Volume 24 No. 3: Trends every marketer should watch

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

We’re talking about the future of marketing—AI's rapid evolution, Gen Z entering the marketplace, the reality of AR/VR, and ad formats’ rapid innovation. Plus, what does this mean for all of us?  

—Elena  

 

61% of Gen Z has a positive attitude towards AI-generated content on social media.   

Generation Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, make up 20% of the US population and have an estimated buying power of $360 billion. They’re highly comfortable with new technology, even AI.       

 

Change is constant, but some things stay the same.

It’s 2024, and marketing is (unsurprisingly) facing several major shifts.  

  1. AI is enabling the creation of highly dynamic, personalized content at an unprecedented pace.

  2. As Gen Z enters the workforce, businesses are working to appeal to the generation’s tech-savvy, need for authenticity, and passion for social issues.

  3. Apple’s Vision Pro was big news, and now AR/VR marketing campaigns are making headlines.

  4. Popular ad formats are increasingly video-first and shorter pieces of content, thanks to the popularity of TikTok and YouTube. 

But even as things shift, there are plenty of fundamentals marketers can fall back on. AI and VR marketing still needs smart strategies. While Gen Z cares about environmental sustainability, they’re also highly driven by value, much like older generations. And new ad formats remain dependent on long-standing effectiveness principles.  

As much as we talk about change in marketing, some things rarely do. 

Listen in on our discussion.


"The Fundamentals that Remain”                 

Not everything changes. This article from the Wizard of Ads covers marketing fundamentals that have stayed true for years, from how to build a strategy to the famous ‘4Ps.’ Read the article.

 

 

Staying ahead means driving change.      

“Smart brands don’t just ride trend shifts. They start them.” 

—Ann Handley, author