We are still in Q1, yet the social media landscape has already shifted dramatically this year. From the Twitter debacle to the constant push/pull between video and photos, at Hart, we’re on the lookout for how these issues are evolving and what they may mean for brands and small businesses.
For this latest installment in our Expert Spotlight series, Hart’s Social Media Strategist Cate Shaw shares the top trends and themes she’s seeing in social right now.
Back in late 2019, just months before the pandemic, Hart wrote a piece detailing #CancelCulture and what it meant for businesses. In that article, we outlined how to understand your company’s risks and ways to mitigate the effects on your reputation. Two years later, although we are in a much different world, #CancelCulture is as active as ever. We’re continuing to see cancellation crises due to everything from updating logos and mascot redesigns to name changes. However, now we’re increasingly seeing how the actions of individuals, such as the company’s CEO, an employee or even a board member, can result in negative implications for a brand just as much as a decision made by the brand itself.
For marketers, 2021 was a year of growth and reckoning. We emerged from the challenges of 2020 with a bit more understanding and focus, and an eagerness to adapt. With 2022 on the horizon, we're not letting that momentum wane. Before we celebrate the new year though, we couldn’t help but look back at all the lessons we’ve learned in 2021. Fueled by consumers’ expanding adoption of digital behaviors, we turned to new tactics like performance marketing while striving to continue long-term brand building for a stronger, lasting connection to our audiences. From a deeper look at data and social listening to the increased use of influencer marketing, here are some of Hart’s top takeaways from our own agency experts this past year.
We discussed in our last data-focused blog, the importance of understanding data before making decisions based on it - the need to “humanize” it. We also mentioned that, as marketers, we must prepare for the demise of third-party cookies to avoid our marketing efforts falling off a cliff.
The mission of the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) is to provide and showcase the advertising, marketing and entertainment industry with the best talent through world-class development opportunities.
Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” stated it best; “There are three constants in life ... change, choice and principles.”
Change is inevitable, it’s always going to be around.
We face choices every day. From what to wear to our attitude and even choosing not to choose (e.g., getting two scoops of ice cream because you can’t decide between two flavors).
Principles keep you in line when handling change and making choices. They honor company values and should be a driving force in your influencer marketing strategy.
Previously, we’ve discussed the success of authentic content on social media and how influencers are able to expand your brand’s audience while staying true to theirs.
Influencer Authenticity Builds Trust.
As communicators and marketers working in a rapidly evolving media landscape, it can seem nearly impossible to develop, execute and measure a full campaign without major changes derailing the plans. Whether it’s a global pandemic or a regrettable tweet that goes viral, brands are struggling to stay on top of trends, gauge consumer sentiment and craft strategic PR campaigns that hit on all cylinders.
Company culture and values outweigh office space for job seekers in 2021.
