Big impact for BizTrends2023!

A highlight of the South African business calendar, Bizcommunity’s BizTrends Report sees leading trend consultants and analysts annually scanning the horizon for relevant cultural and market trends - to bring you the go-to destination each January for business trend forecasts, across 19 sectors of the economy.

BizTrends2023: BIG IMPACT!

Back on our front pages for the 18th consecutive year, BizTrends2023 will offer big impact across multiple touch points with trend opinion from more than 100 thought leaders invited from senior management, CEOs, owners and founders of top South African and pan-African companies, media groups, agencies, associations and institutions. Find out more

We’ve been tracking local and global cultural and market trends likely to impact business in the year ahead. Based on these insights, we’ve identified the concept of ‘impact’ itself as an umbrella trend that will have relevance well into forthcoming decades. Here’s why:

Societal impact

The Drum Globalization Deep Dive series quotes DDB chief strategy officer, Auro Trini Castelli that up until now, many companies have declared ‘purpose’, such as ‘making the world a better place’ their mission, but that statements of purpose are no longer enough. The space that business will need to play in the future will be in the realms of true societal impact.

“It isn’t just about purpose any more. It’s about true impact…the role that businesses will play in societal impact.”

Companies such as Unilever, Lego and Nike are enthusiastically picking up the mantle, embracing new benchmarkers for societal change, and this is a huge trend wave that companies can ride.

#ESGAfricaConference: Why integrating the environmental and social components of ESG is key

Sindy Peters  3 Nov 2022

Impact investment and impact capital

Increased equality and equity of every kind are on the agenda. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores are increasingly being used to determine company value. ESGs and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UN SDGs are replacing traditional CSI criteria. Of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, No Poverty (SDG #1), Quality Education (SDG #4), Gender Equality (SDG #5), Reduced Inequalities (SDG #10) and others are providing frameworks for companies to incorporate into their societal impact strategies.

For example Nike have identified Good Health, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, as the areas where they can best contribute to positive change. Unilever have defined the SDGs as ‘a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ for business to promote sustainable growth that works for everyone.

Author Morgan Simon, has been featured everywhere from the Harvard Business Review to the United Nations. Her book Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change, claims the trend of impact investing is ‘poised to eclipse traditional aid by ten times in the next decade’.

“Every company must not only deliver financial performance but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”

So many ways to make an impact with BizTrends2023: BIG IMPACT!

Offering 25 sub-categories, including digital marketing, media, mobile, big data, content creation, e-commerce, streaming and youth marketing trends, from agriculture to finance, healthcare to marketing across 19 industry sectors and platforms - BizTrends2023 will provide impact, inspiration and innovation for sponsors, contributors and readers. Enquire now about the perfect Headline-, Industry- or Category-sponsorship to fit your company goals here.

Save the dates:

• Monday, 9 January 2023: Site and Special Newsletter launch
• BizTrends articles published throughout January
• Wednesday, 1 February 2023: Curated trends roundup newsletter