2021 Integrated Marketing Trends

OPPORTUNITIES IN A VOLATILE YEAR

Due to Covid-19, businesses had to re-calibrate plans in light of acute market shifts. Some were more agile than others as companies aggressively modify marketing and sales strategies to reach consumers through new platforms. Businesses that have made significant investments into transforming their business pre-covid now reap the benefits primarily in online retail. Those highly impacted were those that ignored the shift to digital and bore the brunt of having low online footprint. With this as a background, we anticipate gradual recovery in H1 of 2021 with more robust activity in H2 as Covid cases start tapering off, supported by improved sentiment in retail, hospitality and ultimately travel.

Image: Alibaba Singles’ Day GMV. Shopping festivals like Singles’ Day give retailers a booster shot during the pandemic

FRAMEWORK FOR OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING TEAMS

For brands who are doubling-down on integrated marketing, a critical but often-times overlooked part of the process is the framework between working teams. A structured operating workflow is essential to pull each moving part together across field experts to effectively deliver results. Teams will be built around the business unit needs and serve as co-pilots to the brand leaders. This enables the agency to provide relevant expertise to each working unit. Success is therefore a matter of synergistic strength built upon regular meeting cadences, aligned marketing objectives, KPIs and goals through bi-directional feedback.

FINDING BALANCE IN AND OMNI-CHANNEL ENVIRONMENT

The main goal is not only to reach, but to convert potentials into customers. Choosing the right channel with the right allocation of focus will help increase the efficacy of each channel. For retail brands, strike a balance between online and offline communications and weave the entire brand experience throughout the consumer journey.


This article is part of a series in our REX Trend Report 2021. Watch out for upcoming articles in the following weeks.

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