Digital marketing is a sector that is quite volatile. Therefore, it is almost impossible to predict what digital marketing will be like in the future when it comes to opportunities. In the recent past, new technologies have been witnessed, the social media has immensely changed, which has resulted in digital marketing significantly growing as a robust and viable marketing channel all on its own. It is, therefore, necessary for businesses to analyze how they are adapting to the latest trends in marketing for them to be able to implement the latest innovations. What I see to be the greatest digital marketing developments in the next five years is; Al-powered optimization, voice-powered on almost everything, and the rise of micro-influencer marketing.

Al powered optimization

Most services, such as chatbots, content creation, and search engines are supported by artificial intelligence technology. The COVID-19 pandemic highly influenced this. Jarvis is a great example of software that is Al-powered and used in content creation. It is used for the generation of creative and original content. The top SEO experts taught Jarvis to write website copy and blog posts (Dave, 2021). The Al has greatly been used by Google as the center of its value proposition. There is a high chance of being ranked #1 for a keyword when using an e-commerce product page. The best way of implementing content optimization into your SEO as well as content workflows is utilizing a tool such as ClickFlow. Bearing this in mind, there is no doubt that Al Powered optimization is future development.

Voice powered everything

The take-off of assistants and smart speakers happened in 2017 and 2018 in as much as they have been around for some time (Brenner, 2021). This has led to devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa flooding the market. The hands-free technology will eventually be a typical way users opt to use when using their devices. The growth of the voice search powered smart devices will, in turn, bring additional opportunities in the market to their owners. For example, Targeted Alexa ads are common where other devices follow suit. On the other hand, Amazon foresaw the opportunity and began offering kindle devices at a cheaper rate and, in return, an agreement to get marketing communications.

The Rise of Micro-influencer Marketing

In recent years, influencer marketing has greatly expanded where there are top influencers on various platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. The influencers attract many followers who make a six-figure income from their brands and deals. Influencer marketing offers more ROI as compared to traditional advertising ways. However, it can be said to be still young as there are a number of issues that ought to be ironed out. For instance, the issue of fake followers is yet to be resolved where there are a couple of occurrences of bad brand-influencer relationships. The big-name influencers are losing their power as they tend to take more sponsored posts which reduce the impact and authenticity of their recommendations (Brenner, 2021). This, in turn, brings in the micro-influencers as it makes more sense to invest in them. It is so because consumers keep valuing individual recommendations over being marketed at. The users of social media who have a dedicated following that is smaller are able to deliver truly authentic marketing messages to an audience that is trusting. The power of the influencers is measured by the personal relationships with their followers as compared to the number of followers.

References

Brenner, M. (2021, November 17). The future of digital marketing: Predictions for 2022 and beyond. Retrieved from https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/the-future-of-digital-marketing-predictions-trends/

Dave, N. (2021, November 30). 38 digital marketing trends you can’t ignore in 2022. Retrieved from https://www.singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-trends-2022/

I follow a few social media influencers on Instagram like Anastasia Karanikolaou and Anna Gabriela! Anna has 426k followers on Instagram, her Instagram post consist of health and beauty post. Her post helps me find new beauty products. She posts reviews on beauty products and videos of her using different products on her hair and skin. My favorite thing about her social media is that she will post discount codes on certain beauty products she recommends on her Instagram so, I’m able to get a discount on my products.  

• What do you notice about this type of marketing? 

Social media influencers make content adverting different products on their social media, from work out products like waist trainers to skin products like at home tanning lotions. Companies will pay social media influencers to advertise their products because it’s a cheaper more effective way of reaching a wider audience. When commercials air on TV you can’t track specific demographics that are exposed to the commercial, unlike social media. Using social media allows companies to see who is responding to their ads.  

• What strategies are they employing? 

Brand placement and data capture of viewers. 

• What role do these influencers play in marketing? 

They are increasing product attention to a huge market. 

• How does the use of marketing perspective impact the relationship between the company and consumer? 

Consumers can see it more frequently and in a way that is more relatable or funny. When Ana Gabriela post videos of her using make-up products I am able to relate to the video and understand how a product works before I purchase it.  

After analyzing your chosen example, respond to the following questions in your blog post: 

• What was done successfully to meet the wants and needs of the target audience? 

Whirlpool worked on improving their personal relationship with their customers, they enhanced personal connections. 

• How was the social and consumer experience addressed? Was this done successfully? Explain. 

For Whirlpool #Everydaycare campaign the social and consumer experience was successful because it generated real stories from people on social media. The campaign got people talking from all over the world about whirlpool and how they are helping people with doing repetitive everyday home chores. “To evolve Whirlpool conversations from rational (product-based) to emotional (people-based), they committed to unearthing thousands of stories of ‘Every day, care’ from real consumers and leaned on word-of-mouth to form a critical foundation to the integrated campaign – which was the brand’s largest ever” (Whirlpool.2018). The messages on social media appears to be mainly consumers who own Whirlpool products and it turns out to be all positive comments! Whirlpool also responds to complaints in a very personalized and professional way online. Their messages are not static because you can tell by reading them that someone is reading and responding to each person because they will reference a person’s name in a response. So, I believe that the social and consumer experience was addressed successfully.  

• How were the digital media followers handled? 

Whirlpool has 1.1 million likes on Facebook, 29.4k followers on Twitter, and 10.6k followers on Instagram. Whirlpool has constant positivity on all digital platforms. The comments on their social medias have all been positive and uplifting.  

• Is there something that could have been done differently to make that experience more efficient? 

I believe that Whirlpool did everything they could have done to changed how their digital media is handled. Whirlpool needed help with their products and online customer complaints.  They succeed in that when they did the #Everydaycare campaign on social media.  

Take a look at the company’s current website, major social media page, and/or mobile site, if applicable.  

• What is the company doing effectively now?  

Whirlpool has been keeping up with their social media presence by staying active and posting strong content. They post people doing everyday chores in their homes with their appliances they are keeping up with their #Everydaycare campaign. They have an app that you can download that you’re able to control your oven and stove right from your phone. Whirlpool has been keeping up with the times by selling new up-to-date appliances that allow you to pre-heat your oven from your cell phone. You can even ask Alexa how much time is left on your wash cycle!  

• How are ethical engagements in social media helping with effectiveness?  

Whirlpool’s Instagram content shows people from every race and age using their appliances from cooking food to doing laundry. They know their audience and post content that is made to appeal to their consumers. Whirlpool is good at keeping their consumers involved on social media by posting stories and allowing people to be a part of a conversation. Their followers are using the #Everdaycare to keep the conversation going. They are also reposting their followers post on their stories to make them feel involved.  

• If the company is using a mobile application, how does the app meet the consumer’s need? 

Whirlpool has three apps that you can download on your phone. They have a lifestyle app, a business app and a customer service app. The customer service app allows you to have access to their installation guides on their appliances. The app even allows you to order parts and schedule Maintenace for your appliance. It makes it convenient for customers to have these resources in once app.  

The business app allows you to stay connected to the Whirlpool community! The app sends you updates about new appliances. I think that most Whirlpool consumers will not be interested in keeping up to date with new Whirlpool appliances. So, by making a separate app is meeting the consumer needs because this way you will only download the business app if you want this information.  

Lastly the lifestyle app! This app is for Whirlpools smart appliances. If you purchase a smart appliance you will be using this app a lot because the app allows you to control your smart appliance from your cell phone. You can pre-heat your oven and start your dishwasher all from this app!  

Reference:  

#EveryDayCare – Whirlpool, DigitasLBi and Crowdtap – The Shorty Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://shortyawards.com/8th/everydaycare-whirlpool-digitaslbi-and-crowdtap-2 

https://www.whirlpool.com

https://www.instagram.com/whirlpoolusa/?hl=en

I love social media! I’m always on it talking to my friends and sharing videos and pictures. I think social media is a great way to stay connected with friends and family that you can’t see everday. I also think its a great way to advertise and promote your business. This made me want to get a degree in social media!

For those who are new to the marketing industry, my advice to you would be to follow the ethical standards given by the American Marketing Association (AMA). First, we must do no harm so we have to avoid any harmful actions (Codes of Conduct, n.d.). Secondly, we must foster trust into the marketing system, meaning we should always have good faith and be fair especially to avoid deception of the product/service (Codes of Conduct, n.d.). Third, we must embrace the ethical values, meaning build relationships and improve the consumer’s confidence by following the core values: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency, and citizenship (Codes of Conduct, n.d.).

I’ve learned throughout this course that we should always stay truthful and follow our ethical standards in order to avoid deception and any other negative light about a product/service. We have to be honest even if it means more questions and controversy about it. If we just keep avoiding the elephant in the room, that will make the customers of the product/service upset and we can lose them permanently in the long run. My best advice in an integrated marketing campaign is to be transparent. If one sees something is wrong within the campaign or even questions the ethical value behind, we have to voice those thoughts out before the public can do it themselves after the launch.

One potential concern that can occur if these practices are not followed is deception. There can be a product where it was heavily advertised for something unique to attract customers. But the reality of this product did not meet the consumer’s expectations as it was false advertising in the end and deceived numerous customers about the unique features. This could have been prevented if one followed ethical standards before launching the campaign or the product in question. Ultimately, not following the American Marketing Association’s ethical standards can lead to negative publicity about the business in question as a whole and customers will gain distrust. Another potential concern if these practices are not followed is legal issues if the product/service caused harm. There are always possibilities within production that something can go wrong and it is up to the employees involved with production or quality

 control to ensure the product is working properly and will not cause harm or injuries to the public. This is also the same for any service, employees should always follow their ethical values when exchanging or performing a service because it can always lead to possible harm, injuries and damages if not performed correctly and ethically.

Codes of Conduct: AMA Statement of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/codes-of-conduct/