As we navigate the evolving landscape of marketing, we've gathered insights from top industry professionals, including marketing managers and directors. They've highlighted the significance of sustainability shaping consumer choices and how AI is automating marketing personalization. Dive into the twelve key marketing trends of 2024 that these experts believe you can't afford to miss.
Sustainability Shapes Consumer Choices
AI Revolutionizes Customer Service
Interactive Content Engages Audiences
AI Transforms SEO Strategies
Personal Branding Takes Center Stage
Faux-Out-of-Home Advertising Goes Viral
AI-Generated Influencers Disrupt Marketing
Live Streaming Connects with Younger Demographics
Focus Moves to Personalized Customer Experiences
Augmented Reality Enhances Customer Engagement
Video Marketing Drives Website Traffic
AI Automates Marketing Personalization
Sustainability Shapes Consumer Choices
The momentum behind sustainability as a trend has been steadily growing over the past few years, driven by a heightened global awareness of environmental and ethical issues. Consumers are increasingly seeking products and services from companies that prioritize eco-friendly and sustainable practices, and are demanding more transparency from businesses.
Marina Azmy, Market Research Analyst, LUSH
AI Revolutionizes Customer Service
I think one of the biggest changes that could occur in the marketing space in 2024 is the evolution of customer support and response.
It is estimated that by the end of 2024, over 25% of all customer responses will be managed by AI. This trend signifies a shift in how customer interactions are managed, with a focus on the efficient use of AI-powered tools to enhance customer service. Organizations that adopt these AI-driven changes will improve their customer engagement and efficiency; companies that do not could fall behind.
Ethan Housen, Marketing Manager, CustomGPT
Interactive Content Engages Audiences
In 2024, one significant marketing trend to watch is the rise of interactive content. Engaging and interactive content formats, such as polls, quizzes, augmented reality experiences, and live videos, are gaining popularity. These forms of content enhance user participation, provide a personalized experience, and foster a deeper connection between brands and their audiences.
As attention spans shorten, interactive content offers a dynamic way to capture and maintain audience interest, making it a key trend for marketers to leverage in the coming year.
Rinkesh Jha, Marketing Manager
AI Transforms SEO Strategies
Marketers and business owners should really watch how AI in SEO is gaining momentum. In 2023, Google introduced a trial AI-powered search engine named Search Generative Experience (SGE), available to those who opted to test it via Search Labs. We're still figuring out the full impact of generative AI on web searches, but it's clear that AI will transform search methods. This will change how companies are found in search results.
By 2024, I think the main question will change from “How do you rank on the first page for a keyword?” to “How do you get the AI to favor your business, generate the responses you want, or share information about your company?”
We haven't fully reached this point yet, but as AI tools become more widespread, learning how to navigate this will be crucial. A good strategy is to spread your content and brand widely, not just on Google or a single platform. The goal is to increase visibility, but also to contribute to the data used by these large-scale AI language models.
Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital
Personal Branding Takes Center Stage
Personal branding is going big in 2024. A few years back, it was about establishing a company-level brand image of professionalism, formal communication, and adherence to strict brand guidelines.
Now, what we see becoming the standard is giving key employees the brand voice. There are a few key steps to building a personal brand: giving away knowledge for free, showing your genuine personality, and staying visible any day of the week. SAP is doing great with their own Joshua Bentley, focusing on quick vertical videos, bite-sized insights, and a consistently friendly appearance. Another great personal brand success is Fery Kaszoni, who has managed to put a fun factor into fairly technical topics.
Hristina Stefanova, Head of Marketing Operations, Goose'n'Moose
Faux-Out-of-Home Advertising Goes Viral
2024 will be the year of the Faux-Out-of-Home (or FOOH) advertising trend. It was kicked off in 2023 by Maybelline, who succeeded in creating viral content that showed London buses and Tubes with giant eyelashes.
In response to the success of Maybelline's content, a few other brands followed suit, such as Barbie, Gymbox, British Airways, Fortnite, Nike, and, most recently, Greenpeace. AR tools are becoming more and more ubiquitous and accessible, especially on mobile phones. Integrated with AI filters, it's becoming easier to create innovative yet 'fake' images of branded items in the real world. I would expect almost every major brand to try this approach at least once during this year.
Ryan Stone, Founder and Creative Director, Lambda Films London
AI-Generated Influencers Disrupt Marketing
One emerging trend I see blowing up in 2024 is the use of AI-generated influencers. Rather than partnering with human influencers, brands and agencies are now creating highly realistic virtual influencer models and activating them on social media to promote products. These AI influencers are fully customizable, from their facial features to their personas and content style.
We're already seeing many brands test out CGI influencers; top names such as Calvin Klein, Prada, Samsung, and Balmain have all worked with AI influencers in recent years, using them to promote products and engage with audiences on social platforms. The main appeal lies in the ability to closely control a virtual influencer's image and messaging.
Going into 2024 and beyond, I expect brands to increasingly add AI influencers to their marketing rosters. It solves problems around costs, risks, and scheduling. But brands will need to ensure their virtual influencers stand for more than just selling products.
While AI influencers offer benefits like cost and control, their very nature—being manufactured personalities rather than real people—undermines what influencer marketing is ideally about: genuine connections and endorsements. When the influencer is merely a carefully crafted persona designed to sell, it loses that human element of trust and rapport with audiences.
As this trend accelerates into 2024, I believe there will be growing scrutiny and conversations around ethics. Critics will challenge the use of fictional CGI models to persuade audiences without transparency. And consumers may eventually experience AI fatigue if their social feeds are clogged with computer-generated product promotion.
Brands venturing into AI influencer campaigns should consider balancing such initiatives with partnerships featuring real-life creators. Combining digital optimization with human connections and storytelling may be the wisest path forward. The brands that build relationships of integrity and transparency with audiences—rather than seeking to engineer influence through emerging technology alone—will come out ahead in the long run. Authenticity remains paramount, and AI on its own cannot yet replicate that.
Ricci Masero, Marketing Manager, Intellek
Live Streaming Connects with Younger Demographics
I'm somewhat loath to admit that livestreaming is gaining steam in 2024. As a business owner over a certain age, the last thing I want to do is show my face to the world for hours at a time. It feels unnatural to me, and I'd wager most of my generation feels the same.
But in the recruiting industry, it's helping me build a clientele beyond my typical reach. Candidates, in particular, really respond to watching a recruiter work in real time. They get to see how the sausage is made, and that helps them when applying for jobs. Once we've made that connection, as streamer and audience, they're more likely to use my services.
It makes sense. While I'm not Gen Z, many new graduates are. If I want to find them, I have to go where they are.
Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology
Focus Moves to Personalized Customer Experiences
In 2024, marketing is all about focusing on people, not just numbers. It's important to create ads, emails, and websites that really grab attention and feel special to each person. This means creating things that are not just numerous, but also really good and memorable.
By doing this, businesses can connect better with their customers, understanding what they need and want. This helps in attracting more interested customers and building stronger connections with them.
Marco Genaro Palma, Content Marketing Manager, PRLab
Augmented Reality Enhances Customer Engagement
One significant marketing trend in 2024 that businesses should be aware of is the increasing use of Augmented Reality (AR) in customer engagement strategies. AR technology has evolved beyond gaming and entertainment, becoming a powerful tool in the marketing arsenal for providing immersive and interactive customer experiences.
The reason why AR is becoming a key trend is its ability to bridge the gap between online and physical experiences, especially in a post-pandemic world where digital interaction has gained unprecedented importance. For instance, retailers are using AR to allow customers to visualize products in their own space before purchasing, like seeing how a piece of furniture would look in their living room. This not only enhances the customer experience but also aids in informed purchasing decisions, potentially reducing return rates.
Moreover, AR is being increasingly integrated into social media platforms, offering creative ways for brands to engage with their audience. Branded AR filters and interactive ads are examples of how companies can leverage this technology to create shareable and engaging content, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.
The implications of this trend are substantial. AR offers a unique way to stand out in a crowded digital landscape, providing personalized and memorable experiences to customers.
Bruno Gavino, Founder, CEO, CodeDesign
Video Marketing Drives Website Traffic
Recent statistics from HubSpot show that 87% of video marketers have noted a significant increase in traffic to their websites, which proves its effectiveness. Video marketing is a trend that will continue to gain popularity because video content is favored by algorithms on multiple platforms.
Hence, it offers better engagement and visibility. Videos also provide an immersive experience that other forms of content, like blog posts, cannot match. They can turn complex ideas into easy-to-digest information, enhancing consumer understanding and retention of a brand message. The use of video in marketing will grow in 2024 and beyond because it is driven by technological advancement and consumer demand, and offers clear returns on investment.
Valerie Lavska, CMO, Promodo
AI Automates Marketing Personalization
I believe AI will be used more readily for things that used to require personalization, such as marketing strategies like email drip sequences, review management, support chatbots, webinars, etc.
A very important factor that AI helps with is saving time, energy, and resources. If you're able to automate more tasks that don't necessarily need your attention in every detail, then why not have AI save you those hours you would spend on them and focus on the bigger ROI tasks?
Mose Gebremeskel, Marketing Analyst, Innago