As the great Prince once sang, “I have seen the future, and it will be.”
With the New Year on its way, it’s that time once again to take a peek into the future and offer up what we think it will be.
As part of an annual series, we asked industry leaders what they see coming in the year ahead while also looking at the year just passed.
Next up is Tracy Gawthorne, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Capgemini. Tracy gives us a look ahead, a look back, and reveals the fate of her New Year’s resolution for 2023.
Looking Ahead
What are three trends to look for in the coming year?
1. Drive the tech – or be run over
At a time when many marketers are still trying to drive value from emerging technology platforms, along comes Generative AI to change the game yet again. Most of us are experimenting in how and where to use gen AI.
Like the dot com boom of the 2000s, brands that succeed will not be those who use technology for the sake of it, but those that stay true to their values and keep people at the heart of what they do and why they do it while leveraging the art of technology.
2. Earning and holding trust
Brand trust underpins the success of any organisation. Unfortunately, there are many high profile examples of poor governance, lapses in security and data privacy, and lack of transparency in communications that have eroded corporate trust over the past year.
With our continued reliance on data and the increasing move to generative AI, the trust equation will be further tested. At the very least, marketers will need to manage the tension between consumers’ desire for tailormade experiences and their concerns about how companies use personal data.
3. Form over function
All these external changes coming at marketers will demand change from within organisations. To keep pace, many organisations will be redesigning their marketing function and will need to consider a multitude of factors. What roles and responsibilities will be managed inside marketing? What skills will they need and who or what (technologies) will they need to team with in new and different ways?
It’s a fascinating time!
Looking Back
1. Your favorite trend of 2023?
Ask Chat GPT: everyone has experimented; From students to artists to CEOs. Many people have taken one task and had a sneaky go at creating the novelty result and proudly telling everyone.
It’s been fun, but not terribly productive – yet!
2. Your favorite campaign?
The Matildas – the Australian Women’s football team that captured the nation at the FIFA World Cup. A reminder that a great product, performing at its peak, with inspirational features, and that are accessible will build its own momentum.
The positive impact on ticketing, sports participation, gender pay equity and the broader economy has been memorable and measurable. The Matildas just nudged out Barbie – who reclaimed her voice in 2023 with all the pink fury required to provoke powerful discussion, revive growth in the product and the film medium – and of course, entertain.
3. What was your 2023 New Year’s Resolution and did you keep it?
I’m tired of making and breaking unrealistic goals. This year it was simply BREATHE– and thankfully it’s working well.
Check out our Three Trends series here.
