Summary of Best Ranking Marketing Trends for 2017

Marketing Trends 2017Summary of 19 Industry Expert Predictions

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The year 2017 is almost here and the Internet is filling with guides and predictions on what the biggest and most important focus areas are going to be next year. To save you the trouble of reading all the myriad of articles yourself, our dear marketing experts, we decided to scavenge through the most shared and read articles.

We plowed through all the variety of marketing arenas from content and social marketing to marketing technology, analytics and organisational transformation, to find and establish the ultimate summary for marketing trends 2017. All in all, 21 marketing trends articles from 19 different authors and experts were read, dissected, analysed and summarized for your convenience. You can call it our little data-backed way of wishing you a Happy New Year!

Here are, in order, the top 10 marketing trends for next year as rated by the number of times they were mentioned in the best rated articles by Google (altogether, 26 trends were identified – see the end of the article for a full list and sources).

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TOP10 Marketing Trends for 2017

Based on the number of times they were mentioned in the best Google ranking articles of 2017 marketing trends in the areas of advertising, marketing technology, analytics and organisational transformation. All together 26 different marketing trends were identified.

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Trend Nr 1.The Rise of Marketing Cloud, Automation and Predictive Analytics

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Different marketing technologies and tools continue to play a huge role in 2017 and they will also be applied more holistically. For instance, predictive analytics may act as a crystal ball to forecast sales and trends, but also help in determining the best marketing mix (such as content, promotions and channels).

Marketing automation also continues to extend beyond sending automated e-mails. Marketing cloud solutions (e.g. by Adobe, Salesforce or Oracle) further help to manage the array of these different tools and their gathered data in one place.

Our own 2017 will start with a blast in the predictive analytics arena as well, with our new proprietary conversion modelling engine launch at Superweek 2017 conference in January.

Total mentions: 11

The Rise of Marketing Cloud, Automation and Predictive Analytics

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Trend Nr 2.Shorter Messages and More Focus on Video

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Shorter Messages and More Focus on VideoOur short attentions spans are not expected to grow in 2017 either (so great job on making it to this second point!). Quickly digestible messages and information continue to rule. Additionally, messages that are available for a short period such as live content or content in Snap create “in the moment” experiences for consumers also in 2017.

Live, even interactive, video streaming is also predicted to become more significant, and all in all, video appears to be the go-to medium of 2017 for many marketers. 360 videos, Snap vertical videos, vlogs, 99% of younger Finnish consumers watching YouTube… loads of fascinating possibilities for video marketing in 2017!

Total mentions: 9

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Trend Nr 3.Larger and Faster Focus on Marketing ROI (MMM, Attribution, Multi-touch Attribution, Conversion Optimisation)

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Larger and Faster Focus on Marketing ROI (MMM, Attribution, Multi-touch Attribution, Conversion Optimisation)

The year 2017 also more strongly connects marketing to measurable business objectives and takes the factors of “intuition” or “gut feeling” out of the equation. For instance, attribution or Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) help to tie the effect of different marketing initiatives, touch points or channels to e.g. sales or conversions. This type of data-focused view on determining marketing’s effectiveness is a must for knowing what works and what doesn’t.

Finland is still a relative backwater in advanced marketing measurement usage by companies (the penetration is lowest in Nordics), even though our recent research on the main challenges of CEOs and CMOs in Finland in data driven marketing lists measuring marketing as the Nr 1 challenge they have. There are thankfully trailblazers the like of McDonald’s whose CMO’s thoughts on using Marketing Mix Modelling as a tool you can read and see here.

Total mentions: 8

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Trend Nr 4.Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Chat-bots and Voice

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As human-like robots have been the TV sensation of 2016, it makes sense that machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are also one of the hot topics for 2017.

Machine learning and AI continue to make systems smarter leading to e.g. more accurate predictions – and eventually even autonomous behaviour and adaptation. In 2017, chatbots and other virtual assistants are also expected to become more popular e.g. in offering better customer service.

With the help of AI and/or machine learning, chatbots may know the customer’s personal preferences and engage in one-to-one interactions. In addition to chat-based communication, voice activation is also predicted to become more prominent in 2017.

Total mentions: 7

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Chat-bots and Voice

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Trend Nr 5.Big Data and Marketing Analytics

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Big data continues to be a buzz word in 2017. Big data skills and the abilities to draw insights from the huge amounts of available data through marketing analytics to solve business challenges and optimize marketing efforts is what makes or breaks the success of a marketer.

Making sense of data through data visualization is also predicted to become a norm in 2017. What remains a hurdle for a wider scale data analytics are data silos, or the back end, unless fixing the basics is a part of your process.

Total mentions: 7

Big Data and Marketing Analytics

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Trend Nr 6.Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

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The summer of 2016 will go down in history as the wild summer of Pokémon chasing. Although the biggest hype on Pokémon Go has passed, its success demonstrated a huge consumer interest towards augmented reality as well as its potential to marketers.

In 2017, virtual and augmented reality are expected to bring even more immersive experiences and be embraced by more and more brands.

Total mentions: 7

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

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Trend Nr 7.A New Degree of Personalisation

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Consumers are increasingly starting to assume that companies know them and expect personalised service. 

Marketing automation tools help to collect data from different customer touchpoints and create a coherent, single view of the customer – although this is often easier said than done.

Targeting consumers (with personalized messages) at the exact right moment e.g. based on their location or real-time online behaviour is also significant in 2017.

Total mentions: 6

A New Degree of Personalisation

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Trend Nr 8.Democratisation of Analytics and Analytical Tools

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In 2017 there will be more and more analytical tools available for companies and marketers of all sizes e.g. due to lower prices and easier integrations. Some examples for (smaller) businesses include using analytical tools for identifying sales leads or cost-efficiently experimenting with A/B testing, or in the context of retails as seen in this retail technology research report (behind the bump).

We have written previously on what we see as one of the most important trend for companies to act on in order for them to take a full advantage of the potential data, analytics and technology bring to their grasp. The democratisation of analytics for wider organisational use is that. You can read our thoughts on the topic from e.g. here and here.

Total mentions: 5

Democratisation of Analytics and Analytical Tools

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Trend Nr 9.Omni-channel and Cross-device Marketing

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Creating seamless customer experiences (and measuring their impact!) between different devices and customer touchpoints interest marketers also in 2017.

For instance, in-store mobile use is frequent as people look for product reviews or try to decide what to cook for dinner while in the supermarket, and e.g. location-based alerts may be used to aid or influence these in-store decision-making processes.

In the future, omni-channel and cross-device marketing will most likely become even more important due to wearable devices and IoT.

Total mentions: 5

Omni-channel and Cross-device Marketing

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Trend Nr 10.Acquisition of New Skillsets – War on Talent

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As the past nine marketing trends for 2017 have shown, being a marketer is not a cakewalk. Finding competent talents who know how to make the most of the available data and technologies as well as turn marketing strategies into reality are the key that unlocks success.

Predictions for 2017 also suggest that marketing and HR departments will collaborate more together e.g. through employer branding to attract the best people.

Annalect’s range of specialists is also here to help you tackle any marketing challenges for 2017 – our solutions are from marketers to marketers.

Total mentions: 5

Acquisition of New Skillsets – War on Talent

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Altogether, We Found 26 Marketing Trends Mentioned More Than Once

After analysis of the marketing trends articles, we clustered the predicted marketing trends into groups that have enough similarities in their content. This resulted in a list of 26 marketing trends for 2017.

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All 26 Marketing Trends For 2017 We IdentifiedArtificial intelligence, machine learning, chatbots and voice Account-based marketing Acquisition of new skillsets – war on

talent Ad blockers become more popular

Ads focus into Google and Facebook platforms

Agile marketing / growth hacking becomes more widespread Big data and marketing analytics

Convergence of organizational functions (IT, marketing, development,

HR)

Data visualization becomes the norm Dedicated apps Democratisation of analytical tools Explosion of programmatic

Increased investment in location-based marketing (shopper/instore,

ecommerce platform)IoT driven data applications

Larger and faster focus on marketing ROI (MMM, attribution, multi-touch attribution, conversion optimization)

Livestreaming on social

Marketing cloud, automation and predictive analytics

Maturing content marketing programs + native advertising

Mobile ad revenue increases exponentially New degree of personalisation

Omni-channel and cross-device Rapid innovation and experimentation Shorter messages and more focus on video User experience in focus

Virtual reality, augmented reality Wearable tech

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Trend Sources: Smart Insights, Aj Agraval / Forbes, The Drum, EditorEye / Catalyst Tracking, Marketing Land, Digital Transformation / Futurum Research, Marketing Trends / Futurum Research, Tech Target, Gartner, KPCB, DMA, Click Rain, Circle S Studio, Walker Sands, Econsultancy, Content Marketing Institute, Social Trends / AudienceBloom, Online Trends / AudienceBloom, Search Engine Watch, Shout Me Loud, Jun Group.

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