What are the branding and marketing trends for 2022?

Our UX/UI article got so many visitors that we figured reviewing a branding and marketing one would also serve. Here's what is safe to follow in 2022, and how to have fun!

Authenticity and human focus: We want to see fresh and happy faces more than ever.

Yes, covid-19 put us apart blah-blah-blah, you know the story, but this "trend" seems to keep going. While Walking in New York City and San Francisco last week to meet our clients, we were thrilled to see many brands highlighting different kinds of beauty and origins in their branding and marketing content. And to be honest, it didn't feel like greenwashing. No, it felt like our society finally understood that tall and skinny models were not the only ones representing beauty. Woohoo! 

More than that, it feels like the 2020 years are here to teach us how to accept ourselves the way we are while still trying to reach our goals. Isn't that fabulous?!

How to use this trend?: 

• Ask for user-generated content and use it properly.
• Hire your cousin's son, who just graduated from art school, and support young talented designers.
• Get down from your office on the 54th floor and go to the street: ask your consumers how your product changed their lives and how you will solve their pain points.
• Understand that you're not a company, but a group of passionate people gathering every day together: and advertise about it!
• Don't be afraid to shoot a campaign the day your model arrives with a big pimple. Don't photoshop everything you're doing because we know what natural skin looks like... (Duh!)

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Metaverse and avatars: welcome to a new world.

Facebook created what looks to be almost a scandal when renamed for "meta." Most of us (well, not you, of course) were not even aware of the metaverse. So, when a giant decided to invest most of his R&D into creating a parallel world where an avatar would represent us, we were... speechless. Speechless because we were just as excited as suspicious: do we really need to create another world, or is building this one is not enough? (Ok, let's not philosophize here and stick to marketing.) We have to get how playful and creative we can be from this new up and coming advanced technology.

Instead of sticking to a traditional way of designing, we can experience more and highlight certain human traits. Which then, executed well, can be pretty fun and interesting.

How to use this trend:

• First of all, don't take it so seriously. The metaverse is (for now) far from taking over the real world. So we can mix and match and play with our avatars in the real world!
• Instead, have fun. Have fun representing yourself, your brand, your ideal consumers. Almost like a cartoon, but a bit more 3D.
• Think of the metaverse like a utopia. A place where everything's lovely, everybody likes each other, and everybody loves and buys your product.
• In terms of design, stick to colors, fun, and joy. The goal is not to create another depressed world!

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Straightforward copywriting: High tech for dummies.

After a decade, finally, High tech companies understood that we were not all engineers able to understand everything. (Thank you!). As a result, startups and tech startups finally acknowledged that they had to clearly explain what they were doing to raise money and sell. And so should you! People don't have time. They barely have 2 seconds to get to know your name, logo, and messaging and even remember it. So here's, a good exercise, to present your product with as few words as possible. Imagine that each term is worth a million $. Hehe. Tricky, right? More than that, it feels that the high-tech industry has started to be a bit more mainstream; I mean, we almost all have one friend working in high-tech (if not all of them, welcome to Tel Aviv or San Francisco.) And since it became common, it became more accessible and less exclusive, so messages as well. Interesting right? 

How to use this trend? 

• Get to the point. Every time you have to open your mouth, keep it concise.
• Use keywords, but make sure your whole target gets it.
• Please don't get too fancy; instead, make them laugh. (It doesn't count if only your mother laughs.)
• Consider writing a message to someone who could read on a billboard while stuck in traffic or testing the speeding limit on his new tesla.

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Personalization: their experience must be unique, just like they are.

The luxury industry was the first one paying as much intention to create a unique experience, and it was a guarantee of quality for a long time. But, now, thanks to AI and Machine Learning, everything's personalized. Social Networks and the content you receive, Netflix's algorithm, Amazon's recommendations,... the list goes on. But how can it serve your product?

When you think about it, offering a personalized experience online is both impressive and a bit creepy. I mean, when you arrive on a website, and you see you're full name, address, and phone number, without sharing it, you may be a bit upset. So, how can we make it unique without scaring people?

How to use this trend?

• Be careful when asking for personal information. For example, reduce the sign-up steps, don't ask for their last blood test results.
• Niche down your target. When advertising and working on your branding, create a visual identity specially adapted.
• Be yourself. Just be yourself in your newsletter, social media, campaigns, be human.
• Interact in a friendly, non-intrusive way. Let them come to you. (No worries, they will.)

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Artificial Intelligence: the brain power of the internet.

AI has been blowing up the past few years, and with 2022 coming around the corner, it is just going to continue to be more and more popular. Artificial intelligence uses computers and technology to copy the human mind's problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

How to use this trend?

• Suggest content to marketers as they create campaigns
• Identify client preferences and personalizing information in real time
• Create product recommendations, reviews and image recommendations
• Anticipate campaign results for diverse audiences
• Alter bidding methods to match ROI (return on investment)

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Voila voila. I hope this article helped you a bit and I wish all of you a wonderful 2022 year.