Looking back—and forward.
From social media trends to UX fundamentals, we covered a lot of ground during The Bolt’s first year. And as we look toward 2024, we anticipate plenty of new, exciting trends you can add to your annual strategy.
TLDR: From breaking new ground in the Metaverse to AI shaking up our online presence, 2023 innovated the marketing space. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most head-turning trends we experienced this past year and the buzzwords you’ll want to know for the year ahead.
⚡️️️The Metaverse expanded brands' creative offerings for audiences, offering various engaging touch points to boost connection.
️⚡️️️Customization and AR technology were top of mind for UX designers.
️⚡️️️As AI boomed throughout the marketing landscape, ChatGPT and Midjourney became shiny, new tools in the toolbox for marketers looking to push their productivity.
️⚡️️️AI even led to shifts in consumer expectations, such as a desire for continuous content and enhanced search experiences.
️⚡️️️However, even as AI tools evolved, organic search optimization remained essential for a brand’s online presence.
️⚡️️️Brand authenticity also hit a new level of importance. Successful brands focused on creating authentic connections with their audience vs. simply selling a product.
️⚡️️️And lastly, brand monitoring served as a secret weapon for brands who wanted to stay on top of their target audience’s behavior changes and expectations, impacting their creative strategy to reinforce their brand authenticity.
While 2023 is behind us, there’s no need to break a sweat on what to expect in 2024. Here are some keywords we anticipate you’ll hear the most in the new year:
️⚡️️️Sustainable Design: Creating evergreen vs. trendy content will make a long-lasting impact as successful brands focus on creative executions that tell a complete story and can be referenced and appreciated over time.
️⚡️️️De-influencing: In addition to promoting products, influencers are now sharing “what not to buy.” This trend will continue into the new year as users continue to move away from heavy consumerism.
️⚡️️️Search Generative Experience: Google’s new SGE uses artificial intelligence to generate answers to complex search queries. We expect this AI-generated tool to significantly impact how users use SERPs to find information in 2024 and beyond.
️⚡️️️Google Gemini Pro: Google’s latest AI model, released December 2023, can process different media types such as text, pictures, video, and audio.
2023 trends like AI-leading technology and brand authenticity are here to stay. But as we jump into 2024 feet first, know that Ammunition is here to help you apply the latest and greatest trends to your strategy. We've enjoyed trend-watching with you this past year and can't wait to see what the new year holds for all of us. Cheers to 2024!
Striking Stats
⚡️️️ TikTok users spent $3.8 billion on the app throughout 2023. (Source: Data.ai)
️⚡️️️ By early 2023, ChatGPT had accumulated over 100 million monthly users. (Source: Statista)
️⚡️️️ In 2023, 52% of consumers purchased directly from an email they received. (Source: Marigold Consumer Trend Index)
Lightning Round: Team Updates
️️⚡️ CEO, Jeremy Heilpern, discussed five ways empathy affects leadership.
️⚡️ Creative Director, Ashley Rothrock, shared her expertise on how to get C-Suite Buy-In for CX improvements.
️⚡️ Emily “EG” Griffin was promoted to Director, Product Design.
️⚡️ Media Coordinator, Jackie Mauro, celebrated her 1 year Ammoversary.
️⚡️ Ammunition welcomed Alex Russell and Ankur Goel to the leadership team.