Communication in and by companies is subject to a strong change, which is further accelerated by technological and social developments. What will be the communication trends in 2019? We dare to take a look into the future in order to be prepared with our customers for the challenges of tomorrow. In a nutshell: Communication is becoming more complex, more digital, more "niche", more dialogic - and thus more exciting. Sophisticated communication recipes are increasingly contributing to corporate success.
The K-Trends 2019 at a glance:
- Integration and complexity are increasing: Digital transformation and citizen communication merge different communication disciplines
- Product communication increasingly relies on influencers
- User-generated content pays for brands and credibility
- Storytelling and explanation videos are enjoying steadily increasing popularity
- Conclusion: Communication Channels Branch Out Further
Integrated communication services - digital transformation and citizen communication on the advance:
The different communication areas of companies and organizations are increasingly networked to cover all aspects of a topic. Therefore, not only individual communication services are required, but also a multidisciplinary bundling of different communication areas. Just to name two examples: Successful citizen communication requires close interaction between corporate, product and crisis communication, including media relations and public affairs. Also with regard to digital transformation, internal communication and change communication must go hand in hand to overcome the difficulties of a communicative nature. Cross-sectional consulting across several topics will thus be the method of choice in the future. And digitization is becoming increasingly important here.
Authenticity and credibility through user-generated content.
Customers and consumers no longer want to receive "only" advertising, but are increasingly demanding authenticity and credibility from their brands. Companies are no longer viewed in isolation from the environment, but have to position themselves on social or political issues. One of the challenges here is to identify the relevant topics and take a stand. User-generated content is also becoming increasingly important in terms of credible communication. Employees are increasingly becoming brand ambassadors.
Micro and nano influencer marketing in the communication mix.
Influencers are another trend topic in which credibility plays a major role. According to a BVDW survey, 61 percent of companies want to spend significantly more money on influencer marketing in 2019. Micro- or nano-influencers are becoming more and more popular - 63 percent of companies now rely on micro-fluencers.* They have fewer followers and thus a smaller reach, but are more closely associated with the brand and act more frequently with their followers. This also contributes to greater credibility.
The area of modern product and corporate communications is increasingly focusing on storytelling and explanatory videos - in the B2C and B2B markets.
Storytelling will continue to increase in 2019. Storytelling will increasingly address customers on an emotional level. This offers the possibility to counteract the decreasing attention span of the recipients. And further on the advance: explanatory videos. In product communication, explanatory videos are increasingly being used in both the B2B and B2C sectors and distributed via social media channels in particular. They enable a simple, striking and target group-oriented presentation of products and services and receive high attention and strong click rates - a powerful tool for product communication.
Conclusion:
In 2019, the interplay of different communication areas and communication channels as well as credible, authentic communication will continue to be the focus of all communication strategies. Many of the trends and changes in communication are due to changes in society or technical developments. At the same time, communication is becoming increasingly central to these changes. Because the right communication measures at the right time are increasingly a guarantee of success for agile and innovative companies.
