Bronco Media Digital Marketing Predictions for 2016

We found 2015 to be quite an exciting year, as a company we tried out a number of new digital marketing concepts, from working on exciting social media campaigns to taking the infographic to the next level with gifographics. We are certain 2016 will have as many new challenges, concepts and changes and so we tasked our Digital Marketing team to come up with their predictions as to where they see digital marketing heading this year.

Hannah

Whilst the humble press release is the go to option for many PR firms and digital agencies we predict that 2016 will see people wanting to receive releases which aren’t created for the sake of content. Instead carefully constructed pieces to inform or specifically designed content which aims to shock, to create awareness on a subject or topic or even to get people talking on a subject or about a brand, across all platforms.

How we share information has changed over the last few years, now 80% of users now access the internet via their smartphone, with many websites now mobile responsive or offering services through apps, we predict content created specifically for mobile devises as well as content design specifically for social media will be what we will be focusing on this year. So with this in mind we predict that we will be seeing…. Gifs and memes as they become ever more popular media which brands can use to push marketing campaigns. In addition new design styles with the use of cinemagraphs as Gifs & memes become more stylised .

Source: pandaine.tumblr.com

Laura

Facebook will continue to dominate the playing field although we are sure we will see new sites launch this year making a play for the crown.  If we see the widely debated 10,000 character limit on Twitter rolled out it will only be for a short time; it is the shorter 140 character limit that makes Twitter what it is.

Also 2016 will see more companies plan their social media strategies alongside their current ‘traditional’ marketing rather than having social as an afterthought. Brands are finally coming around to the idea of interacting with their customers online and it will be interesting to see how the key social media channels manage the demands of their users vs the demands of their advertisers. 2015 has seen Twitter struggle to find its marketing niche and that may continue into 2016, although there will always be the chance for brands to respond to trending stories.

Overall the way people use social may evolve but social media as a whole isn’t going anyway – if anything it’s going to grow. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or a new ‘must be on’. People continue to want instant news and engagement and the way they achieve that is on a social platform.

Sian

Comments will fall even further out of favour as readers turn more towards instant response platforms on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. As a result, bloggers will expand away from simply being blog owners into being “influencers” across several platforms. All blogs will be updated to a mobile friendly template, but will step away a little from the polished “magazine” style and back towards realistic blogging, in design and content.

Imagery and graphics on blogs will become more important as image based social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram are still on the rise. Bloggers will offer more than just content for their readers, including downloads, eCourses, eBooks and products.

Look out for a full blog post in the coming month which will expand on all these points!

Paul

2016 will see a step away from glossy computer generated visuals and 3d illustration in favour of traditional hand drawn artwork and intricate hand crafted typography. Hand drawn doodles are also tipped to be big this year and can be paired with photography to create designs in the style of school notebooks.

Flat illustration styles will continue to be popular for vector graphics but will evolve to include subtle shading and isometric or overhead perspectives to add more depth. Designers are looking back at the 90’s with nostalgic looking pixel artwork reminiscent of the 16 bit era and low poly styled illustrations harking back to the early days of 3d videogames.

Hand drawn illustration and hand crafted typography.

Overhead and isometric viewpoint illustrations for infographics and a diagrammatical look.

Mixing photography and illustration together to create a doodle/notebook like feel.

Low polygon illustration and pixel artwork that create a 90’s retro look.

Stew

With the majority of social media networks now allowing people to upload video as well as text and pictures, videos will continue to be a leading source of media on social websites. With sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Vine and Instagram it has never been easier to record and upload your videos at a touch of a button.

Indeed, many companies all around the world now use their social media feeds to push videos to their followers. Whether it’s their latest advertisements, new products and services or an opinion, these companies push their videos in a bid to entice and engage with their audience.

Free ad-support video viewing isn’t new, YouTube has been doing it for a while now, but we predict that the advertising industry will try even harder to get their adverts noticed. A recent report by Adobe and PageFair found that 16% of American’s now use online ad blockers as they are tired of being bombarded with irrelevant ad experiences.

This will undoubtedly spur the advertising industry to produce more relevant content and to create ad experiences that align more with consumer expectations. We’re predicting that 2016 will see a big leap in innovation as these platforms continue to push to be number one.

So what do you expect to see in 2016? Let us know in the comments below.