The Future of Canadian Marketing in 2022 According to Canadian Marketing Professionals

After yet another turbulent year, it's time to predict expected trends for 2022. Canadian marketing professionals are constantly adapting to unforeseen circumstances, which makes predicted trends a valued asset. From a continued e-commerce boom to TikTok hitting 1-billion users, 2021 has left us with a lot to process. Reflecting on this past year, many marketing professionals have expectations and predication regarding what we can expect in the year to come.

We sampled a small group of Canadian Marketing Agencies, looking at the expected outcomes for social media platforms and marketing tactics in 2022. In this survey, our team found that Facebook is projected to lose the most traction. While it remains one of the most-downloaded apps, the current events and news surrounding the platform are expected to continue in its user decline.

TikTok projections show that the app is expected to remain as popular as ever. With a 73.3% gain of traction, we can expect to see much more of this app. As a result, more brands and agencies will incorporate TikTok into their 2022 marketing strategies.

Agencies are also expecting an increase in video services. We’ve seen video increase in service demands year after year, which seems to be a recurring trend.

26% of the agencies polled are expecting to increase client video services by more than 50% in 2022.

In addition to the survey, we asked individual Canadian Marketing Professionals what they predict to be next year’s leading trends. Check out their insights below:

Emma Cusson, Creative Director & Head of Partnerships, 1Milk2Sugars Communications: Video content will EXPLODE! By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be video. Marketers need to take a hard look at their content strategy and invest in video content now. I’ve already witnessed the powerful results it can have with our most recent video-driven influencer campaigns leveraging platforms like Instagram Reels and Tiktok. With so many advanced tools and features at our fingertips to create video content quickly and on a dime, brands will soon have no choice but to join this new life-in-motion marketing train.

Darian Kovacs, Founder of Jelly Digital Marketing & PR Agency

I believe 2022 will be the year of certifications, micro-credentialing and showing the world that marketers are right to be taken seriously. Those working in the trenches will take the time to get fully certified and those wanting to break into the industry will be taking the Google, Hootsuite, and Facebook exams to show their knowledge. For too long, the industry has been operating loosely and without a standard of operations. Thanks to organizations like the Digital Marketing Institute and their Search Marketing Specialist course, Jelly Academy, and other platforms like Hootsuite, Google, and Facebook, exams exist to prove someone's knowledge of the industry. Like lawyers who have the bar and electricians have their ticket, our industry will lend greater expectation towards respected and desired credentials.

Dror Zaifman, Digital Marketing Expert and CEO of On Web Analytics

Augmented Reality Will Be the Key to Shopping! Brick and mortar stores will play a huge role in driving sales, but Canadians are looking for experiences that go beyond what they can get online. Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to provide that added value by showcasing products in new and exciting ways. By 2022, we predict that AR will be a functional way to entice millennial customers back to stores to shop when they can't find an item online.

Abir Syed, Ecommerce consultant at UpCounting:

I'd say that Canadian marketing is going to become even less Canadian. We've been going in this direction for a while, but I think the circumstances of the past couple of years have sped it up significantly. Many non-local businesses used to want to work with local partners, and most service businesses wanted to hire local staff. But the culture has evolved a lot where geography is less relevant. So a lot of Canadian marketing firms will have way more non-Canadian clients and non-Canadian staff. And Canadian businesses will be more comfortable working with non-Canadian firms. The fit will come more from general expertise and niche-specific experience, rather than the value of being geographically close.

Kelsey King, PR Specialist at Voices:

We'll continue to see the shift toward audio-focused social platforms and offerings. Clubhouse picked up on the spark and ignited the fire surrounding audio-based social interactions, taking it a step further with its exclusivity. Well-established social media giants like Twitter and Facebook have quickly jumped on the audio development, with Twitter introducing Twitter Spaces and Facebook launching Live Audio Rooms. With so much valuable audio real estate available, it will be critical for marketers to ensure their brand is not only represented visually but audibly as well. Many brands have guidelines that focus on the visual aspects of marketing—font styles, brand colours, etc.—but lack the essential component of sonic branding. With audio social media becoming a major player in the game—especially when considering that, unlike visually-based social media, audiences can tune in and participate while doing other tasks like making dinner, going for a drive, etc.—clear sonic branding and audio-focused advertising will become a necessary focus of any social media marketing efforts.

Chris Brown, the CEO of Tudor House ImmigrationServices:

Canada has an internet penetration of about 90%, and, seemingly, the pandemic taught us to make good use of this. From this, I predict that eCommerce will continue to grow regardless of whether the pandemic comes to an end or not. In short, marketers should delve into inventing workable strategies that align with eCommerce. Traditional targeting strategies that do not support online commerce will die a natural death in the coming year. The rest of 2021 will see consumers increase their online shopping frequency. The end of the year brings the biggest shopping festivals such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday; not forgetting the long Christmas holiday. We should expect significant growth in the volume of shopping conducted online and home deliveries made this year more than any other time in history. In light of this, marketers should prioritize two strategies henceforth: streamlining their businesses for eCommerce and increasing or enhancing home delivery services. The existing eCom shops should also ensure home deliveries are quick and affordable to take advantage of this emerging trend that might become the new norm of doing business.

Kimberlyn Williams, Brand Strategist:

The future of Canadian marketing is threefold. The first is cause aligned. For Canadian brands, the last two years signalled a radical shift from the longstanding 'on the fence about social issues' modus operandi. With social movements like Black Lives Matter, climate change and Me Too, it was blindingly clear that consumers want to support companies whose values align with theirs. Going forward, they're looking for more than lip service--they want measurable and consistent actions that demonstrate these shared values. It will be increasingly important for brands to build authentic connections with consumers around important social issues. The second future point is the importance of first-party data-driven.With the phasing out of third-party cookies, Canadian brands will need to focus on owning consumer data. This means their marketing funnels will need to be rejigged to improve consumer data collection but in an incentivized way. Lastly, consumer consent driven! Legislative changes regarding online data privacy will dictate how brands collect and use persons' personal information. Canadian brands will therefore be focused on achieving informed consent from consumers and consent management platforms or systems to demonstrate social responsibility and avoid impacts to their bottom lines in the form of sanctions.

Michel Fortin, Director of Search at seoplus+:

As a director within a digital marketing agency, COVID-19 and its many lockdowns, while painful for many industries, was a boon to our business. The move to online marketing channels and commerce for many businesses affected by the pandemic has increased our sales and services considerably. But now that the pandemic is slowing down somewhat, chances are we’re going to see a levelling effect for the rest of 2021. However, with holidays like Black Friday and Christmas around the corner, I suspect that a return to pre-COVID levels might not occur anytime soon. Moreover, this worldwide event has forever disrupted many industries. Not only did it force companies to close their doors or move to a remote workforce, but people’s buying behaviours in both B2B and B2C markets have also completely changed and will never return to the way they used to be.

Compiled by Emma Whiten, Editor of Marketing News Canada