2009 Marketing Predictions
Annually I try and predict what the new year will bring in terms of marketing. I base my insights on lots of things, and I believe I am more often right than wrong. So, here’s a list of 9 things that I think 2009 has in store:
1.) Retail will falter, except low end providers like Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree ( when I started in this game in the 80’s everyone was crying retails’ death and it came back strong). Others will lose margin to survive.
2.) Healthcare, Education, Government and Utilities will grow and be viable. So will software providers who can prove increased productivity with their products. ( consider marketing to these groups)
3.) B-to-B marketers will become much better at measurable marketing. The ones that do will prosper, grow and end up buying their competitors.
4.) Non-profits will find it harder to raise funds from newer donors, but will prosper if they “mine” their current donor files correctly.
5.) There will be even more interest in emerging media:Social Media, E-mail, Blogs, YouTube, Microblogs, Pod & Videocasts and TV-like commercials produced specifically for the web and key segments will flourish.
6.) Mobile marketing will NOT take off in North America.
7.) PR, and the ability to track it, will be more critical than ever — especially in the emerging channels.
8.) Story-selling will emerge as a key marketing discipline that, combined with the right offer, to the right audience at the correct time will work very profitably.
9.) Direct Marketing thinking will become critical to an organization’s marketing success.
I have more, but that’s a good start.
If you can’t measure the right metrics, you will fail. If you can and learn, you can market smarter and will gain market share (really).
January 4th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Grant I love #6 and totally agree with your predictions for 09. Great list!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Great list Grant. I think you’re right on the money with a lot of these.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Grant, Could you define “story selling” in item no. 8? As a publisher we believe in quality content. Curious about story selling.
thanks
January 6th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I would like to learn more about “Story telling” as well. Is there an actual “Story” like a case study or are you referring to how the sales pitch is made ie..via a story (begining , middle , end?)
Thanks!
January 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I totally agree with your Marketing Predictions Grant. Especially #2 about software providers who can prove increased productivity (like PlanPlus Online) and #7 tracking PR. I write, launch and measure interactive press releases - the tracking is incredible and it truly works!
January 6th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Thanks for the replies. Here is more detail on story selling:
Story selling is a concept I coined a few years ago that goes beyond typical narrative in that it is used to create a greater sense of urgency — a call to action based upon the story being told. It applies cross channel, that is it can be used in direct mail, email, PR, web, print and TV ads, internet-TV, in blogs and other social media. Oftentimes it is used cross/muti-channel.
Sometimes the payoff is a call to action to another channel like a website, microsite or blog. Fundraisers are fairly adept at this and it will be applied more widely in the coming year. The reason: we live in an age of over communication and thus we CRAVE simplicity. Story selling makes your message memorable (standing out from the clutter), and also creates results — measurable results. It makes your communication get noticed. Additionally, it is very testable which is paramount in today’s tough economy. Using this technique my firm just pulled a 14.6% response rate for a client — in a recession no less. So it’s not just theoretical, but real world tested.