In 2018 1.8 billion A/R
compatible smartphones
will be produced and
shipped, with a increase
of 262% in one year.
In the next year,
consumer expectations
will be to have interfaces
that intelligently overlay
experiences with ease.

13. 10. Mobile Moments
In 2018, Facebook suggests no longer targeting online audiences according to their demographics,
but rather their state of mind during different moments throughout the day. Content should be
designed for these moments in order to leverage online storytelling.
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ON THE GO LEAD FORWARD LEAN BACK

14. ANY QUESTIONS?
Wendy.Tayler@Fleishman.co.za
OR @WENDYTAYLER