Since of late I have noticed that my clients and those following my blogs, and my youtube channel asking me one simple question: “How do you think that marketing is going to change in 2019?” This suggest that people are already looking ahead, and I understand why” because everything we do (as business owners) is marketing and marketing is everything we do. The world is going through robust changes almost on a daily basis, and I agree this applies to marketing as well. The more we plan ahead the better we are equipped to handle change.
So I decided to make a two part blog about what to expect ahead and how we can plan for the future. Here is the first part to keep an eye on marketing Sri Lanka 2019. Click Here for Part two.
1. Sri Lankans will put more trust on reputable content – NOT ads.
As Sri Lankans most people are used to traditions. The same applies when business owners engage in marketing. Let alone most marketing agencies in Sri Lanka still practice traditionalist marketing methods. Guess what? The new trends have people running away from traditional methods. We knew years ago that people were running away from traditional ads.
A 2015 Nielsen study showed the top four most-trusted sources of advertising were: people you know, branded sites, editorial sites, and reviews. Even internet users use ad blocker software. I am sure you do too, and when was the last time you clicked on a facebook ad? The best “clicks” for advertising remains in video games played via mobile devices.
Does this mean that you have to stay away from ads completely? Not necessarily. I still believe that there is a place for ads (when done methodically and strategically). But ads need to be more relevant to the consumer. They have to be entertaining, educating and inspiring. And what is the best medium out there to do all of this? Video. Video deliver real value to any audience. This is how the future of ads will be won in Sri Lanka.
2. Creativity (NOT conformity) Will Set Successful Marketers Apart in Sri Lanka.
In other countries people say that print is dead. Maybe so with the new generations, but not necessarily in Sri Lanka. As a country still running on traditions print media is still king when it comes to marketing in Sri Lanka. A lot of people still turn to print media when searching for jobs, buying a car, house, electronics, real estate. Heck we even turn to print media when looking for matrimonial purposes. Print media is part of the culture in Sri Lanka and is not going to be run over by the internet or digital media anytime soon.
A lot of people think that going digital is the new way forward. This is not true in my opinion. It is rather a trendy thing to do than reaping results. I am not advocating to any, and yes I am a video marketer, but I am not putting my agenda forward here. Simply what I am trying to say is that if you find creative ways to resonate and connect with your audience, you will reap the benefits in your marketing efforts. We as a country tend to confirm to norms, traditions and culture. Those values still play a part in everybody’s daily lives… but confirming to traditions simply is not going to cut it in the field of marketing.
3. Understanding How Your Customers Communicate Will be Vital.
Technology has evolved tremendously and it will keep on evolving in ways we don’t imagine. The marketing field is something very similar. What we did (and how we did) several years ago may not work in a few years time. Sri Lankan companies and business owners think that they are the one’s who should communicate with customers. Guess what… that trend is slowly dying. Instead now the customers expect companies to directly communicate with them, in ways they like, and in terms they want and when convenient for them. This is why it is vital for marketers to be aware of the preferences of their customers communications preferences.
While we cannot figure out how the marketing landscape will change in the future, it is evident that customers are more likely to get used to a world full of smart phones, smart speakers and smart watches. This means that they will get used to giving voice commands, so get ready for customers who will do voice searches in the future than any of the traditional methods we talked about before.
While Sri Lanka will still be rooted in it’s love for culture, tradition and norms, marketing will never be the same in the future. What I presented to you here was an intelligent guess as to how the future marketing landscape will become in Sri Lanka. Being informed is always better and getting ready for the future is never a bad thing. Good luck everyone – Vijith
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