Ahead of the new year, Booyah’s media experts share their insights about the trends and news that will be the topic of many conversations in 2022. Here are their top three predictions for rising media trends in the coming year.
Prediction #1: Video will get added to every digital marketer’s toolkit
Video shows no sign of slowing down and takes the lead in our 2022 survey. This past year, 87% of video marketers reported that video gives them a positive return on investment (ROI). This percentage is up from just 33% in 2015.
So what kind of video advertising should you focus on? Booyah Vice President, Crystal Stewart, puts it best, “video everything.” Whenever there’s an opportunity to use video, take it. With such a diverse market in which to consume video, Crystal recommends diving into the programmatic, CTV (connected TV), and streaming avenues as a means to distribute your content. The opportunities for video distribution are endless. Here’s what you should know about video in 2022.
More users, more spend, more fraud
Haley DeParde, Account Director, is a champion of video marketing but recognizes some of the potential pitfalls. She explains, “with the boom in consumers shifting from traditional TV to connected TV, there has already been a huge influx of advertiser dollars to the CTV space that will continue to rise. With high viewability and a tuned-in audience, this is a great place for advertisers to be. However, it comes with some big challenges; the space is fraud-ridden and can be confusing to buy with a lack of standardization in the space.” How you navigate these challenges and plan for new scenarios will be a big factor in your success.
Reaching your audience in meaningful ways
Digital Media Strategist Madison Meagher predicts that video advertising will continue to rise throughout the next year, given video’s capability to reach engaged users across various devices. She explains that this also comes from a brand’s foundational understanding of the importance of both brand awareness and reach, along with video partners having built out their targeting capabilities and video formats. Madison emphasizes that it’s vital for marketers to leverage these video marketing trends to:
- Grow your business in a highly competitive digital environment
- Remain relevant and able to change with shifts in privacy and predictive metrics
- Connect with audiences in a meaningful and impactful way
Less is more
Another video trend we’re seeing is short, catchy videos. By creating short, entertaining videos, the potential to draw in more consumers increases. Before you produce lengthy videos, remember: less is more.
Coordinator Taylor Leis explains, “consumers have little patience for lengthy videos — continuing to create long video ads will result in losing the money to produce it for minimal results.” She also touches on the use of video for influencer marketing, mentioning that “consumers want to trust that real people actually love a product instead of just being paid to say the right things. The more authentic, the more likely a consumer will try it out.”
Annie Miller, Account Manager, agrees with Taylor’s predictions. She adds, “programmatic and banner ads are going to continue to go out of style as brands see less and less success with them. Although video marketing is pretty popular right now, I think it will continue to grow in popularity, especially videos that are short, catchy, and to the point.”
Prediction #2: Audio will be heard everywhere
The podcast industry is steadily growing in popularity. Each year, we see businesses, educational organizations, and even celebrities breaking into the podcast world. More new stories are told every day, and people are listening. By 2024, it’s estimated that the number of podcast listeners in the U.S. will grow to 100 million.
Marie Northrup, Account Director, is an expert at testing new distribution channels like TikTok and emphasizes the growing importance of audio marketing. “Audio has always been here. However, with the rise in podcast popularity, plus the ease of buying ad placements through major audio partners like Spotify and Pandora, I believe that the amount spent on audio media and podcasts is going to increase significantly year after year.”
Whether individuals put on a podcast while they clean the house, walk the dog, or run errands around town, there is an opportunity for every marketer to enter the digital audio space and reach their desired customers.
Prediction #3: Contextual targeting & tailored messaging
Contextual advertising relies on algorithms to intentionally place an ad or promotional message on a relevant webpage. Not only is it an effective marketing strategy to implement, but it is incredibly effective at increasing traffic and sales. Our team has big predictions for what role contextual advertising will play in the future.
Go local with localized messaging
Senior Digital Media Strategist Lindsay Rinner suggests that sponsored content and dynamic display ads that create tailored messaging to local audiences will be a big winner. Lindsay offers a playful, tailored media messaging example for Denver residents, “Hey Denver, the snow today is a perfect excuse for a hot cup of joe from Troy’s Coffee Shop. Stop by today!” A snowy Colorado day and a cup of hot coffee? We’re already sold.
More platforms expand messaging possibilities
With the growth in retail media, every shopping engine across all web retailers will have a sponsored listing component to the search engine explains Caleb Harley, Marketplace Supervisor. He continues, “let’s take Amazon Advertising as a case study — retail media is a proven platform to help fuel both paid and organic efforts on specific retailer platforms. Retail platforms will grow and learn that they can get paid and increase their profitability by selling valuable space on their website.”
Brands will need to establish a point-of-view (POV) on where they want to position themselves on these platforms. Then, they will need to figure out how to establish that POV on each retailer platform in order to have a solid plan to execute each strategy.
Cookies, privacy, and personalization
The big change coming to 2022? Third-party cookies are coming to an end. Haley explains that “with the death of cookies, advertisers will be reverting to more contextual targeting to find their target audience.” As a result, we’ll see more advertisers use lists stored in CRMs, given the changes in tracking and privacy across the digital landscape. Madison describes how utilizing these lists enables advertisers to personalize the ad experience to users.
Madison sees another trend coming down the marketing road: incorporating tools like GA4 that will allow brands to understand multichannel and multitouch impacts better. These are some of the tactics Booyah is using ahead of this major change.
In addition to the end of the cookie era, another trend is how online privacy is affecting the customer journey. Addressing privacy is at the forefront of Lindsay’s mind. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong performance and efficiencies while also respecting consumers’ increasing needs for privacy.
Understand these trends to achieve your 2022 goals
Now is the time to start game-planning for your next marketing endeavors so you can stand out among your competition. For more expert guidance, check out our media services and let our team help you achieve your marketing goals in the new year!
