Unlocking the Future of Marketing: Navigating (Further) Disruption in 2024
By Brittany Wickerson, Global Head of Media at Socialize / We Are Social.
In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, 2023 has proven to be a pivotal year, setting the stage for even more disruptive changes in 2024. From seismic shifts in platforms to the ubiquitous presence of AI tools, coupled with the perpetual evolution of consumer behavior, brands find themselves at the nexus of interconnected themes and trends. To successfully navigate this dynamic terrain, a call for greater integration across departments, channels, and investments is echoing louder than ever.
In image above, Left to Right: Brittany Wickerson, Global Head of Media at Socialize / We Are Social, and Akanksha Goel, Regional Lead at We Are Social
At its core, this starts with measurement and insights. Traditional media measurement models and tools often fail to account for the rapid fluctuations we’re seeing in the social landscape. Longer-term brand lift models and Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) struggle to keep pace in our socially charged region, particularly with the ever-shifting online behaviors of younger consumers. What's needed are tools and frameworks that seamlessly align with this environment, not ones that attempt to resist its inherent dynamism.
The push for holistic planning is coupled with the shifting landscape of performance media. Increasingly, brands are coming to realize that a performance strategy by necessity requires a full-funnel approach, with strategic investment in brand building on platforms and spaces that enable deeper associations. Gen Z's disruption of the traditional journey requires leveraging platforms and tactics traditionally associated with "awareness building" for conversion. This shift demands a holistic campaign strategy that embraces the priming effects of highly entertaining mediums like Twitch and TikTok. This requires us to run media and marketing campaigns in a multi-objective, multi-touchpoint reality.
At the heart of this new era lies creativity, a fact especially evident on social media and emerging advertising and content platforms. Businesses clinging to outdated practices that deliver incremental changes no longer cut it in a landscape where consumer preferences are in a constant state of flux. The new media imperative is a video-first, sound-on, entertainment-focused, creative-led approach that goes beyond fine-tuning templates.
Transforming Your Marketing Strategy with AI and Predictive Intelligence
To harness the full potential of AI, a comprehensive approach is imperative. Adequate investment in building first-party data, selecting efficient technology, and implementing creative at scale, complemented by strategic distribution and paid media, is the key to success. Each element is intertwined, and neglecting one diminishes the potential ROI of the entire investment. A robust data ecosystem, supported by technology, can identify the right audiences, but without a parallel investment in creativity, the message falls flat. Conversely, strong creativity without the ability to reach the right audience results in a message lost amidst the noise. Technology, without the necessary inputs, becomes an engine without oil.
To fully realize the opportunities presented by AI and foster growth, brands must invest holistically across these interconnected elements. The pivotal role of distribution and paid media, serving as the engine to propel messages above the noise and into the hearts and minds of the audience, cannot be overstated. In the evolving landscape of 2024, embracing integration and foresight is the key to unlocking unparalleled success in marketing.
Introducing AIOS: The Intelligent All-In-One System for Marketing
AI is presenting us with opportunities to completely rethink our way of doing business. Currently, the conversation around AI is dominated by its impact on execution and efficiency, but AI’s prediction capabilities offer a paradigm shift to how we do business. Specifically when it comes to marketing and measurement, while tools and models like MTA and MMM have improved, they are still sorely lacking in today’s fragmented marketing landscape. We already have problems understanding offline activity, and with digital, your customers are using more touchpoints and devices than ever before. Walled gardens like Meta and Amazon are amplifying existing gaps in data, and we still spend a lot of time, energy, and effort grappling with a constantly evolving privacy landscape. With an increasingly complex buyer journey, it’s safe to say that existing tools and techniques can’t keep pace. Enter AIOS. Built with predictive intelligence, AIOS connects all touchpoints continuously plans measures, and optimizes creative performance to grow your business.
Speaking about the technology, Akanksha Goel, Regional Lead at We Are Social says, “In this dynamic, fragmented media landscape the role of technology and specialized advisory teams that lead its implementation is pivotal. Solutions like AIOS embody predictive intelligence, transcend traditional methods & offer a nuanced, real-time view of marketing effectiveness.” We’re thrilled to be able to showcase the platform for the first time in the Middle East at our exclusive event on November 24th, together with our Chief Data Officer, Michael Cohen, and the wider intelligence team at Plus Company." The exclusive event will be hosted by Plus Company and Communicate in Dubai at the 37x in Burj Daman, Za'abeel.
This marks a stride towards industry leadership, shifting focus from ad spend to holistic marketing investment returns, accessible even beyond our client network. Significantly, AIOS is accessible beyond conventional agency-client frameworks, allowing various brands to leverage this technology. It’s a testament to our evolving role – not just as service providers but as specialized advisors in driving informed, impactful marketing decisions.
