The Common Denominator in 2022’s Biggest Marketing Trends

By Stacey Sujeebun, Konica Minolta: As much as we’d all like an end to the pandemic and a fresh start in the new year, serious challenges remain, from controlling the spread of COVID to reengineering tangled supply chains. And while many companies plan a return to the office, many people (including your customers) are still working from home. So brands of all kinds must continue to find new ways to engage and interact with customers while they also support their internal teams. The pandemic upended business as usual, but what it’s revealed – despite the continuing complexity – is that people want to be acknowledged for who they are and what’s important to them. Marketing has changed accordingly.

Accenture’s recent survey of more than 25,000 consumers across 22 countries, with follow-up focus groups in five countries, produced this amazing statistic: a full 50% say that the pandemic has caused them to “rethink their personal purpose and re-evaluate what’s important to them in life. 42% say the pandemic made them realize they need to focus on others more than themselves.” Accenture has labeled this group as “Reimagined” consumers and found that these consumers “will abandon brands that don’t support their new values – and pay more to those that do.”

These findings underscore a common theme: how important it has become to think of each customer as an individual, with different needs and wants. Heading into 2022, companies will want to consider the marketing strategies, tactics and technologies that will meet their brand’s purpose along with their customers’ preferences.