Five of the Best: What Topped ClickZ’s Headlines in 2022? – Click Z

2022 has been a year like no other for digital marketers. A brief analysis of “trends that will shape digital marketing in 2022” published late last year promised a lot, from the rise of the metaverse (thanks mainly to Facebook’s rebranding in Meta) to the importance of video content. .

Many of these trends have taken brands to new heights. From the launch of Duolingo’s metaverse to Publicis Sapient’s video storytelling division, ClickZ spoke with brand leaders throughout 2022 about their successful campaigns and what made them work. But no one could have predicted what 2022 would look like.

2022: A truly unpredictable year

Rising inflation and the mixed fortunes of social media platforms have created a difficult landscape for marketing leaders. Many, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, were hoping for huge post-pandemic consumer growth. Instead, we have seen significant layoffs, and while there is some optimism about fiscal growth in 2023, the past few years have taught us to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

The good news is that this year delivered some great case studies and thought leadership. This gave marketers the best practices they need to thrive over the next twelve months and beyond.

From early successes in the metaverse to influencer marketing on TikTok, let’s take a look at the most popular ClickZ posts of 2022.*

From a small-scale SaaS platform implementation to a monumental shift from B2C to B2B, transformation is a daunting task for marketers. It requires prioritization, collaboration, and careful execution, with plenty of mistakes and learning opportunities along the way.

Indeed, BlackBerry’s move from B2C to B2B is perhaps the best example of an enterprise-wide pivot. Blackberry CMO Mark Wilson sat down with ClickZ to walk through the lessons of this remarkable transition. Its product solutions are now used everywhere, including more than 195 million cars and the International Space Station.

Learn from Wilson about this prime example of transformation. By filtering customer insights through every step of the process, from initial USP discovery to martech implementation, the principles behind this transition provide an excellent guide for digital transformation in 2023.

It’s still not too late to shape your strategy for 2023. Indeed, if it’s anything like 2022, incremental adjustments will be needed to meet the ever-changing digital marketing landscape. Indeed, incorporating growth marketing into your business plan is one way to own your industry in 2023.

Author, keynote speaker, and co-founder of Calendar.com, John Hall examines three growth marketing trends that will shape the next twelve months and beyond, including:

1. Strategy integration
2. Preparation for a marathon
3. Understand the value of experts

Find out how each trend should link your marketing strategy to your business goals, in this exclusive guest column.

Regular ClickZ columnist Ann Smarty covered several topics this year, from cross-team collaboration to holiday marketing. In this piece, she delves into the controversial topic of cancel culture.

2022 has seen several brands caught up in the cancel culture. H&M has faced greenwashing charges and Balenciaga is in the midst of a child exploitation scandal. This left many traders worried. 57% of digital marketers fear being canceled if they get an ad wrong.

Smarty provides a step-by-step guide to avoiding the cancel culture, from a thorough communications plan to investing in a sub-brand. Yes, prevention is better than cure, and taking steps to avoid controversy is a vital plan. But learning to admit mistakes and plan for a better future has been non-negotiable for marketing leaders in 2022. And it will be for years to come.

In September 2021, TikTok announced that it had over 1 billion monthly users worldwide. And it doesn’t just impact how consumers behave on the app. Instagram has rolled back changes to its app following accusations of copying from TikTok.

Duolingo and Taco Bell are just two brands racking up millions of views and brand love on the social media platform, but few trends can match the power of “BookTok”. Penguin Random House, a 95-year-old publishing house, shows that traditional brands can and should look to TikTok as a platform for community engagement. Partnerships with TikTok influencers have seen remarkable engagement in the app and led to a 7x increase in book sales!

Check out their three-year journey to the top of the TikTok tree from Associate Director of Social Media Alyssa Castaneda and Associate Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media Felicity Vallence.

What else but the metaverse? Love it, hate it or fear it, metaverse activations have consistently grabbed the headlines in 2022. But as McDonald’s and Chipotle launched virtual worlds, to many marketers it seems like consumers don’t may not be ready for this new marketing frontier. . How can we plan for Web3 while we’re still thinking about Web2?

Heineken has found the perfect medium by bringing its “virtual beer” to life, launched at Decentraland. This campaign was a true masterclass in blending digital and physical channels and showed that metaverse launches don’t just have to mean impressions (albeit mind-blowing ones).

Rob van Griensven, Global Digital Director at Heineken, picked up a stool and shared the story behind this activation that had it all: a metaverse launch, “phygital” integrations, personalization, influencer marketing, and all this in accordance with the values ​​of the Heineken brand. And we’ll drink to that.

Lessons from 2022 can help marketers prepare for 2023

While items like these big five hits mattered in 2022, trends like digital transformation and metaverse activations will continue to keep marketers up at night. 2023 will be about finding the balance between a focus on long-term brand building exercises and shorter-term performance marketing that will maximize return on investment and ensure that every dollar or pound is spent wisely.

Certainly, the mistakes you’ve made and the best practices you’ve discovered should guide your approach through 2023. If marketing leaders are to hold out until 2023, it will be through community and shared learning.

From all of us at ClickZ, have a wonderful holiday season. We look forward to tackling the future of digital marketing again in 2023!

*Based on the total number of unique page views.

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