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Certain trends rise to the top of the heap every year, no matter what industry you’re in. Driven by technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and broader societal shifts, this year we’ve identified five key trends shaping the way brands communicate, engage, and build relationships with their audiences.
2024 has been full of marketing surprises. Read on to explore the top trends in modern marketing and why they’re gaining ground, and dive into best-in-class examples from today’s leading brands.
AI Goes Mainstream While Remaining Risky
Trend Details + Why It’s Hot
These days it seems like everywhere you look AI-powered applications, activations, and especially anxieties keep popping up. For instance, Starburst just unveiled its first campaign in 12 years with a variety of visuals created by generative AI. And at Cannes Lions earlier this summer, Gatorade debuted an AI Hydration Coach that draws on decades of real research.
Audience reactions range from enraged to entertained, but so far many campaigns have missed the mark, while other uses have been just downright disturbing.
👿 Related Reading: The Dark Side of Content Marketing
Best-in-Class Example: Etsy
As an online storefront for independent artists, designers, creators, and small businesses around the globe, Etsy and much of its customer base is rightfully wary of artificial intelligence.
With a renewed homepage, company policies, and mission to “Keep Commerce Human in a world of increasingly commoditized, soulless manufacturing,” the new campaign spotlights real sellers who work so hard to bring their ideas to life, by hand, and into the homes of people everywhere. Spearheaded by “Human Performance” (above) and other videos focusing on how they create their handmade wares, the campaign also includes out-of-home placements in New York and London as well as a social media push that dives deeper into specific sellers’ stories.
Our sellers are the heart of our marketplace, and their unique human touch is what makes Etsy, Etsy.
– Brad Minor, Chief Brand Officer
Purpose-Driven Campaigns Are Doing More Good
Trend Details + Why It’s Hot
With climate change, human rights, and numerous social justice issues looming large, genuine corporate responsibility is more important than ever — and audiences are paying very close attention to what brands are (or aren’t) doing to help.
🌎 Related Reading: Crisis Fatigue + ESG Messaging: How to Recenter Trust in Your Brand’s Narrative
Best-in-Class Example: Ben and Jerry’s
Ben and Jerry’s has long been known for its conscious and very active commitment to making the world a better place. And the beloved ice cream brand’s first campaign in almost a decade, “Make Some Motherchunkin’ Change!” aims to place that transformative power into all of our hands.
The initiative’s hero spot lets folks know that “Progress Comes in Many Flavors,” featuring all kinds of inspiration for big and small steps that can make a difference as well as a deeper dive into the artists and activists involved in the video.
“As a society, we’re facing big challenges,” said Jay Curley, Global Head of Integrated Marketing at Ben & Jerry’s, “and we’re inspired by people who see it as an opportunity to create community, build power, and work for collective change.”
We want people to know that their passions and creativity can create positive change in their communities.
Homespun, Lo-Fi Content is The New Authenticity
Trend Details + Why It’s Hot
Authenticity has been a buzzword in marketing for at least the last decade, but what it means for brands has shifted, stripping back more and more with each passing year. Giving in to audiences craving honesty, transparency, and off-the-cuff conversations, 2024 has seen a marked turn towards material that’s raw, unfiltered, and unscripted. As a result, casual, candid content is on the rise — and creating stronger brand-customers connections with anyone who comes across it.
Best-in-Class Example: Mohawk Chevrolet
This summer, the Chevrolet dealership in Mohawk, NY hit the ball out of the park with a homespun social media video series. Parodying “The Office”, the episodes are reportedly written, shot, and edited over the course of a single work day and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.
With over 3 million views on TikTok’s Episode 5 and other installments not far behind, the digital branding duo behind the effort credit the organic nature of the videos for their surprise popularity. With storylines based on real things that happened at work, star and creator Grace Kerber advises: “Don’t plan too much, don’t overthink it. Most of what we make is not scripted, we’re just going off an idea. I just blurt out things for 10 to 15 minutes for the opener lines. And no matter where you are,
There are probably some big and funny personalities that you work with, so just wing it and see what happens.
📽️ Related Reading: Brands Are ‘Pivoting to Video’ — and This Time, It’s Working
Brands Embrace the Weird, Surreal, and Absurd
Trend Details + Why It’s Hot
In marketing, entertainment, and beyond, there’s been a recent shift toward the wacky. Thanks in part to advances in generative AI as well as to the general mood across society today (hint: it’s not optimistic), people are looking for a means of escape. For brands, one way out is through weird, absurdist humor. Whether expressing that idea visually or via a full-blown video campaign, or if it’s just baked into your brand identity, the sky’s the limit when it comes to being kooky. And audiences can’t get enough.
📱 Related Reading: The 4 Best Branded Videos We’ve Seen So Far in 2024
Best-in-Class Example: Teamwork.com
B2B project management software company Teamwork.com is betting big on this trend with their latest campaign, known simply as “The Client”. Playing out like a horror flick, the satirical spot pokes fun at everything that makes up the typical nightmare client — complete with scope creep, last-minute changes, late-night calls, and more.
Racking up 3 million views in three months, “The original video was built out of a deep understanding of what mattered to our customers and what we offered as a platform, and it struck a chord,” says Jenny Hayes, Head of Brand at Teamwork.com. “This early success meant it was important that we scale this concept beyond a two-part series and build a fully integrated campaign around our new lovable villain.” For now, that includes a prequel as well as a dedicated landing page, additional social media-specific videos, and promotion across channels.
Who knows where we’ll take [our new lovable villain] next or how outrageous he might become?!
The TikTok Takeover Continues
Trend Details + Why It’s Hot
Amid ongoing threats of a ban, TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape — so much so that the traditional search engine’s role is now being challenged. Younger audiences are increasingly turning to the platform and similar social channels for entertainment, shopping guidance, and all kinds of information, turning social media into a new kind of discovery engine that can dramatically boost a brand’s visibility. And with the right mix of keywords, hashtags, and trends, marketers are optimizing their content, enhancing engagement, and slaying social media SEO.
👍 Related Reading: Win Social Media Marketing in 2024: 5 Make-or-Break Tactics
Best-in-Class Example: Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Riffing off the viral nature of songs and certain sound bytes across social media, Philadelphia Cream Cheese decided to commission one of their own in celebration of this summer’s Fourth of July. Partnering up with rising country singer-songwriter Travis Yee, who has 1 million followers on TikTok, the resulting jam has garnered almost 17 million views on the brand’s social page alone — along with thousands of comments from delighted fans that can’t help but start singing along.
The campaign is inspired by and meant to go wide on social media, especially TikTok, where cream cheese-filled recipes number more than 132 million.
The effort also includes Instagram-specific teasers, 15-second spots set to a montage of user-generated content, original artist content, recipe duets, and more.
