BANGKOK – MRM//McCANN released “THE NEW REALITY 2016”, an annual look at transformative digital trends that will redefine consumer reality and shape brand communications landscape in 2016.
Rattakorn Potharam, GM & Executive Creative Director, highlights, “In the realm of consumer technology innovation, interconnected devices skyrocket and open new door of opportunity at an exponential rate. E-Commerce will be unstoppable and borderless. Implementation of data analytics is nothing groundbreaking but still a key for the Thai market to improve user experiences at all digital frontiers. Virtual Reality and Internet of Everything will bring imaginations to consumer reality in real-time lifestyle of urban connected consumers”. In terms of business vision, he added, “As consumers never stop searching for newer things, so do MRM//McCANN. The dynamic is fantastic and we are challenging marketing decision makers to unlock the fullest potential digital has to offer”.
Encapsulating this study, Varidda Voraakom, Head of Digital Strategy & Social added “To keep up with these shifting times, brands need to be fashion-forward in their digital strategic directions as digital transformations are redefining consumers realities in each second. The culture is changed. The language is changed. The physical and digital worlds are seamlessly intertwined. What brands should be digitally-focusing on in the upcoming year is seamless experiences”.
The core mega trends shaping 2016 will evolve around the themes of: Your Own Version of Truth, Seamless Sensation, Beyond What You See and Human Pride & Worldly Spirit.
- YOUR OWN VERSION OF TRUTH – Authenticity takes a new leap in the info-overload digitized world where consumers are empowered to define their own version of truth.
- SEAMLESS SENSATION – The online and offline experiences are intertwined as consumers navigate their daily lives seamlessly, resonating with both physical and the digital realm.
- BEYOND WHAT YOU SEE – Technology is transforming to the point it is hard to tell what is real, what is virtual and what is in between.
- HUMAN PRIDE & WORLDLY SPIRIT – In the world full of uncertainties and turbulences, consumers are looking for an anchor that helps ground them and celebration of human value is at the core of this theme.
The six transformative digital trends for 2016 have been spotlighted as follows:
1. DIGITAL-BORN LINGO:
Digital innovation is transforming the way we live, breathe and communicate. Connected consumers are yearning for new way of communication – that comes along with the growing interconnected digital outlets. To stay tuned to modern consumer dialogue, brands need to speak the same language with the same interface that resonates with the digital realm – leveraging simple thing like emoji, buy button, ephemeral, a motion detection, and many mores.
2. GOODBYE PRIVACY:
Since the advent of big data and emergence of personalization, consumers are embracing the concept of trading off privacy for much better experiences. While older generations seem skeptical about security and privacy, younger generations are rethinking and forgoing privacy as a currency in exchange for freebies and other possibilities in the online world. In view of commercial potential, Google’s Identity-Based Pay Per Click Marketing and Facebook’s Custom Audiences are delving deeper into zero moment of truth territory.
3. A YEAR OF VR:
Moving on from wearables, 2016 marks the commercial peak of Virtual Reality with the lineups include Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens and Sony PlayStation VR. In essence, Virtual Reality liternally puts people right in to the center of experiences, instead of just experiencing it. Advertising-wise, this immersive screen culture requires insightful understanding of content ecosystem, reciprocating psychology on brand content – in hope to compete for what consumers seem to have less and less of: attention.
4. E-COMMERCE E-COSYSTEM
In 2015, mobile is ruling the digital world with desktop fading into obscurity. As the seperation of web, social media and search is blurry and Google algorithm now favors mobile-oriented web, commerce is taking a new point of view particularly for SEO, which will become the main vehicle that drives e-commerce future. Key transformation from social commerce to search commerce is crucial. Facebook Search Engine, Businesses on Messenger, Pinterest Cinematic Pins and Snapchat Discover are some of the early examples of the trend.
5. BE-YOURSELF-VERTISING: Imperfection is now the new authenticity. Brands and the media now hold the power to set the new benchmark of ‘someone-like-me’ aspiration and take charge in the point of view for human rights and gender equality – even on the topics that considered controversial. Overcoming stereotypes and empowering consumers to be ‘who they really are’ are the key message for this year.
6. HUMANKIND: The stress avalanche of modern life and the social-political turbulences around the world are bringing human to senses. This strain in the consumer psyche is spurring a movement to get back to the roots and reality. The true promise for this trend is the kindness of human, lending a hand to help each other, with the hand of technology.
In conclusion, Varidda stated, “Real integration, marketeers has dreamed of, has a full potential to blossom this year – as online and offline are now seamlessly interconnected and seamlessly integrated into consumer reality in 2016. In the past, marketers have tried to be visible everywhere in the digital world but turned out to seldomly become standouts. To steal a march on their rivals, brands need a unified ‘ecosystem of experiences’ under one enriching brand story – cascading into an imaginative executions of touchpoints the consumers are in. Each communication experience for 2016 will represent a new canvas”.
NOTE: This is a press release from MRM//McCann
