2021 Trends

2020 was a difficult year for the US and the world. Between the health, societal, and business impacts of COVID19 to the social justice related unrest to a particularly divisive election season, business was upended and disrupted in unprecedented ways.

Some of the changes that we saw in 2020 are temporary. At some point in time the pandemic will recede and life will return to normal. The political climate, always cyclical, will calm down. That said, some trends like working from home and a greater emphasis on sanitization are likely to stay with us much longer, or even represent major turning points.

So what does all this mean for us marketers and salespeople? A lot…there is a lot to unpack and it goes well beyond one blog post, but we thought we’d start with a few trends we see in the early days of 2021.

Trend 1: Even after COVID is behind us, we won’t be back in the office in the same way as before

At the beginning of the pandemic, working from home seemed like a temporary novelty for many. But as the lockdowns and work-from-home orders extended, sometimes indefinitely, hundreds of thousands of workers who formerly spent every day in an office got used to grinding at home. The technology tools have improved, and indications are that working from home might make us more productive. 

Many companies are also enjoying reduced infrastructure costs by eliminating costly leases. If and when we do go back to office life, it may be a hybrid of home and office work. 

So what does this mean for business and marketing? A few things:

• Commercial real estate is going to be in a state of flux for a while. The office space market will generally go down, but some larger companies may need more space than before as they may want to provide greater distancing. The days of calculating the minimum required square footage per employee are probably behind us for good.
  • If you service this industry, exercise caution, keep up with the latest industry news, and do your best to understand your clients’ business situation. 
• Work from home means changes to apparel purchasing, eating and dining choices, and leisure time. Major clothing outlets have been under pressure first from Amazon and then from changing preferences. Formerly staid work outfitters like Brooks Brothers have filed for bankruptcy. Small restaurants have been devastated by the pandemic, and sadly many have closed for good. People are eating at home much more often, and grocery retailers have been one of the few to expand during the pandemic.
  • These changes will impact industries and their workers differently. The most important thing we recommend is to stay in touch with your customers, understand the changes that they’re going through, and update your buying personas accordingly.
  • Companies that adapt quickly to their customers’ changing needs during the pandemic and in the changed world after it stand to make big gains.

Trend 2: Social media will continue to be the cheapest and easiest way to find your customers, albeit with some changes (like TikTok)

Social media continues to change and evolve. Facebook and Instagram continue to have the most robust algorithm and tools (and underlying data) by which to target potential customers. That said, platforms like Tik Tok are expanding, and not just with the youngest generations. While 60% of TikTok users are identified as Gen Z, that still leaves a significant portion in the older category.

TikTok is investing heavily in the infrastructure needed to woo and keep business advertisers. As the platform continues to grow, we believe that companies should begin to evaluate content and advertising strategies there. 

There are, of course, risks. TikTok is under scrutiny by the US government for its ties to the Chinese government and military apparatus and some members of the US Congress are pushing for stronger regulation or even an outright ban of TikTok in the US. While it’s unlikely that major change will take place soon, this is something to keep an eye on.

An even more routine risk is that of competition. Instagram’s Reels capability, launched to directly compete with TikTok, is quickly gaining traction and has offset TikTok’s appeal.

Bottom line on TikTok: Make sure that your organization has a good basic understanding of the platform, and if the audience demographics are ones you’d like to reach, start formulating the beginnings of a TikTok strategy.

Twitter and LinkedIn will likely continue as they have. Both are important platforms with engaged user bases and offer unique opportunities. Twitter is still great for communicating news or developments, and LinkedIn is a great place for B2B relationships and lead generation.

Bottom line on social media and digital advertising in general: An integrated strategy that includes organic content, paid advertising (social and search), and email will continue to be the most successful and most cost effective. Just pay attention to the nuances of each platform and new entrants to the mix.

Trend 3: Podcasts will continue to grow in importance, but the market will further rationalize

Does it seem like everyone from your next door neighbor to the server at the local pub has a podcast? The last few years has seen unprecedented growth in the podcast arena…Podcast Insights tells us that there are nearly 2 million podcasts out there. Like in any such fast growing trend, most of those podcasts will never reach critical mass and most will likely disappear.

That said, podcasting as a medium will continue to grow. More and more people will listen to them, but they will likely be listening to known authors, celebs, and subject matter experts. Even now, the most popular podcasts are extensions of well known organizations like The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), and iHeartRadio. 

So…what does this mean for us marketers? Advertising on podcasts could be a great way to reach your target demographic while benefiting from the instant credibility that a well known program or host lends.

Podcast advertising can be expensive, however. And podcast listeners tend to skew a bit more male (although that gap is narrowing), more educated, and more affluent. If your product or service matches that group…podcast advertising is something to consider.

Trend 4: The country will remain divided

Our country is divided in ways and to an extent that it hasn’t been in quite some time. As evidenced by election results, polling, and even the discourse in our own social media feeds, there is a deep divide between liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican, blue and red. At first glance these trends may seem relegated to the political realm, but make no mistake, they have business and marketing implications.

First and foremost, we advise our clients to stay out of the political discussion unless it is core to their mission or they feel so strongly about a particular cause or issue that they feel they must speak out. Doing so comes with risk and also potentially reward. It is very difficult to give generalized advice in this area because it’s so potentially dicey and nuanced. Many businesses felt that it was important to express solidarity with the BLM movement during the summer of 2020, and when that sentiment was authentic it resonated powerfully. On the other hand, a few big companies got on the bandwagon only to be embarrassed when their recent failures related to inclusion and equity came to light.

So…the rule of thumb remains to stay focused on your core business and making your clients and customers happy. You don’t have an obligation to say anything about politics or social issues…you can make your statement at the ballot box.

That said, some things are bigger than business and if you do feel compelled to speak about a political or societal issue, bear the following in mind:

1. You will alienate some people, and you will most likely lose some customers.
2. You might start a sideline dialog that distracts from your core mission.
3. Disingenuousness or fakeness will be exposed, to your detriment.
4. The words of your employees will reflect on your company, even if they are speaking as themselves (and not on the company’s behalf).
5. Your stance may increase loyalty with existing customers, and it could help you reach a greater following.
6. It’s not all downside, the downside is just more likely.
7. Like all communications, any statement should be thought about carefully. Any deviation from the standard brand voice should be methodical. Every word matters.

Conclusion…Stay Tuned

These four trends are just the beginning of what we see heading into 2021, and if 2020 is any guide, this year will also bring lots of change. Things will probably look very different in just a few weeks. So stay tuned as we continue to think and write about what we’re seeing in the business and marketing realm…it will be many things but it won’t be boring!