The advent of digital has shaken up corporate marketing strategies. Constant digital innovations linked with new consumer practices, have applied pressure on brands to continually readapt themselves so that they better respond to their customers’ needs. Webmarketing.com has created an infography which presents six new trends in brand communication in 2016. This is based on a synthesis of the latest studies by Google, HiMedia and Millward Brown.

Big Data opens the way for a more targeted communication

Big Data represents an immense information potential for data collected on Internet. Once analysed, this data allows a more personalised marketing strategy. The latter presents a major challenge for companies, particularly in terms of advertising campaigns. Customers are very receptive to personalised advertising messages; 43% are inclined to make purchases more frequently, and 32% are induced to buy more products.

Communication on multiple social networks

Even if using Facebook for advertising campaigns today has become evident, there are also other social networks that are just as pertinent. Instagram’s 400 million active users, Twitter’s 307 million, and not forgetting Google +’s 300 million represent potential customers that companies must take into account in their communication strategy. All this of course is to be weighed against Facebook’s 1,55 billion users. Consumers are especially influenced by the three following contents: promotional campaigns, friends’ publications and advertising.

Communication by smartphone

The fact that a European possesses on average 1,3 mobiles in 2016 constitutes a major communication channel for companies. Their advertising is therefore directed increasingly more towards smartphones. What’s more, the expansion of mobile usage modifies consumer behaviour in shops. So it follows that in a shop situation, 57% of users will contact a friend to have their opinion, 56% will compare prices online and 54% will send a photo of the product concerned to have a second opinion and receive comments.

Social communication by instant messaging

To develop customer relations, companies favour a presence on social networks. This allows them to increase their renown, to sell more and to create brand communities. In 2016, businesses and companies are going even further in the link that binds them with customers by opting for direct communication by instant messaging software services: Tencent QQ, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.

Video communication

Very much appreciated by customers, video is increasingly solicited by companies in the context of their marketing strategy. Investments in this tool are in a constant growth spiral in Europe. Although behind Great Britain, France is very active in this sector, having spent 360 million euros in 2015. Programmatic, which uses automatic algorithms, represents nearly a quarter of the video advertising content market in 2016.

Native communication and ad blockers

The use of ad blockers, which hinder the appearance of internet advertising, is growing. Ad blockers are employed by 200 million users worldwide, of which 77 million live in Europe. Anti-advertising software is the cause of a global net loss of 37,2 billion euros for web sites in 2016. To combat this problem, companies must modify their communication planning. They must, therefore, develop native advertising, a less obtrusive form, that furnishes content to customers within their user journey.


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