The year 2022 has brought about many changes to the marketing scope and, like many marketers, we’re looking ahead to help our clients prepare. While we don’t have a crystal ball, we feel we have something better — data-driven insights. And our research tells us these are the things we’re going to be seeing more of in the future.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to spread, but it won’t bring marketing success on its own. 

AI seems to be a part of the budget for most companies today. Over the past decade, CMOs and sales leads have become increasingly fascinated by the role of automation and technology tools such as Salesforce and HubSpot for brand building and selling. However, brands are beginning to forget about creative and its impact. So, the question is: Has AI delivered and transformed the creative process? We don’t think so. 

In today’s digital landscape, a typical marketer will over-index on the data served by their AI solution, as opposed to relying on the human intelligence that is based on a counterintuitive assumption. Yet, human intelligence remains central to understanding certain combinations of behaviors.

While it’s clear that AI isn’t going anywhere, it’s crucial to customize your approach and pair AI with human intelligence and interactions to be successful. That’s the real secret sauce. 

Virtual experiences and digital connections are here to stay. 

From daily Zoom calls to moving trade shows and conferences online, we were all forced into new digital experiences when COVID-19 reared its ugly head. 

For a while these seemed like short-term solutions, but now that we’re a year and a half in, it’s clear that some of these changes are here to stay. That presents an opportunity: Invest in customer experience tools to strengthen your digital footprint and increase your ROI.

Take the healthcare industry, for example. We recently conducted a survey and the results were eye-opening. Across the board people indicated that they wanted more digital touchpoints than their current providers utilized. If you’re not going digital, your customers may look for someone else who is — 53% of respondents are at least somewhat likely to leave their current provider for one with a better digital experience. 

And it’s not just healthcare. According to McKinsey & Company, COVID-19 has sped the adoption of digital technologies by years across industries. The momentum is here for brands to ride the digital wave into 2022 and reap the rewards. 

Generational marketing efforts will converge.  

When it comes to mobile data consumption, teenagers and boomers aren’t that different. According to our research, 66% of consumers reported making purchases online often or very often. If you break that down by generation, Gen Z and Boomers make online purchases 60% and 59% of the time respectively – not so different after all. 

Our research has shown that the best way to capitalize on campaign performance is to focus on the similarities between generational preferences and exploit these intersecting points to maximize performance.

Instead of focusing on the large age gap between these groups, we feel that they’re both part of what we call the Impulse Generation, and they interact with mobile content similarly. In 2022, think about using your marketing dollars to create digital campaigns that’ll capture your audience’s fleeting attention.

Customized digital marketing experiences will make or break brand loyalty. 

We all know that customized experiences create brand loyalty. What’s changed is how crucial this aspect is. Customers are increasingly attaching themselves to brands that offer a one-to-one relationship and speak to their wants and needs, and they’re not hesitant to migrate to other brands if they’re not getting what they want from you. 

Our research indicates that 83% of customers are willing to switch to a brand with a better digital experience. The good news? Seventy percent of customers are more likely to trust brands that provide a great digital experience, and that presents an opportunity. 

Checking the box on your digital strategy won’t cut it anymore. If you aren’t actively optimizing or transforming your digital presence to meet the ever-changing demands of your consumer base, you’re missing out and doing damage to your business goals. 

Looking Ahead

It’s clear that 2022 has a lot to offer in terms of marketing challenges and opportunities. At Boston Digital, we’re ready to help you tackle both. Let’s get started today.