Well, it’s safe to say that 2022 will go down in history, for many reasons, as a pretty rubbish time for an awful lot of people around the world.
But we humans have two very powerful things on our side: Hope. And the ability to change.
In history, quite often the most valuable lessons have come at a painful cost. I have every faith that we will come together, in time, to heal and grow together and make the world better than it has ever been.
Christmas is a time to look back and reflect on what we’ve done over the last 12 months, but, just as importantly, it’s a time to think about what we want to do in the new year and beyond.
I’m so proud of the team we have at Bubbl and just know that 2023 will be our best year yet.
We’ve never been needed more!
We’ve seen the ugly side of social media marketing this year reach new levels, and frankly, it’s no longer fit for purpose. Facebook is a sinking ship and heaven knows what’s going on at Twitter, but it’s shown everyone that you can’t rely on a platform that controls the relationship with your customer. None of these platforms are immune to catastrophe. You could spend years (as well as shedloads of cash) on building an audience, only for that audience to be ripped away from you.
And if you’re thinking about trying to build an audience on these platforms from scratch now?
Forget it.
The algorithms are always against you.
2023 is the year that things change. Things evolve but echo a past version of what we knew communities to be. We don’t all live in one giant homogenous town. We are all unique and our respective communities reflect that. It should be celebrated and recognised, as well as reflected in the way we interact with things we’re interested in.
It is also time for us to take responsibility for our communities, to take greater action in safeguarding and ensuring the well-being of our community members. This is true for real life, as much as our online lives.
We do this by owning our relationships.
Across music, retail, travel, sport, and entertainment, we are seeing more and more communities being built using mobile apps and accompanying technology that not only enhances the user experience but also cuts out any unnecessary middlemen. In tandem, we are seeing an increased focus on providing real-world experiences that complement their digital counterparts.
Even with the rise of the metaverse and web3, it seems our audiences are desperate to be out in the world, armed with tech that augments an experience, rather than replaces it. We’ve seen a lot of people feverishly proclaiming that we’ll all be donning VR headsets and existing as avatars, but I suspect they forgot to ask a few key people….the general public!
I know new tech is exciting and it’s easy to get carried away. But the one thing you must always remember in marketing, and it’s a very simple thing, is your target audience.
Who are they? What do they want? How do you provide it?
In a complicated world, going back to basics is an extremely valuable thing to do.
Have some time off. Rest and rejuvenate. They are not the same thing.
Resting will help your body and mind recover from the stresses and challenges of the year.
Rejuvenating, whether that’s through rediscovering something you love doing, spending time with your friends and family, or finally getting around to becoming a painter, will get you fired up and excited for the new year ahead.
I can’t wait to get stuck into 2023 and help marketers do things differently.
But right now, I am going to close this laptop and go next door to my lovely neighbour for a cuppa, and to give her a Christmas card.
I hope you all have a beautiful time and I’ll see you on the other side!
