2016 was a particularly crazy year, or so it seemed. Advances in technology and our 24/7 instantly gratifying news cycle have not only changed the way we receive and react to information, but it has also changed our approach to marketing. Several forward thinking brands and emerging trends in 2016 taught us powerful lessons about the way we market. Here are our biggest takeaways:

Lesson 1: Brands are a Community
As companies hone in on their identity and their story—consumers can resonate with a brand beyond just the features and benefits of their physical product or service. Evolving media channels allow brands access to customers much more intimately than ever before.Successful brands are living and breathing and represent figments of a person’s identity and values—creating a two-way street relationship. The steady increase in user generated content has helped strengthen relationships with consumers—which in turn creates a group of proud brand enthusiasts. REI’s #optoutside is a great example of a brand’s values and mission transcending their physical products.  The hashtag has been used over two million times; people are proud to use the hashtag to participate in the movement of living outside and to publicly associate with REI and what they stand for. In 2016 we saw improved segmentation and personalization, which is contributing to the creation and formation of brand communities. It’s important to run with this momentum and to continue capitalizing on a community of people who are passionate about your brand and what you represent.

Lesson 2: Attention is More Costly than Before
If you feel like you don’t quite have the same focus and concentration that you used to—it’s not just your imagination. Research has supported the assertion that people’s attention spans really are getting shorter—eight seconds to be exact. To function through the constant barrage of news, communication, and high-speed gratification, our minds have adapted. While this has been a gradual progress over the years—evidence of this phenomenon has peaked in 2016. We’re becoming better and faster at creating content than ever before. So the question is: how do you grab the right person’s attention just long enough to generate their interest? In your face, informational ads just don’t have the same impact that they used to. Depending on the type of connection and information you’re trying to convey, it’s worth framing that information in the most appropriate and effective form. As marketers we must adapt to the shifts in human behavior and cater our methods around the consumers we want to reach. Audiences have responded dramatically to video, and every day new statistics and measurements reaffirm that the popularity and effectiveness of video across social media platforms.

Lesson 3: Less disruption, more helping
Along the same grain of attention is more costly, a brand has to be seen as helpful and not intrusive. While this has been a progression and not something strictly born in 2016—this year has really solidified the change with the way we approach advertising and marketing. “Helping” takes many different forms—informative tips to make life easier or entertaining content that delights. Native advertising has increasingly been chosen over traditional advertising in the past few years and will only continue to grow because of its subtlety as well as the intrinsic helpful nature of its content. Audiences have consistently responded to marketing and advertising that delights and enriches their lives. The best marketing is focuses on the problems, tastes, and desires of its audience—not about the company.

Lesson 4: Integrated marketing is a must, not a choice
The days of treating each department of a company as distant silos and the different channels within marketing as a disjointed branches are over. Coming up with content strategies without using a holistic view of all the advantages that each channel has to offer will stunt your brand’s communication and visibility potential. The most effective campaigns are those that strategically align PR, social media, traditional, and digital advertising. Brands that offer consistent, cohesive touchpoints throughout all stages of a customer’s journey are those that make a lasting impact on a customer. Your message and marketing goals must be thoughtfully implemented to maximize the strengths of each facet of marketing that your company uses.

Lesson 5: Be Real and Do Good
2016 was the year of authenticity, transparency, and altruism. Audiences, especially millennials, are responding to realness and to companies who look beyond the scope of their business for positive change. Social media has opened the floodgates of transparency and consumers are paying attention to companies that are relatable, truthful, and purposeful. Consumers want to know that you are who you claim to be and that you are sincerely empathetic to your audience. Alicia Keys’ declaration of living makeup-free generated a hugely positive reaction and sparked a wave of support from other celebrities and millions of women. Aerie, American Eagle’s lingerie company, has seen enormous growth since embracing photoshop-free ads and more diverse models. People want to know the real you, they want to align with your values, and they want to see you impact society in a positive way. Altruism allows the younger generations, Millennials and Gen Z, to connect with brands more deeply and to care about a brand beyond the services or products it offers. Being truly authentic and transparent may be difficult to execute, but it will help you in the long run in building trust with your consumers.

If we as fresh produce marketers can take these marketing lessons to heart and apply them to our efforts in 2017, we will collectively boost our opportunities to increase consumption of our products in the years to come. If you’re struggling with your marketing strategy and identifying a meaningful approach to your work in the coming year, feel free to reach out to DMA Solutions for a marketing consultation. We’re here to help!