A new year is right around the corner, and with the new year, we’ll also see new trends in marketing for CPG and food and beverage brands. While some of the tactics we can expect to see more of in 2019 aren’t new, they are sure to be used both in larger numbers and to greater effect as technology continues to improve and strategies evolve.

Authentic Content

Instagram created a demand for beautifully posed photos, but customers are leaning more toward authentic content. Instead of artfully arranged images, they’d prefer to see products in use. The same goes for video marketing. Your tutorials and recipe videos get better results with buyers when they see realistic action rather than polished, perfected, over-produced video.

The name of the game is trust, and buyers are more likely to trust the content that most closely resembles the way they’ll experience your products. Get authentic in 2019 and see how your engagement and sales increase.

User-Generated Content

Millennials and Generation Z love to be involved in some way with their favorite brands. When they get a shout-out on social media from a company they love, they’ll share that to the moon and back. The same goes for any user-generated content they may share with you. 

Images, video, and even product reviews from your buyers are great for sharing across your marketing platforms. You get two big bonuses from this: first, your buyers are thrilled to be included and recognized. Second, and more importantly for you, you get the added bonus of valuable social proof.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is nothing new, but we expect it to grow even more in the new year. User-generated content and authentic experiences are important to buyers, and that’s why influencers have a bigger impact that your own brand or even celebrities. 

You can expect a few new trends for influencer marketing in 2019. First, influencers are likely to prefer relationships rather than one-off transactions. This means they could prefer to receive compensation in various ways, including samples, a say in your next product, or previews for upcoming sales. 

You can also expect even more influencers to crop up next year. This could make your job of choosing the right influencers for your brand a little harder. Even with a larger number to choose from, you still have to vet them carefully to ensure they meet your exact branding needs. 

Cross-Screen and Omnichannel Marketing

We’ve already seen a rise in cross-screen and omnichannel marketing, and we can expect to see even more of this in the coming year. Younger consumers are coming into their spending power, and these buyers are technologically savvy. Generation Z moves seamlessly between five screens every day, sometimes using more than one at a time. By creating campaigns that reach these buyers wherever they may be during the day, you have a better chance of connecting with them at just the right time.

Your omnichannel and cross-screen marketing should take all devices into account, from television commercials to push notifications on an app. Whether you create your own or use readily available programs and apps to reach your buyers is up to you. The important thing is simply that you do it.

Experiential Marketing

Again, experiential marketing is nothing new, but we expect to see plenty more of it in 2019. This type of marketing is often localized but with far-reaching results. This often involves big events or one-on-one connections with buyers, with these interactions shared by video and word-of-mouth. 

Some examples you may recognize from this year include the Red Bull Flugtag, Lean Cuisine’s #WeighThis campaign, and the real-life Angry Birds game from T-Mobile. Not everyone got to experience these events in person, but we all got to relive them again and again through social media shares.

Automated Marketing 

Automated marketing has been around for a while, starting with drip campaigns through email. Over the years, it has gotten much more sophisticated, especially as HubSpot continues to evolve and introduce new products.

The biggest addition to automated marketing in recent years is artificial intelligence. The introduction of chat bots has given marketers some room to take a breath as chat programs handle the most straightforward questions and complaints. By 2020, brands’ use of AI programs to handle marketing and customer service tasks will increase to at least 25%, a huge jump from last year’s 2%.

If you want to take advantage of the expected marketing trends of 2019 for your CPG brand, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re always here to help.