Future trends of marketing

communication industry
(with next 2 slides, students please
explain what can be the future trends of
the marketing communication industry)
 Trends in Marketing Communication
1. Ad blocking will continue to grow
Users that use ad blockers are no longer a small group that can be ignored in the marketing strategy.
Between June 2014 and June 2015, the number of active adblock users grew by 41%, reaching 198
million users around the world. In UK alone this number increased by 82% and in US - by 48%. Even
though, ad blocking users represent only 6% of word's Internet population, advertisers should be
aware of the massive cost of ad blocking that is expected to reach $40 billion by the next years.

2. Marketing communication is all about listening

Social media is a digital reflection of today's consumers' lives. Platforms like Facebook or Twitter are
a natural environment, especially for the young users. They spent a massive amount of time there.
These digital networks are constantly adjusting to evolving consumers to meet their expectations and
make them spend even more time on social media. Social platforms are sources for news,
information about friends and entertainment. They let users express themselves, share their
experiences and views, interact with others and ask for opinions.
Internet users create over 30,000 mentions with "where can I buy" phrase monthly. Social listening
tools enable you to collect such comments in one place and then reach out to prospects. It is one of
the most effective channels for generating sales. Leads that you collect with social listening are
authentically interested in particular products or services and what's more important these prospects
express their demand publicly. If you reply directly to a user who ask for recommendation chances
are he or she will settle on your product.
 Trends in Marketing Communication
3. Emotional marketing
According to the Brand Storytelling Report 2015 by Headstream, more than a half of consumers are
more likely to buy a product in the future if they really love a brand story. People want to hear stories
about real humans, stories they can relate to. Relevant stories that speak to consumers make brands
meaningful. On top of that, they can go viral, giving brands organic recommendations that are more
trustworthy than any other corporate messages. Emotional marketing helps businesses to stand out in
the highly competitive market.

4. Influencer marketing
Consumers, especially the young ones, often don't trust brands any longer. Corporations no longer
have a big impact on customer behavior and their preferences. Traditional advertising is not effective
as it used to be a few years back. People use ad blocking and if not, they unconsciously tuning
traditional ads out.
That's why Internet users are more willing to trust a favorite blogger rather than a recommendation
from a brand. Thus, bloggers and other influencers have the power of shaping consumer opinions.
They are more credible to today's audiences.
Word of month has always been a valuable source for customer acquisition and retention. However,
with social media development it moved to a different level. Recommendations have no longer one-to-
one character. Everyone with Internet access can reach out to broad audiences. If a user happen to be
influential on social media, he or she has a powerful weapon of shaping customers opinions in hands.