2023 Marketing Trends + Insights Report

Over the first few months of the year, we’ve been carefully listening and connecting with clients, our internal strategists and planners. At the same time, we’ve also observed the marketplace through meetings with key business leaders and analysts in Phoenix and Portland. The goal? To identify the key trends and insights taking shape and influencing organizations and brands.

I always see this first quarter of the year as a preparation and staging period: conditioning, planning, advancing vision and opportunity. So, with the arrival of March, it’s time to take that prep and conditioning into action. This March also marks a big milestone for Ideas Collide: our 18th year of business. That makes it the perfect time to outline our 2023 Marketing Trends + Insights.

As we reflect on what we’ve learned — not just over the last year, but over the agency’s entire 18 years — we recognize some recurring core themes: believing in a growth mindset, confidently embracing change without fear to build a stronger character and following unexpected new paths to deliver the most creative outcomes and abundant learning.

These themes, years of service and marketplace dynamics set the stage for our 2023 Marketing Trends + Insights report.

Ideas Collide 2023 Marketing Trends + Insights Report

Our annual Marketing Trends + Insights report is designed to help leaders prepare for new channels and opportunities and find solutions to the ever-changing marketing and media landscape. This report seeks to inspire, inform and further grow your organization’s marketing campaigns, programs and initiatives with four core themes, from which we’ll publish relevant content. We’ll also dive into each theme with more detail over the course of the year, focusing on one per quarter.

Here is what you can expect this year…

Have No Fear. AI Revolution Is Here…

And we are ready! Over the last few years, we’ve explored how to tackle the evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the consequent opportunities for marketers. This evolution is now revolution: There’s way more adoption, access and change in how AI influences the marketplace across every industry sector. How can you leverage these tools, use them for advancing your business and grow with AI rather than fearing it?

Read: The AI Revolution: How Companies are Leveraging AI in Digital Marketing

Meet the New Social Media Darlings

Where users once went to connect directly with friends and family, they’re now utilizing social media mostly for entertainment. The rise of purely entertainment apps — TikTok, FB Videos, YouTube, etc., and genuine connection apps like BeReal and Hive Social — point to a growing shift in how the channels are changing. It’s time to meet the new social media darlings and learn exactly how they’re changing the social media ethos.

Read: Evolution of Social Media: The Rise of Entertainment-Based Apps

Read: The Proof is in the Data: Navigating the Evolving Social Media Landscape in 2023

What’s the Brand Frequency, Kenneth…

Across paid, owned and earned, there’s a never-ending challenge for brand marketers to shift message, platform and remain relevant to so many audience segments. This means continual audience and data mapping is required to manage and grow any brand. From the basics to the advanced, tomorrow’s relevant brands will be positioned and connected across multiple channels and audience groups with tools that keep their brand in tune.

Read: How to Stay Relevant Across Paid, Owned and Earned Channels 

Post-Covid Economy: Time to Pivot With Intention (Again)

Certain tech wonders surged and leapfrogged us in virtual/tech advancement solutions. And although they’re still of value in further advancing brands and communities, the reality is these tech wonders are now coming back in for landing. It’s time for another intentional pivot, this time to a new flight pattern in brands, marketing and tech.

Read: Why In-Store Experiences Thrive in a Post-Pandemic Economy