By Lara Sous, public relations and social media manager, MG Motor
The last two years have certainly been disruptive. We have gone through a pandemic, a chip shortage and the beginning of an economic crisis – to list just a few of the challenges we have faced.
As we enter 2023, we see that businesses and brands have already begun crafting and implementing their new communication strategies. Here are a few trends that we marketers may encounter in 2023 in the automotive industry.
Back to basics
In 2023, consumers will expect three things from any brand: authenticity, transparency and exclusivity. To meet these expectations, brands will need to decentralise their overall communication strategy and create personalised content for their consumers on different communication platforms that align with their target audiences.
Consumers are inundated with advertising efforts, which simply adds to the challenges faced by brands; they need to identify the right platforms to use and ensure that their targeted efforts – whether through social media, online gaming platforms or traditional media outlets – align with the consumer’s core values. In addition to the challenge of identifying a shift in consumer taste, there are growing concerns about privacy, restrictive algorithms, third-party cookies and even figuring out entirely new platforms such as the metaverse. This not only limits brands’ abilities to gather data about the success or failure of a campaign, it also limits the users it
can reach.
Content verification
The rapid evolution of digital platforms, along with overlapping content, means that current users are at a much greater risk of seeing false advertising. However, consumers are getting more adept at identifying and avoiding such risks. In the coming year, this trend is likely to grow as consumers look to debunk falsehoods and call out brands that use false advertising across all digital platforms, raising risks of mainstream reputational damage.
Quality over quantity with influencer marketing
Social media video production has risen exponentially in 2022. Influencer marketing has grown steadily and influencers have played a major role in helping brands to convey their messages authentically. In 2023, it is anticipated that most organisations and brands will choose to work with influencers who have a range of followers – from international or regional mega-influencers to more niche micro and nano influencers – to convey their brand’s messages to different audiences. This allows influencers to provide genuine reviews as they choose to collaborate with brands that align with their values.
Measurable data
This is certainly not a new trend; data underpins our communication and marketing strategies. Data helps us understand more about consumers’ preferences and how our campaigns perform, and also paves the way for brands to analyse and predict future trends. Predictive analytics will undoubtedly help marketers better understand their customers, their psychographics and ways to be proactive in their next communications either through AI or through manual digital listening technologies.
Embrace the chaos
If the global pandemic taught us one thing, it is that we need to be adaptable and learn to embrace the chaos. Ironically, we boast about our predictions and how advanced technology can help us with predictions. Yet, in times of a crisis we are often caught off-guard. Despite our efforts to be organised and proactive in 2023, we will continue to need to learn to react to the unknown, embrace the chaos and keep an open mind as we approach this shifting world and ever-changing consumer demand.
