2018 is anticipated to be the year of full data and technology takeover. But with technologies like AI and Internet of Things (IoT) being bandied around with terms such as martech and ad-tech, it can be hard to remember what the impactful ones will be. Here at All Good Tales we’ve put together a list of trends CMO’s should watch out for in 2018.
AI Technology
Artifical Intelligence (AI) was one of the biggest tech talking points last year. This is set to continue as 2018 becomes the year AI becomes mainstream. Getting behind this technology will be key to business advancement and will open the door to a new wave of communication possibilities. For example, AI will personalise media and search results, so being top of those results will be crucial.
AI will also help develop a customer-first approach and will allow engagement of relevant content when it most matters. Newsrooms are starting to embrace the possibilities of the technologies ability to write specifically tailored news and market reports.
The growing technology will also achieve other amazing feats including mastering facial recognition. It is also beginning to transform security services with biometric capabilities which will impact industries such as retail and food.
Content Strategies
The key to communications of 2018 is carefully planned content strategies. With recent SEO changes in Google and social media, what companies say about themselves has become nearly irrelevant. The opinion of third parties has become more significant in its place. Having impactful and rich content being voiced by relevant third parties is now becoming critical to the visibility and relevance of messages.
Content is now also being valued for quality not quantity because of these changes. Emotional engagement and storytelling are key to good quality, alongside strong angles and approaches.
Algorithms have also been a huge point of discussion around content recently. The SEO changes of Google and social media can somewhat restrict content. But there are simple ways to tackle this; posting often, replying to everything, using hashtags, using boost posts and driving engagement to name a few.
Squashing of Greenwashing
Following from 2017 and with the increasing concern for eco and health awareness, greenwashing has been increasingly forced to face the music. 2018 will be the year of finally stamping it out and a setting of new standards for both businesses and consumers.
There is now an un-ignorable global trend of environmentally friendly consumerism and now only appearing to be environmentally responsible no longer sticks. Previously companies took advantage and marketed products as suitably environmentally friendly, even if they are not so. But with the rise of the organic industry and trends in veganism and sustainable fashion, consumers do their research.
Accusations of greenwashing can seriously impact companies reputations and development. Complete transparency is becoming a necessary part of reputation management; being honest, clear and specific is the only way to survive and remain current.
Blockchain Technology
Having been discussed so fervently of late, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin has placed its founding technology in the limelight; Blockchain. Originally created to just facilitate Bitcoin, it is now becoming a foundational technology. As consumers become more vigilant about online security, it will be increasingly important.
Although it seems intimidating Blockchain has essentially laid the foundation for a new type of internet. In the same way as Cloud computing, you can have public, private or hybrid blockchains. But being based on a shared database, all information and transactions (the ‘blocks’) are fully transparent and traceable. This means the technology has no single point of failure and will be allegedly incorruptible.
Although drastic changes may not occur anytime soon, this year is important for watching developments as more and more countries will push hard for Blockchain.
