[Trends 2015] Don't be scared of advertising

The brands that will stand out in 2015 will be those that leave the "herd" behind. This is the view of Di Charton, managing director of the Red & Yellow School, who adds that the shape of advertising will continue to change.

An international example of a brand that stood out for Charton in 2014, was Newcastle Brown Ale's Superbowl campaign including 'storyboard'. "What Newcastle Brown Ale did at the Superbowl this year, 'stole it'. It is a great brand that is true to its core essence. It knows exactly who it is. Its advertising message is consistent - from coasters in a pub, through to what it does online. The whole 'no bollocks' attitude... And their numbers and sales support that."

A local example of a brand that stands out from the herd, for her, is Yuppie Chef. "We must remember that consumers are quite happy to be advertised to if they get value."

In 2014 Charton oversaw the implementation of the merger between Quirk Education, which bought the Red & Yellow School of Logic and Magic, adding a whole suite of online digital marketing courses to the advertising school's curriculum; a new brand identity, Red & Yellow; as well as a move to trendy new premises for the school in Cape Town's Salt River. These are Charton's top trends for 2015:

1. Stop apologising for advertising. Consumers are savvy and brands and agencies must stop trying to hide advertising and messaging in different ways. "We mustn't be scared of advertising. If it is valuable, relevant, people will respond. Stop apologising for advertising to people - our role is to add value."

2. Good content marketing will continue to grow, bad content marketing will die. "People want useful content and valuable content. That will increase dramatically. Filling up the web with useless stuff... Brands that go that route will find they have invested a lot for zero return. Brands need to create content that results in engagement. Too much content marketing is from a broadcast-led mentality rather than a customer-led strategy."

3. Social capital. Embedded in our content marketing is a 'build it and they will come' mentality. "People are needing to increasingly pay to get visibility. The shifts within social media platforms to cut down on organic visibility of brands means brands will have to pay to get visibility of their content. It all comes down to someone creating a great piece of content, which we then share because we get social capital out of that. People are very happy to share great pieces of content - even with a strong marketing message with a brand. We will continue to see that. Social capital is not on the decline. That is on the increase."

4. Seamless integration of spend. The 'siloed budget' cannot continue, Charton warns, as people move seamlessly between devices. "There cannot be a TV budget, a digital budget, a mobile budget, etc. A consumer doesn't sit in those different brackets." What is required is different thinking from marketers and media agencies. Content creation needs to move seamlessly between devices and platforms to allow for a journey to take place. "Don't just repeat what I've seen on my mobile device - enhance it."

5. Mobile-first thinking. The question is still asked: 'how do I add mobile onto the backend of this...' says Charton. But mobile is such an incredible tool, people need to start thinking of mobile first, not last, she says. "It requires a different type of thinking. Brands that will win will get proximity thinking."

6. Cross-device attribution. "I've been talking about this trend for a long time. Within the digital space, I can attribute a purchase to various touchpoints and the associated consumer behaviour. We haven't done that particularly effectively - a lot of that was cookie led - now we are working consistently on different devices, plus exposed to TV advertising, different experiences in store. The importance of analytics - human analytics - will see an increase next year. Cookie-based tracking is something we are seeing a shift away from. It is now very device-oriented. It is much more about me as a user."

7. Content partnerships. Charton says the industry has always known the power of partnerships and influencer marketing in a content-led strategy was going to be very important. This led to the rise of online influencers, such as celebrities. "How we view celebrities is changing - it is often ordinary people who start something on YouTube or Instagram or Pinterest and build a following of millions with truth and purity, organic content, and then the brands notice and come on board. You have to see what is coming, what is influencing people. It is not brand-led, it is people-led, customer-led, content that is meaningful for a customer."

8. Wearable tech. The Internet of Things, wearable technology will exert influence in 2015 as more and more wearable devices hit the market. "As marketers, we need to get our heads around it - not to advertise, to build relationships. It will be interesting to see how people adopt it, use it, how we as brands create value in that exchange and usage."

9. Rise of storytelling. Storytelling is "real-life amplified" explains Charton, in one of the best explanations given to date. "It is about what people relate to. Look at the things people share online. It is a good indicator. The things that people absolutely relate to are real." Here Charton references the Coke 'First Parenting' commercial from Argentina; and the Wren 'First Kiss' campaign, which was the most viewed advertising video campaign in 2014, and one of only 19 campaigns that have surpassed 100 million views. "Again, it comes down to great storytelling," Charton emphasises. Sharing great content gives people social capital and provides rich human connections. This past Christmas, both the Sainsbury and John Lewis campaigns stood out, once again, for the richness of the human connection, she adds.

10. Making a real difference. Consumers know when brands are doing something for the sake of doing it. Marketers need to understand what motivates consumers and for Millennials especially, who are hyper-aware of the world around them, what motivates them is brands that make a real difference. "We will see a lot of attention paid to that this year," Charton concludes.