Growth will be a key focus for brands in 2024 as economic uncertainty is predicted to continue.
But there will be many opportunities to adapt, experiment, and — ultimately — drive profitable growth. One thing that will be key here is getting privacy right. Strong privacy fundamentals not only enable accurate measurement, they can also help build user trust.
And in a world where only 3% of consumers feel in control of their data online, trust is crucial to driving customer loyalty and growth. In fact, 43% of people say they’d switch from their preferred brand to a second-choice brand if the latter provided a good privacy experience.
Beyond privacy, there are a host of other focus areas to explore in the new year — from responsible AI to the new frontier of value. To dive into these, I’ve asked Google leaders to share their top digital marketing predictions for the year ahead that can help you drive growth in 2024.
Micro pivoting in the ‘never normal’
After years of one crisis after another, we find ourselves in the never normal — a state of continuous evolution, turbulence, and instability. This backdrop demands marketers to stay, or become, truly agile. This means responding faster to any situation, such as the evolving economic context, new consumer needs, and fluctuating budgets.
While agility and pivoting might already be part of your company culture, today’s tempo requires an even sharper focus on adaptability. Replace the 5-year plan with a fluid approach of continuous micro pivots. Do keep your long-term vision in mind, but understand that the path towards it won't be a straight line.
This could mean devising a strategy one week and recalibrating the next, all based on instantaneous changes, consumer feedback, and common sense (as the luxury of time for exhaustive analysis is often out of reach). Airbnb in France, for example, quickly shifted its marketing messaging earlier this year to highlight their USP amidst the rising cost of living.
By adapting to this never normal with agility and micro pivots you ensure that in 2024 you are part of real-time conversations, not chasing after them.
With great AI power comes great responsibility
AI has opened up unforeseen and immense potential for digital marketers. This technology makes everything faster and more available, but it also requires a greater degree of thoughtfulness.
In 2024, AI marketing needs to be bold, collaborative, and responsible.
My team at Google is actively thinking about responsible use of AI, with a particular focus on:
- Setting a north star KPI: With AI it’s easier — and faster — to optimise marketing campaigns. Unwanted side effects that may have previously unfolded over years can manifest much quicker. When setting KPIs, consider the impact on your bottom line, and on wider society too.
- Transparency about data use: People expect AI tools to be utilised in marketing, for example to personalise communications, but they’re also worried about what happens to their data. That’s why we need to be transparent and clearly communicate how user data is informing AI tools to be more helpful and to improve marketing messages and site experiences.
- Legal and brand compliance: Generative AI enables marketers to speed up copy and visual creation, but that doesn’t mean we can be completely hands-off. It’s the combination of human input and technology that’s powering this new age of creativity. Marketers are the ones in the driver’s seat and must ensure that assets are safe to use from a legal and copyright perspective and represent the tone of the brand.
Sustainability efforts to scale up behind the scenes
We’ve been talking about sustainability as a consumer trend for some time, but 2024 is likely to be the year marketers’ efforts will level up. Like Google, large brands and agencies around the world have committed to net zero goals. In 2024 the focus is on delivery — and a lot of this work is happening behind the scenes.
As a judge on the Ad Net Zero Awards, I’ve seen how leading agencies and marketing teams are tackling the carbon emissions of their operations and their supply chain. This will only intensify in 2024 as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive introduces new mandatory reporting for companies that do business in Europe. Brands like media agency Dentsu are leading the pack as they already share their climate policies and impact.
In 2024, agencies and brands should look at the wider impact of the advertising they produce and how the power of marketing can be a force for positive change. Google is a founding supporter of Ad Net Zero and the five actions are a great starting point for marketers looking to take action and make a difference.
Think outside the Search box
We celebrated the 25th birthday of Google Search this year and one thing is clear: we’ve come a long way from typing text into a box and getting a list of webpages in return.
People now also search with their voice (it’s predicted that by 2024 there will be 8.4 billion voice assistants) and with images (Google Lens is used for 12 billion searches each month). The text-box search format itself is evolving too, with generative AI transforming the way information is organised and new filters, such as perspectives, showcasing diverse experiences.
People can even tap into multisearch, meaning the use of images and text simultaneously. All this is making Search more natural and intuitive, breaking down access barriers and providing marketers with the tools to reach more people.
In 2024, consider the many ways in which consumers search for information and provide them with clear and direct answers in each channel. For example, update your Google Business Profile so Google Assistant can return the best result in response to a voice query. And add accurate product data and high-quality images to the Merchant Center to help AI powering visual Search identify and showcase your products.
Beyond price and quality: The new frontier of value
We’re witnessing a transformative shift in the meaning of value. Consumers no longer make purchasing decisions based solely on the traditional considerations of price and quality.
Younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z, are leading the charge and for them value is a multifaceted framework. People now also consider things such as "value for sustainability", "value for experience", and even "value for sharing first-party data in exchange for usefulness".
This new value mindset shows that consumers are reassessing their priorities as they move towards more responsible and mindful consumption. And marketers need to move along with the times. While discounts and offers will undoubtedly continue to be an influence on consumer decision-making amidst rising inflation, 82% of shoppers now also demand that a brand's values align with their own.
To engage people in 2024, marketers must ensure messaging and creative tap into today’s zeitgeist. Be transparent about the multifaceted values offered to customers and the values the business upholds — and you hold the keys to staying relevant and building lasting relationships with your audience.
