2018: The Digital Trends in a Nutshell

We’re at the end of 2018, and digital marketing has solidified its stronghold in the advertising sector like never before. Industries such as healthcare, banking, filmmakers and even e-commerce platforms leveraged all the hottest new trends to catch the ever-shrinking attention span of viewers (known to have dropped to 8.25 seconds, lesser than a goldfish according to a study of Digital Information World). So, as a digital marketer, if you haven’t learnt the art of catching up with the latest trends, there’s no reason to worry. 2019 brings with it a fresh chance to succeed!  

However, understanding of the tools that trended in 2018 will give you a pretty good picture of what kinds of trends you can leverage. Without further ado then, let’s have a look at the top digital trends witnessed in 2018. 

1. Ephemeral content

Source: radiotoday.com

Ephemeral content basically refers to short-lived content. Launches like IGTV, Stories Feature, Polls to Sliders to stickers, in-live chatting with friends, shopping links in posts, Instagram has taken ephemeral marketing to the next level. Snapchat, on the other hand, has had a difficult year, with lots of users trashing the re-design and its IPO tanking. Facebook too was forced to introduce the ‘stories’ feature after looking at the success it had brought to Instagram.

2. Live Streaming 

Source: marketingmediawizard.com

What started as an experiment launched by none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, (Facebook Live) has gone onto become the most vital part of the digital media universe. Giving a front row experience, it is currently the most shared video format, and has become an integral part of many brands’ digital marketing strategies. From product launches to brand promotions, award shows to La Liga football clips, live streaming is bringing content to the palms of users’ hands and its use cases are creating revolutions.

3. Augmented Reality

Notable in this section, is Parle’s new #TheFrootiLife campaign, a mobile game inside an ad banner that reached closed to 1.9 million users with engaging brand content, targeting millennials. With Facebook introducing its new AR studio for content creators, the future is going to be filled with a lot of immersive content for the platform. 

4. Chatbots powered by AI 

Thanks to major strides made in artificial intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots have become reality. They are taking customer service to a new level, giving more precise and smart solutions to some very basic questions, creating a very efficient basis for good customer support. Some of the brands that have adopted AI-based chatbots on platforms like Facebook messenger are HDFC Bank, Motilal Oswal, Meru Cabs, Fify, Lawbot, Pizza Hut etc. 

5. Brand stories

Source: tvnews4u.com

With India becoming a ‘video first’ country with around 245 million active users on YouTube, brands are now looking to create relatable stories and promote them through videos. Original stories are becoming the content of the videos, as brands are trying to create a connect between their products and the audience. Most notable campaigns this year, Hyundai’s 20 Years of Brilliant Moments, Samsung’s #Voiceforever campaign have garnered 423 million views totally. 

6. Micro/Nano-influencers 

Changes in algorithms and declining trust factor in mega influencers, 2018 has seen a rise in micro/nano influencers. Not only do they have the benefit of a curated and highly engaged audience, they also come at a lower price tag. These influencers have proliferated in fashion, food, travel, technology, and entrepreneurship. Himalaya’s campaign for their new personal care line, Youth Eternity and Amante’s #daretobe, a new collection of activewear are two most influential campaigns in this domain. 

With 2018 showing so many innovations in the digital marketing platform now the question arises what to look out for in 2019? LinkedIn influencers for B2B, in-depth Instagram analytics, significant updates for advertisers on Snapchat focusing on the creation of faster communication, creating products targeting millennial populations in India, Indonesia and the Philippines are some areas where digital marketing can find its way in the coming year. Even paid group membership can be an important feature on Facebook in the coming year.

With the dawn of a new year, now is the best time to refresh your knowledge with a Digital Marketing Course and get set to shine throughout the year.  

Written By

Saheli Roy Chowdhuri