Skinny jeans are yesterday’s news. Bootcut is back. We notice trends everywhere in our lives, and the world of communications is no different.   

While it might sometimes feel that macro trends in communication are moving so fast that it is too hard to keep up, aligning to them is a key communications success factor. After all, if you want to design impeccable strategies and deliver dazzling outcomes, you must understand what is working, what’s coming up, and what is out-of-date. This kind of insight assures effective decision-making, and that communications programmes stay agile. And agility is something that will become of critical importance against the challenging economic, social, and political backdrop we can expect next year.  

If you’ve not already done so, it’s time to fine tune your plans for 2023. Here, I have collated a top 10 of the important communications trends that all marketing professionals need to understand. I hope you find something here that inspires you.  

1. Value-based storytelling. According to a survey by PR Daily, 73 percent of respondents said storytelling is the number one skill needed for future PR success. And in the modern media landscape, storytelling is visual. It assures better understanding of the narrative, and better story recall. So, start assembling your cast, defining your audience, and structuring your acts, because great storytelling means more than case studies and by-lined articles. Check out our blog series on the subject to learn more.
2. Authenticity. Don’t sugar coat reality or appear out of touch with the struggles businesses are facing. Demonstrating honest and trustworthy values is not only the best option but the only option when talking to increasingly sophisticated, savvy and cynical audiences.
3. Social consciousness. Not only do customers want to know that your company cares, but the demographic of purchasing power is subtly shifting. A younger generation is leading the charge towards socially responsible business. Tread carefully and be sure to back up claims of sincere corporate responsibility with real evidence of efforts your company is making to support a cause.
4. The growing value of experts. With the spotlight on authenticity and social consiousness, there is a growing demand for expert opinion to validate claims and engender trust. Brands would be well-placed to up-skill their experts with media, presentation and crises management training while working on an executive profiling strategy to ensure experts get the air-time they deserve.
5. Campaign Integration and lead generation. Tight integration between communications and lead generation campaigns has always been important. But when marketing budgets are under scrutiny, it becomes imperative to orchestrate activities right across the marketing mix. This helps to optimise impact with message penetration and ‘cut-through’.
6. Growth of voice marketing.  With Alexa sitting on 100 million + devices world-wide and voice assistants available on your phone at the click of a button, voice marketing has gone mainstream. At Admiral we have seen a huge increase in demand for our voice marketing services and this is set to continue.
7. Metrics and data. In a recession, value for money comes under greater scrutiny. So pay careful attention to metrics and data, to track customer satisfaction and churn, return on investment, effectiveness of campaigns and platforms.
8. Agility. Communications has always had to contend with the fast-moving news cycle. But these days, the communications team must also deal with ‘the flash news cycle’ that moves even quicker thanks to social media channels. Add crisis communications and volatile global events and you may be needing to revisit messaging and pivot in response to market changes. So, have a communications plan baked, but be sure to sprinkle in lots of flexibility.
9. The rise of in-person and face-to-face. It’s coming back. Perhaps because of ‘Zoom fatigue’ or perhaps because the pendulum of the online event trend was always going to swing back. Even in an increasingly digital world, the ability to meet potential customers, partners and media face-to-face is still extremely valuable. It builds visibility and trust, allows powerful informal feedback, and serves as a more lasting experience.
10. Shifting media landscape. When recession hits, publishing organisations are affected too. Ad revenue drops, already slim editorial teams get thinner, and the same number of PRs will be pitching to fewer journalists. Media outreach therefore needs to be better than ever. Stay concise, well-researched and back-up every claim and opinion in well-rounded pitching. 

 Although 2023 and the global recession may be long and deep, of course eventually recessions end. How your business communicates now will have an impact on customers’ perceptions when they are ready to spend. So, during 2023 try not to think recession, think recovery. 

 To take best advantage of the recovery when it happens, consider undertaking a strategic communications review now. To find out more, please email [email protected] to arrange a chat with one of our team.