While most people are thinking about the year ahead, PSFK Labs focused our gaze a bit further into the future. In our 2017 Forecast, we outline the trends that will shape creative business not only in 2016, but for the year that follows. These six strategies offer a sneak peak into steps brands and companies can take to make sure they are prepared for the 2016, 2017 and beyond.
Cloud-Enable Your Workforce: As the global freelance economy will continue to grow, the ability to accommodate a wide range of work styles will be even more important. New tools and technologies must enhance and support communication and collaboration and creativity while automating repetitive tasks to focus time and energy on more meaningful work.
Focus Your Marketing With Community Initiatives: To truly resonate with tomorrow’s consumers, corporations must move from a broadcast model to one that encourages dialogue and engagement. Products and marketing should reflect broader cultural values and companies can act as agents of change to drive meaningful conversations in the marketplace.
Engage All The Senses: Media and marketing have been traditionally designed around sight and sound with recent digital technologies hoping to heighten those same sensations. The next wave of storytelling will connect content with immersive touch, smell and taste elements to add layers of interactivity creating deeply memorable and engaging experiences.
Self-Edit With Auto Correct: The sheer quantity of media available combined with shrinking screens and increasing distribution channels places a premium on attention. Adopting intelligent editing tools and emerging forms of visual expression can help focus these messages, making any email, text or social update more shareable and relevant.
Blend Physical And Digital Brand Experiences: Ubiquitous mobile and wearable devices, along with the growing library of connected object blur the lines between the on and offline world to the point that consumers are nearly always plugged in some way. To deliver meaningful value, companies must design contextual experiences to fill in-the moment needs.
Make Hardware Soft: As sensors, wires, displays become smaller and less rigid, current conventions that define the electronics industry will redefine where and how data is generated and captured. Everything from clothing to consumer packaged goods will become interactive changing people’s relationships with their devices. Brands must consider what can listen and when.
Source: psfk.com
