#Marketing Trends

We sat down with our Creative Director at Genius Monkey, Damon Reine, and asked him about his work, design tips, advertising secrets, and more. Here’s what he had to say: Q: What does being creative director entail at Genius Monkey? Damon: The day-to-day position entails managing and creating the visual and creative voice and personality of the company. We’re an ad tech company—we don’t have a product on the shelf—so it’s important our consumers come to digest us through advertising, the website, social media, and more.

When we entered 2020, nobody could predict what was going to happen. And nobody could foresee that the next two years would be full of immense change, online pandemonium, and masks. Don’t worry, this won’t be yet another pandemic article. Instead of focusing on COVID-19, Omicron, and worldwide effects of the virus, we want to focus on how the pandemic has affected marketing and advertising specifically. As the world changed, so did consumer habits.

The downfall of linear and traditional marketing has given way to new marketing mediums, such as CTV and Programmatic audio, which continue to rise. Television, streaming, YouTube, and other online media platforms continue to get more use as our lives become more diverse, which has allowed marketers and media companies to reach, track and target audiences in new and exciting ways. We are excited to bring you quarterly insights into significant marketing mediums and vertical trends Genius Monkey data has shown.

Last year, the pandemic turned the world upside down, and it’s not over yet. Marketing shifted, with brands trying new tactics to reach those staying home. Even now, digital changes happen unexpectedly, as new apps pop up, new trends appear, and new marketing strategies take hold. There’s never been a greater need for marketing professionals to be flexible or ready to pivot at any moment. The key to success is planning for what’s ahead.

Much to the dismay of advertising and marketing agencies, when they hear that their client has a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or high-level marketing manager, they know that there is about to be a serious change. This news will ultimately mean that the new CMO, trying to make swift changes in the eyes of the rest of the C-suite in a radical departure from their predecessor, will clean house and look for a new direction.

In 2020, not only did consumers change, but marketing tactics evolved as well. Video took off last year, virtual and remote customer experiences replaced more traditional shopping processes and new digital platforms emerged and swiftly grew in popularity––as did consumer expectations. All these alterations to the marketplace have kept advertisers on their toes, particularly when it comes to changes in consumer behavior. So what can marketers expect for the rest of 2021, and how can they adjust their ad strategies in order to better suit these new consumer behaviors and expectations?

Now that we’ve safely landed in the new year (still recovering from a helluva rough 2020, though), take a moment to reflect. Visualize a snapshot of your life in 2019. Now compare that snapshot to your life in 2020. Do you see some major differences? If you don’t, then you’re not looking! A myriad of things has changed from 2019 to 2020. The biggest of which is evident in the new WFH (Work From Home) initiatives that have been implemented around the world.

The year of 2020 has been a wild ride and it’s still going strong. This year has thrown marketers from every industry for a loop when it comes to customer patterns and advertising predictability, and while much of what we’ve learned this year has come at a high cost, we’ve learned a plethora of lessons involving consumer behavior, trends and overall ad effectiveness–and savvy marketers are continuing to adapt their campaign strategies accordingly.

Gaming and music and apps…oh my! There’s a brave new world taking shape across the programmatic landscape, and it comes in a host of new platforms and channels for advertisers to explore. But not before gearing up for the journey. So plug in. Power up. And get ready…to play. Social media on the decline Smart devices have become a regular part of daily life, with the average person spending at least four hours on their phone per day and more than 65% of Americans using multiple installed apps in that time.