The changing face of digital marketing

Technology developments are significantly influencing digital marketing practices.

With a rapidly growing team at Cadence we’re always updating our skills alongside the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Chartered Institute of Public Relations to keep us ahead of the curve and   deliver our best work. Digital marketing, like digital transformation, is always evolving and it’s interesting to see how these changes play a role within the industrial sector. Here’s a look at the latest trends and lessons observed by the team:

1. Artificial Intelligence
   AI-driven tools are now commonplace in a lot of industrial settings, analysing huge amounts of data to offer insight to operators and improve overall efficiency. Interestingly, the application of the technology for digital marketing is largely the same. Marketers can leverage AI to analyse ever growing amounts of consumer data, assess trends, and improve efficiency in marketing campaigns. According to a 2023 report on Medium.com, 80% of marketers believe AI will be the marketing industry’s game-changer over the next five years, proving that it will likely play a role in most digital campaigns for the foreseeable future. AI is quickly becoming more affordable and accessible, making it more viable.

   Looking forward, AI has the potential to revolutionise personalised marketing; using complex algorithms to deliver targeted messaging, align products with potential customers and predict future needs. This works at every level, no matter the size of business. Nowadays even in the manual environment of (for example) tyres, a tyre vendor could advertise a personalised discount based on the last time the customer replaced their tyres. All AI tools come with a warning that any content produced requires human intervention and interpretation, applying the nuance check that, as yet, AI fails to deliver. There are AI bots that can assist in ‘humanising’ content, but these haven’t quite mastered the art of subtlety. Overlay the human angle with the expert view of a marketer who has developed a strong understanding of their market and you’re onto a winner. The value that can be found with AI tools lies in the ability to review huge amounts of data which will only continue to grow as digitalisation advances. But as marketers we must refine, review and treble check everything that AI throws at us, no matter how compelling it seems at first glance!

2. Augmented Reality / Wearable technology
   AR will play a very different role in terms of digital marketing when compared to manufacturing or other industrial settings, AR in those cases is often overlayed with important information relating to maintenance. In practice, an operator using AR is able to approach an asset and immediately diagnose issues and review historic information, with large amounts of data presented visually, audibly using apps, screens or projections to combine digital information in a simple and practical way. That same information overlay can also propose a plan of action, empowering operators with informed decision-making that accounts for both asset data and insight from the workforce. The consumer space is still very much in its infancy, with Google Glass launching in 2014 as the first entry of the technology to the market being pulled by 2015. Now, there are multiple options for smart glasses, products in 2024 offering displays that include live-streaming cameras and voice assisted headphones that offer information for people on the go.

   Marketing and augmented reality have crossed paths with a few notable campaigns, mainly through mobile AR apps but never really crossing over into wearable technology. Digital marketing through wearable AR glasses would likely be influenced by what we are seeing in the industrial space. Wearers walking through a shop could simply look at a product, integrate the information seamlessly with their own data, and receive personalised information, for example allergy or calorie information for food products.

3. 5G
   The advanced speed and connectivity of 5G means digital marketers don’t have to compete with high latency for the delivery of complex marketing campaigns. High-definition videos, integration into AR (as mentioned previously), and interactive experience without buffering or lag. Digital marketing campaigns will be empowered to bring the consumer closer than ever to the product, whatever that may be. Digital marketing campaigns can quickly become a rich interactive experience with any customer able to drill down into the details that matter most to them. Marketing campaigns that start as a pop-up could quickly morph into a guided tour of a production facility, even when viewing on a mobile device.

The rapid advancements in technology are continuously reshaping the landscape of digital marketing, creating opportunities for extensive campaigns that leverage said technology in new immersive ways. As marketers specialised in the industrial space, we see the best of both worlds with front row seats to see these technologies evolving in real-time, first seeing their effect on improving processes and supporting the sector before being adapted to serve marketing purposes by informing and educating audiences in new ways. Marketers mirroring the digitalisation of industry by embracing these technologies will positions themselves at the forefront of digital transformation, driving innovation in every campaign. We’ll be keeping our eyes on the emerging use and be sure to embrace, challenge and utilise it for the benefit of our clients. We’ll report back again soon!