Incite Group has published the 2019-20 edition of its State of Marketing Report, collating responses from over 900 marketers to examine industry trends.
The key findings included an increasing investment into content from brands, with many looking to social media platforms and search engines to increase their organic exposure.
Respondents felt that automation, AI and machine learning would be the hottest industry topics in 2020.
Specifically, implementing sophisticated algorithms could generate a “step change” in how marketers think about the kinds of content they are going to create. With improved analytics, it will be easier to compare different pieces of content and iterate digital strategy.
An analysis of marketing formats found that earned media coverage through content production was “king”. Traditional media formats were in “rapid decline”, meanwhile – something which has held true over time.
The authors write: “Just 2% of respondents said that they are looking to decrease their usage of content marketing and 3.2% said the same for website content and blogs.
“This demonstrated enormous belief among marketers that these areas are absolutely critical to marketing performance both now and in the near future.”
Consumers reportedly preferred brands that aligned with their values, a sentiment shared by the CMOs of both Badoo and OkCupid.
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