[2014 trends] A game changing year for advertising and communications

4 Feb 2014

The year 2014 will be seen as a game changer for the advertising and communications industries as the explosion of digital and social media redefine how marketers communicate and interact with their respective consumers and prospective loyal fans. Coupled with the expected global economic upturn, we look forward to an exciting year of growth for the industry.

Advertising spend trends

Worldwide, economists are predicting that both developed and developing economies are starting to show signs of exiting the stagnant economic conditions - and this bodes well for advertising revenues.

[2014 trends] A game changing year for advertising and communications

MagnaGlobal, which forecasts across all media channels, expects global ad revenues to grow by 6.5%. This is the largest year-on-year growth since 2010 when the world economy exited the 2009 recession. Worldwide growth is mirrored by the units' predictions for the Middle-East and Africa region of 6.3%.

The shifting landscape

Digital media will become even more prevalent in the marketing mix, buoyed by its 15% growth in global ad spend in 2013, accounting for a total of 24% of total spend. Dwarfing this number was the 58% growth reflected by social network ad spend. Clearly this reinforces the trend toward digital with marketers having to ensure that digital reflects a major part of their campaigns.

The rising buzzword - content

The trend of pictures rather than words in delivering campaigns will continue to dominate the digital landscape. A picture paints a thousand words and brands will need to focus on this trend.

The new agency

The agency of 2014 will be characterised by investment in new technology and staff with different skill sets to those currently employed. More so than ever, integrated campaigns emanating from full service shops will define the agency of the future.

South African agencies are home to some of the most creative minds globally and will continue to deliver world-class campaigns that yield successful business results.

For more:

Bizcommunity Special Section: Biz Trends 2014
Bizcommunity Search: 2014 trends
Twitter Search: #biztrends2014

Source: BCSA

The BCSA was constituted in 2011, after extensive debate by leaders in the industry around the need for a collective voice to represent, strengthen and advance the interests of the wider branding and design industry in South Africa. BCSA’s core belief is that brands have the ability to create value. The BCSA incorporates the Brand Design Council (formerly known as THINK).

The BCSA and its members are governed by a strong code of conduct that promotes responsible best practice and self-regulation, which is designed to build understanding, value and demand for Brand Marketing and Communication Design in South Africa. Follow @BrandCouncilSA on Twitter.

Go to: http://brandcouncilsa.org

Odette van der Haar

About Odette van der Haar

Odette van der Haar joined Publicis as the MD from 1 September 2019, before which, she was the CEO of JWT Jhb. She was also CEO of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) (www.acasa.co.za), the industry body of the SA advertising and communications sector, and previously headed up Sentech's Advertising, Events and Sponsorships portfolio...