TOP DIGITAL TRENDS: 2014
Trends to look out for in 2014 and how best can we leverage them for brands
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
top digital trends: 2014
• Storyfication through visuals & videos • Topical Content through the Brand Lens
• Mobile gets Smarter, more Social • Digitally wired on-ground experiences
• Get Social with Celebs
• Blogging: Visual & List-based
• Influencers to Brand Advocates
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
storifycation through visuals & videos…
• ‘Visual Social’ will take center stage in 2014 • Increased smartphone penetration has fueled the success
of visual based platforms • 350 Million + photos uploaded everyday
• Visual platforms like tumblr, pinterest, instagram etc have witnessed unprecedented growth
• With video consumption at an all time high; story telling through videos is becoming a popular trend
• Snack size video content creation & consumption will be bigger in 2014
• Introduction of FB video ads will change the dynamics of video advertising
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
topical content through the brand lens…
• With content overload over the last few years; content will start skewing towards being relevant than just interesting
• With FB changing the dynamics of news feed & platforms like Storify; most platforms are filtering out content on the basis of relevance
• Localized content will drive higher levels of engagement
EXAMPLES OF GLOBAL BRANDS UPDATING REAL TIME ON SOCIAL IN 2013
OREO TWITTER / FB UPDATE DURING SUPERBOWL BLACKOUT
TIDE TWITTER / FB UPDATE DURING SUPERBOWL BLACKOUT
COCA-COLA TWITTER / FB UPDATE AFTER BIRTH OF ROYAL BABY
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
mobile gets smarter, more social
Smartphone + Social Media Platforms • Most smartphones are integrating social media platforms
with their core • Smartphones have fueled mobile lead social platforms
such as Vine, Instagram etc. • UGC is largely driven through mobile • Most brands are driving mobile based content &
endeavoring to engage the mobile user • IM App usage is growing with Watsapp, WeChat,
Rocketalk Snapchat & BBM leading the way
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
digitally wired on-ground experiences…
• Concerts, events and even political rallies are getting increasingly digitally wired
• Digital extends before, during and after the event to maximize impact
• Digital intervention opportunities: • At the pre-event stage, FB event invites, Twitter contests for passes as
gratification (Sunburn), popularizing Twitter #tags • During event, tweet wall, Facebook RFID, blufi, AR interaction, Instagram
activities, on-demand music via Twitter, collective rewards on Tweeting/ sharing in real-time
• Post event coverage- images, text, videos, cross-pollinating blog content (in case of bloggers)
• Purely digital events • Hologram-based events (NaMo, Tupac) • Social/ online streaming (Pepsi’s Music Abhi Concert) • AR-only event unlocking (Doritos’ late night Blink 182 concert)
NaMo’s hologram-based speech
Pepsi’s virtual concert with Raghu Dixit live-streamed online + on-demand setlist based on votes
Hashtag-centered blogger meets
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
get social with celebs…
• Social Networks have been bridging the gap between celebrities & fans • Brands with celeb associations are leveraging this trend using Google
Hangouts, Tweet Chats etc. • G+ has 2.2 mn Indian users, up by 58%. Hangouts will become a key
source of interaction in 2014 • Brands using G+ hangouts by leveraging celeb associations better:
• Garnier Men’s hangout with Dravid & Sangakkara (pre IPL) preceded by Twitter contests to promote the hangout. 20k interactions, 350+ people at the hangout.
• Myntra plans to sell products through Shoppable G+ Hangouts and are partnering with Hrithik (with his line of apparel & casual wear, HRX)
• Tweet chat with celebs continues to be popular. Typically, an influencer or brand hosts the chat.
• Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) is picking up in India too. ISRO scientists organized an AMA after the Mars Mission
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
blogging: visual & list-based…
• Blogs continue to grow as a key part of the digital eco system • 36 million blog readers • Up by 48%
• Reach of blogs in India is at 49% while the average time spent is 10 mins
• Blogging will become more evolved both in the form of content & visual representation using gifs/ memes
• Sites that aggregate & feature interesting content from around the web have gained loyalists e.g. BuzzFeed, Upworthy & closer home, ScoopWhoop
• Trend in Action: Partner with ScoopWhoop to create sponsored content to popularize “Clear Speak” with topical context & content. BuzzFeed uses this model with brands like Microsoft, Levi’s etc.
KEY TRENDS IN 2014
influencers to brand advocates…
• Shraddha Sharma & Miss Malini are two stories that have changed the way social celebs/influencers are perceived
• From influencers to now being advocates; they have started a trend which will allows brands to leverage non-celeb influencers
• As word of mouth becomes critical for brands day by day; these influencers will have more power than ever
• With increased following & power to these influencers; brands can turn them to digital ambassadors & drive positive, branded word of mouth