Consumer Insights > Marketing

Implications - Up until this point, the formula for successful influencer marketing was fairly cut and dry; a person becomes an influencer by creating engaging content, gains brand partnerships, and monetizes content as an ambassador. This model is turned on its head with peer-to-peer funding platforms that enable fans to send money directly to content creators. The shift to a many-to-many model speaks to the true intended nature of social media influence, placing more focus on truly entertaining content than the influence or exposure of a third party. [More]

Implications - While visual art, cinematography and graphic design are all traditional modes of conveying a story and message, modern technology is adapting to these mediums by integrating AR and other digital tools into the mix. From comic books that offer a virtual 360 experience to books that utilize voice-control capabilities, these adaptations showcase how traditional storytelling mediums are adapting to be not only more high-tech but also experiential in nature. [More]

Implications - Seeking to keep their consumers on their toes, brands are taking bigger risks in their branding and marketing strategies to create hype and excitement. From legacy brands changing their iconic names to those doing collaborations with brands outside their industry, these examples speak to the need to not only surprise and delight consumers, but also the need for consistent reinvention among big and small businesses. [More]

Implications - In its most simplistic form, packaging has been seen as housing for a product; in its most evolved form, packaging was an enhancement to branding. However, the emergence of smart technology enables packaging that improves product functionality. This speaks to the increased consumer expectation for seamless products. [More]

Implications - Social media has ushered the world into an age of consumercentricity where lifestyle reigns supreme. This lifestyle-focused approach has changed consumer expectations of businesses across industries and is impacting the way they view technology. The question of how dense technologies such as blockchain or IoT will enter into people's everyday lives is answered in more consumercentric applications that enhance natural consumer behavior, as opposed to serving pragmatic functionalities. [More]

Implications - Brands are creating edible billboards and other marketing campaigns in order to engage consumers’ senses in ways that are relatively unparalleled. These unique campaigns are absent of the staged, pop-up environments that normally come with food-related marketing stunts, and instead engage consumers in a way that is independent, but that remains interactive. [More]

Implications - Brands are taking their Pride Month engagements a step further by creating specialized pop-up experiences that celebrate the LGBTQ community. In a political and social age in which consumers expect brands to take a stance on the causes they support, this shift is able to cater to that desire in a way that is playful and interactive. [More]

Implications - Eye-tracking technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in market research in order to optimize user experience in the digital space. Through the use of biometric tracking software via mobile and desktop devices, brands are better able to understand precisely where consumer attention is drawn, and how they navigate the tools. This new technology speaks to the struggle many brands have had in recent years with understanding how to better establish authentic connections with consumers. . [More]

Implications - Though technology is more advanced than ever, and consumers have come to expect connectivity at every turn, not all brands can organically integrate smart tech into their products. This has been especially challenging in the CPG world. Smart packaging that learns from and communicates to consumers is a step in the right direction. Using technology to create a dialogue between product and customer strikes the perfect balance of necessity and novelty to both innovate within a given category, and provide use to consumers. [More]

Implications - Mobile fitness and meditation programs are becoming increasingly popular, allowing consumers to partake in health-related activities on-the-go, or have such activities come to them. This shift comes as the prioritization of health merges with consumers' convenience-motivated purchases, along with their desire for more experiential health programs that motivate them to reach their goals. [More]