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2 years on, the pandemic has brought about many limitations and accelerated changes in our lives. We connect with friends and colleagues virtually, shop and order food on apps and entertain ourselves at home.

The shift in consumer habits has propelled new consumer marketing trends. What trends should a marketer watch out for in 2022?

1. Mental Wellness

The pandemic changed digital habits and sparked mental health issues such as depression and anxiety caused by excessive screen time. For brands, this is a great opportunity to respond to this and develop empathetic content that addresses digital wellbeing in their campaign messages and strategy. Encouraging co-creation, conversation and participation in the topic of wellbeing will actually cast a positive impression on the brand and make consumers likely to buy from them. ​​

2. Short Videos

As Tik Tok continues to dominate the social media scene, it has sparked a boom for short-form video adoption on other channels like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The trend is likely to continue as creators ditches images over videos and prefer shooting short and catchy videos with their mobile phones. Short-form videos are also easier to distribute on social media and perfect for the declining attention spans of viewers.

3. Home Made

Nowadays, consumers want to see an authentic video versus a slick and expensive production. Original and well-thought videos featuring relatable subject matters are more credible and stand a better chance to connect with the audience. Home-made content is easy to produce as it is recorded on mobile devices and needs little production. Personalised video content that addresses pain points is a great tool to convert at the end stages of a buyer’s journey. Humanised content will be more genuine and believable to secure that conversion.

4. Augmented Reality

A trending topic for 2022 will certainly be “metaverse”, the augmented reality (AR) buzz created by Facebook’s rebranding as Meta. While AR has been an emerging trend in marketing and sales strategies, it is gaining popularity among brands who want to give their customers unique virtual experiences with just a tap on their mobile devices. From trying out makeup, viewing a property to test-driving a new car, brands tap on AR to allow customer trials before their purchase, a benefit that’s timely in pandemic times.

5. Audio Streaming and Podcast

With remote working on the rise, audiences are turning to audio playlists and podcast streamings to stay ahead of news and entertainment. Screenless and audio technologies provide a good balance to audiences who are overloaded with work and learning time in front of screens. For brands, audio opens up an avenue to immerse their audience with new content experiences, unlike other mediums.

As a marketer, are you analysing new trends and thinking of new content strategies for 2022? To arm yourself with more customer insights and know-how on content marketing, why not sign up for our upcoming 2-Day Masterclass: Digital Marketing — Content Creation for Marketing. You will have an opportunity to learn from industry trainers and practitioners at Intangibles Consultancy. Click here to find out how you can learn to create great content in just 2 days!