PR AGENCY DIARIES: OUR 2024 BINGO CARD & HOW TO LEVERAGE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
In the buzzing realm of PR and content strategies, where trends shift as swiftly as Matt Rife’s career, are you truly tuned or drowning in the noise? We’re here to guide you through the cacophony with a blueprint to ensure you’re first in and best dressed for 2024.
In the chorus of predictions echoing across social media, where every post proudly claims ownership of the upcoming year, there's a unique challenge and opportunity: separating the clichés from the genuine insights. As seasoned PR aficionados with a penchant for trend deciphering, we've sifted through the chaos to bring you a nuanced perspective on what 2024 holds.
Beyond the glittering optimism, the canvas of this year is painted with hues of past turbulence - international conflicts, political dramas, and the relentless pace of technological evolution. From AI's toddler years to the resurgence of twenty-teens nostalgia, this isn't just another year; it's an opportunity for businesses to craft strategies that synchronise with the heartbeat of a swiftly evolving world.
So, buckle up for Undertow's 2024 Bingo Card—our guide to what's in, what's out, and how you can strategically leverage these trends for your brand's success.
What even occurred last year?
AI took centre stage with ChatGPT’s hard launch, infiltrating into every aspect of business as opportunities blossomed amidst risks of false content generation.
Viral trends and niche communities continued to gain momentum showcasing the economic power derived from collective interests, epitomised by Barbenheimer, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the 110-year-old Stanley Cup that successfully turned a viral moment into a $750 million dollar business.
As our Screen-Time notifications suggested, we all enjoyed the brain-candy content a little too much with mobile app usage surging to 5.1 trillion hours, underscoring the incremental value of diverse online presence.
While certain social media giants created X-it plans (guess who), TikTok exponentially soared despite challenges, hitting a whopping $10 billion US in consumer in-app spending after launching its innovative creator ‘tipping’ model.
So, what can we expect heading into 2024? What will be the next Stanley Cup obsession or the word of the year? Based on our calculations (and regretfully high screen times), we have a few predictions…
Undertow’s 2024 bingo card
1. The toddler years of AI
AI is set to integrate further into businesses. After a year of crawling, AI will find a home within operations and content generation. The challenge lies not just in jumping on the bandwagon before it’s too late but aligning AI’s capabilities with your brand values and overarching goals.
How to leverage:
Utilise AI with purpose and harmonise the technology with human creativity and brand values
Acknowledge content will be consumed dubiously and you’ll need to consider how you leverage AI with content generation, ethically and reasonably
2. It’s grafting time
A slow slog is expected before inflation curbs and with a recession still looming, the battle of innovative loyalty programmes begins as brands strive to maintain market share.
Like a f-boy’s redemption arc on Love Island, brands will be putting on their grafting boots to manage share with new and improved loyalty incentives and personalised experiences.
How to leverage:
Date your customer - gather contextual information that can lay a foundation for personalised experiences. Personalisation across multiple touch points will be vital, especially with mobile apps and social-shopping strategies
If your loyalty programme is older than a Covid-baby, it’s time for a shakeup. Test out new promotions, incentives to nail a new and improved offering that will keep your customers keen
3. Operation attention and retention
Attention is the most sought-after commodity and with organic social engagement waning, retention rates will be used in favour of engagement rates as KPIs.
Retaining viewers will derive from longer-form videos and creative content as businesses and influencers aim to hold a user’s gaze for as long as possible. 15-minute uploads on TikTok are in the works which will reshape how the platform is consumed. Could this be the end of goldfish attention spans?
How to leverage:
Strategise content for higher retention rates over engagement through creating thumb-stopping and longer form content. Think about incentives and hooks that keep your audience on the screen and have your finger on the pulse with social meme culture so you can jump on early (influencers this goes for you guys too!).
Lean on influencer partnerships for in-depth unboxing and review content to maintain a feedback loop that continuously engages customers
4. Casual and ephemeral content
Videos mimicking FaceTimes will continue to boom, as chatty styled content takes the crown for the most engaging content.
Instagram’s recent feature allowing users to post on feeds to Close-Friends will encourage an in-app culture similar to TikTok and BeReal. While casual and unfiltered content is further embraced, curated content will continue to fall and ads/sponsored content will stick out like a sore thumb if social media managers aren’t accounting for this trend.
Ephemeral content will rise as creators continue to leverage the benefits of disappearing content. We have our eyes turned towards a resurgence of the OG ephemeral platform, Snapchat.
How to leverage:
Implement siloed social strategies to tailor content for different platforms
Plan longer-form content across your content calendars and influencer partnership briefs
Amplify review content with UGC and influencer partnerships
5. The twenty-teens renaissance
Twenty-teens nostalgia is making a comeback with ‘mob wife’ TikTok trend taking off inspired by moments of this era. Dethroning the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, mob wife touts maximalism - throwing ‘quiet luxury’ out the window. We’re foreseeing this trend to go widespread across beauty, fashion and lifestyle industries with the rise in animal prints, logomania, big hair and sultry makeup looks.
How to leverage:
To monetise this, brands will need robust social shopping strategies, trend-led content and the right slew of KOLs to amplify the message
Lean on your PR & social experts to stay on top of the trends and keep your tactics up to speed
2024 is not for the light-hearted and will be the survival of the fittest. As we step into the next year, embracing these trends means more than adapting. It means proactively sculpting strategies that resonate with the evolving landscape. Expect the unexpected, be prepared to pivot and allocate a generous contingency budget to do so - whether that’s for lulls, crises or to double down on the hits. Keeping a cool head through it all will be crucial.
Need help navigating the trends? Chat to us.
