So much changed in 2020, including how we market and advertise products and services. Now, as we look forward to recovering from the global pandemic and finding our new normal, the industry will inevitably shift again.
We are looking at three major trends we expect to see explode in popularity in 2021.
Shout Outs
It’s been more than a year of working from home, meeting via video conferencing, and hanging out on social media. Screen burnout is real. That’s why we predict that a key sector of marketing is going to move from the digital space to a hyperlocal, in-person modality.
The new “shout out” won’t be found in an Instagram comment or TikTok video—it’s going to come from a real person stationed on a street corner in your neighborhood, calling out advertising messages to passersby. It’s an exciting new role for those of us in the communication business, screaming compelling commercials, announcements, and ads to anyone withing earshot. This new marketing innovation not only meets people where they are, but it also acts as a job creator… at least, for anyone with a strong set of lungs.
Skywriting
Similarly, after spending a year stuck inside, our insider analysis is showing a major uptick in people wanting to spend time outdoors, gazing at the sky. So where better to reach your audience with a compelling message than in that same sky?
Skywriting has been around for decades, but it is poised for a massive surge in popularity this year. Studies are showing that skywriting will increase 257% over the next 12 months. Even Facebook has embraced skywriting. The tech giant is coming out with a small fleet of planes to skywrite in major cities across the United States.
We are so excited about getting in early on this new trend that CRA has invested in a plane of our very own so that we can begin offering skywriting services immediately. Our de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a beautiful historic two-seat, single-engine plane that Senior Communications Strategist Nick Roy has recently completed training to skywrite with. What will you say in the sky?
Chicken Marketing
Formally named in the 1980s, guerilla marketing has been a way to capture the public’s attention using the element of surprise for decades. In 2021, we see this surprise advertisement method taking on a new guise: Chicken marketing.
Many people have taken this time spent at home to raise chickens in their suburban homes—in fact, chickens as pets are up 412% since 2018. This means a lot of coop real estate going largely unused. To take advantage of this unique opportunity, we are starting a specialty service where our ad experts will sneak onto your property and install advertisements on your home chicken coop. It takes the surprise element of guerrilla marketing and brings it down to a very personal level.
The amazing thing about this new advertising venue is that it can be iterated in different ways. If ads on the side of the coop start to become a little too expected, we can outfit the chickens themselves with small sandwich boards containing ads and graphics. We are also experimenting with stamping individual eggs with logos and messages. Just picture it: Every breakfast can be an ad for your business!
What do you think? Which of these new trends are you most excited to see and experience in the coming year? Let us know!
By the way, April Fools.