Chief Marketer Asks…What Were the Top Trends of 2015?

Posted on by Beth Negus Viveiros & Patricia Odell

As 2015 draws to a close, we thought it would be a good time to check in with the leaders of some of our PROMO and B2B Top Shops, to get their take on the top trends of 2015—and what will be the biggest trend to come. Happy New Year!

4x4 Julie Link webJULIE LINK, CO-FOUNDER, SYNC MARKETING

Biggest 2016 marketing trend: Companies shifting energy towards engaging directly with consumers via social channels, rather than spending big dollars on traditional ad and media buys.

Biggest 2015 marketing story: Mobile optimization. Companies must insure their online promotions not only reach desktop users, but mobile as well.

Best marketing effort of 2015: Marketers who knew what they were doing increased exposure by interacting with popular hashtags, all while gathering user generated content.

Biggest 2015 marketing faux pas: Not running social media accounts correctly.  Treating social as a channel, rather than a strategy, is the best approach to make sure you authentically connect.

4x4 Scott Miles webSCOTT MILES, SVP STRATEGY + IDEATION, MOSAIC

Biggest 2016 marketing trend: The talk track switches to Gen Z from Millennials, and connecting to consumers will get even harder. The march of the digital natives continues.

Biggest 2015 marketing story: Confusion. For the second year in a row a Cannes Lions jury declined to award a Grand Prix for branded content.  When an industry can’t define itself, a revolution is underway.

Best marketing effort of 2015: Apple’s product reveal sessions in September. They achieve coverage other brands can only dream of. With 13 million+ iPhones sold on their opening weekend, the results are staggering.

Biggest 2015 marketing faux pas: Cutting up traditional TV ads and posting them to social media. New platforms require new approaches.

4x4 Adam webADAM VASQUEZ, PRESIDENT/CEO, SACUNAS

Biggest 2016 marketing trend: Creating a unified brand/customer experience that is personalized to individuals and not just companies.

Biggest 2015 marketing story: The shift from leading with features/benefits-related B2B messaging to tapping the emotional drivers that impact purchases.

Best marketing effort of 2015: Getting the C-suite see B2B marketers as strategic growth engine central to the business and customer experience—and not just lead gen and sales support.

Biggest 2015 marketing faux pas: Focusing on lead gen as the most important metric and looking at customer experiences as siloed linear transactions that don’t translate into the company’s brand.

2015-GrantJohnsonGRANT JOHNSON, PRESIDENT/CEO, RESPONSORY

Biggest 2016 marketing trend: Privacy, ad blocker software and the battle between tech that reaches key segments and content that actually gets read.

Biggest 2015 marketing story: How traditional ad agencies are trying to play catch-up to direct marketers. It’s cool to be a data nerd in marketing today.

Best marketing effort of 2015: The Microsoft Surface campaign helped make the brand relevant again, and in a competitive hardware segment.

Biggest 2015 marketing faux pas: Subway and keeping their spokesperson Jared Fogel too long. Their lack of PR acumen was evident—They didn’t move quickly to address the allegations and that hurt their brand and sales.

 

 

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