A report by drinks company Diageo has revealed the top trends expecting to become the mainstream in 2017.

The company, who is responsible behind brands such as Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Guinness, has isolated three main social trends that will put companies ahead of the curve this year.

Exceptional becomes the rule

Digital technology is increasingly destroying the traditional. ‘The diary is dead’, according to Diageo, as the set-in-place becomes the spontaneous. As people’s work days become more flexible and our time online becomes more sporadic, companies need to be different to be heard.

One leading trend expected is VR, which is expected to have around 171 million active users by 2018, and allows users to have immersive experiences accessible anywhere, anytime.

In with the ‘in’ crowd

Cinema sales are among those suffering from an increasingly popular entertainment venue – the home. On demand services, personal entertainment systems and premium services like Netflix or Amazon Prime mean everything is moments away from arriving to your front door or living room.

Whether a television or a mobile device, users are never far from a screen or an internet connection, and the marketers that take advantage of that will take the lead.

Optimise not compromise

Expected to be the year of choice. A balanced and, more importantly, personalised lifestyle is more attainable now than ever before, and the majority of consumers are going to continue to make purchasing decisions that say something unique about them.

Directing content and marketing to the individual, taking into account aesthetic, culture, backgrounds, allergies and more will set yourself apart from the crowd and prove you care about the customer.

“We have been innovating for hundreds of years and have a strong history as industry pioneers in identifying and responding to trends,” explained Zoe Lazarus, global future and culture planning director at Diageo, adding “Our success relies not only on understating our consumers today, but also on tracking and responding to emerging socialising trends and behaviours that will become the mainstream of tomorrow”

WhoisWP is a free online detector tool that analyzes any website created with WordPress. The results reveal what WordPress theme a site is using, with the aims to eliminate time spent browsing the WordPress theme directory.

Hoping to save time and encourage inspiration, WhoisWIP can also list WordPress plugins installed on the site, helping you learn from your competitors and WordPress leaders.

Based on visual content and usability research, the team in charge of this project developed this tool to obtain an improvement in the way people express their creative vision when designing their own website.

Their site also features a constantly updated blog section, in order to bring users the latest information.

The premise behind WhoisWP is that “copying someone’s style is flattering and a means to perpetuate the idea further so that more people can enjoy it.” says Ionut Marin, the WhoisWP project manager.

Over three quarters of those in the marketing industry believe advert-blocking software will encourage greater creativity, according to new research.

The study by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) revealed the top priorities for the year ahead, with adblocking becoming a hot topic as another 38% believe it could cause a decline in online marketing.

Trying to get accustomed to an increasingly shifting landscape, marketers believe new technologies such as Chatbots and Virtual Reality, as well ‘short-lived’ content that is only available for a limited on sources such as Snapchat.

A leading priority for many marketers is personalisation, utilising user data to provide specific advertisements, but experts are encouraged by the response.

The CIM believe the most important thing in the current market is to remain open-minded and embrace the changes the internet is bringing, saying that marketers have “a natural thirst for creativity.”

“It was positive to see the majority of respondents rising to the challenge of ad-blocking,” said CIM Chief executive Chris Daly, “the fundamental skills of their profession in terms of delivering more personalised, targeted and influential campaigns, still sit at the core of marketers’ everyday life.”

Understanding that digitally native services such as Amazon and Uber consistently focus and improve upon their customer experiences, nearly half of those surveyed addressed the mounting pressure to reinvent their own customer interactivity.

For many, customer experience is becoming the primary focus of their whole business as further pressure is placed on marketing to deliver.

“no matter what business you are in, the customer should always be at the heart of the operation,” continued Chris Daly, “Marketers have a clear role to play in demonstrating their value to the business, and for making the case for increased investment to meet their organisational goals.”

The gender gap across the advertising industry has largely improved within the last 10 years, according to new figures.

Part of an annual diversity survey by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), the study shows that a balanced workplace is among the industry’s top priorities this year, with a 100% response rate from IPA’s largest agencies.

The data revealed that employment positions such as heads of department, middle managers and other senior staff are considered to be equally balanced with around a 50-50 male-female split.

Higher managerial positions are still struggling to be defined as ‘balanced’ (over 40%), with C-suite positions such as CEO or Chair lagging behind at around 30%. However, this is still an increase on the 23.3% from 10 years ago, growth which is hoped to over double to to 40% by 2020.

“2016 will be remembered as a year when the issue of diversity rose to the top of the agenda,” said IPA president Tom Knox, “but if we are to achieve our targets of gender parity, now is the time to put these thoughts into action.”

The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit is an amazing opportunity for collaboration between industry professionals and those looking to provide the latest and greatest products to the market.

It all takes place on May 8th 2017 at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, bringing the digital marketing industry together for one-to-one business meetings, interactive seminars and valuable networking opportunities.

To help us create the best event possible, we’d love to ask you a few questions about your role in the industry, your thoughts on its key issues and your priorities for 2017.

It’ll take just a few minutes to complete via an online form – plus you can enter a prize draw at the end for the chance to win £100 of Amazon vouchers!

Click here to take the survey

For more information about the Digital Marketing Solutions Summit and to attend for FREE as one of VIP delegates, contact Kerry Naumburger at k.naumburger@forumevents.co.uk

Thank you for taking the time to help us shape the key event for your industry!