7 D.O.P.E Marketing Trends for 2024

As we gear up for yet another industry wild ride next year, it's time to ditch the crystal ball and take a look back at the ever-evolving world of branding and marketing. The Kulur Group is breaking down 7 emerging themes we’ve seen in 2023 to help brand marketers prepare for what’s in store, and we move full-steam ahead into 2024.

1. Multicultural Marketing Takes Center Stage

In 2024, multicultural marketing will no longer be just a buzzword. Multicultural marketing has arrived, and it’s taking up space. Brands are embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion unlike ever before and standing up multicultural marketing as an independent pillar within ethical marketing strategic frameworks. The industry is saying goodbye to “one-size-fits-all” marketing approaches and digging deep into community data to learn how to best target and tailor authentic content to meet consumers where they are and bring them along on the brand journey. This is especially essential for Gen Z audiences, where 92% indicate that being authentic and true to oneself is extremely or very important (EY).

D.O.PE Brand Prep for Multicultural Marketing

• Ensure your strategic plans include evaluating your brand platforms and messaging architecture to include plenty of authentic first-hand storytelling from consumers who can help you co-elevate your brand as ambassadors.
• Revamp your social listening capabilities to gather insights from diverse voices talking about your brand or industry online.
• Conduct new qualitative market research to engage with diverse segments within your brand communities and hone in on what keeps them brand loyal.
• Consider conducting a creative audit to assess the inclusivity and representativeness of your brand's creative expression.

2. Employee & Volunteer Advocacy: Where Work Meets Wow

In 2023, we saw that it's not just about what your brand says, it's about who says it. Employee advocacy continues to be a genuine and powerful way to showcase authentic brand stories. Brands like Georgia State University with their #TheStateWay campaign, Starbucks’ employee-focused Instagram page, and Randstad employee-led thought leadership approach, all leaned into creating ways for their employees to amplify their personal brand experiences.

D.O.P.E Prep for Strong Advocacy Impact

• Conduct storytelling and social media workshops to help grow and strengthen employee and volunteer brand ambassadorship by helping them articulate and showcase their own personal experiences.
• Provide guidelines on how to stay connected and consistent with your company brand voice while also expressing personal perspectives.
• Use internal communications channels to keep employees informed about the latest brand initiatives and encourage them to share and engage with employee-generated content.

3. Big Data = More Personalization

Data nerds, your time is now! The quick adaptation of big data and AI are enabling hyper-personalization like never before. Everything from selecting your next hobby to generating images for your next role-playing game, thanks to AI, a marketing experience tailored just for you is the way forward. We aren’t calling it digital stalking, but think about it kinda like “customized concierge!” It’s time for your brand to get personal and agile because, let’s face it, personalization is ever-evolving too.

D.O.P.E Prep for Better Brand Personalization

• Invest in robust data analytics tools to gather and analyze customer data more effectively.
• Leverage AI to track user behavior across digital channels and create targeted campaigns based on personalized interactions and preferences.
• Begin conducting more intentional A/B testing to fine-tune personalized marketing campaigns.

4. Authenticity Over Trends

In 2024, brands will say goodbye to bandwagoning, opting for more authenticity. In 2023, we saw brands getting a lot of negative feedback for hopping on trends without sincerity (insert Kevin James Smirk meme). We believe brands are getting the message and, going forward, will steer clear of trends that dilute their authentic voice and don’t ladder up to their true brand identity. It's okay to embrace your brand’s quirks and let your brand shine, but don’t feel pressure to be a content copycat. Be original, be authentic to your brand DNA.

D.O.P.E Prep for Keeping it Real

• Maintain a consistent brand voice. Avoid using humor just for the sake of it, ensuring it complements the overall brand message.
• Prioritize creating high-quality content that aligns with the brand's narrative.
• Focus on showcasing the brand's unique characteristics rather than jumping on every passing trend.

5. Diverse Communities, Not Target Audiences

2024 will be the year of meaningful connections. Marketers are shifting their focus from antiquated approaches like hyper-focusing on persona segmentation to identifying communities and building cohorts of brand enthusiasts. It's not just about selling a product or services; it's about fostering a sense of belonging.

D.O.P.E Prep for Building Diverse Brand Communities

• Conduct in-depth auditing and research to identify and understand the diverse communities that engage with your brand.
• Identify and collaborate with influential leaders within your communities, leverage their credibility and reach to enhance the brand's presence within specific cohorts.
• Focus on building long-term relationships with community members rather than short-term transactions.
• Consider developing a user-generated content focused marketing campaign. Leverage participation to amplify the voices of your brand enthusiasts.

6. The Grand Experiential Marketing Comeback

We’re OUTSIDE in 2024! It's all about creating memorable in-person experiences again. Post-COVID, we’ve seen big festivals, conferences, and events gain traction, tipping the scale back to in-person participation over virtual. This summer alone, 81% of attendees say they would spend the same or more on live events (Eventbrite).

D.O.P.E Prep for "Next-Level" In-Person Events

• Create interactive elements that blend physical and digital with augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) technology to enhance the in-person experience.
• Dust off those event marketing campaigns with new audience behavior data and expectations to promote upcoming events.
• Explore new partnerships and sponsorships with your brand's key industry leaders or influencers.
• Don’t underestimate the power of a solid PR and earned media strategy. Take time to update your media contacts and figure out which media partners can best amplify your events and experiences. Pitching should be tailored, too! Choosing the right outlets to reach your brand communities can make a huge difference.

7. Two new BFFs: Influencer Marketing & E-Commerce

Influencers aren’t just pretty faces and inviting personalities, they have become the driving force behind the booming e-commerce wave on social media. From unboxing videos that keep you on the edge of your seat to shoppable posts that connect your TikTok favorites right to your digital wallet, influencers have changed the way consumers shop online forever. In 2024, we’ll see more brands connect influencer campaign success directly to spend and ROI.

D.O.P.E Prep for Nurturing Industry Besties

• Establish influencer partnerships with a focus on performance metrics tied to sales. Use data analytics to identify influencers whose audience aligns with your target market.
• Ensure influencers create shoppable posts, allowing followers to make purchases in-platform on social media apps with built-in shopping features.
• Capitalize on the popularity of unboxing videos and product demonstrations.
• Most importantly, be transparent about influencer partnerships. You don’t want to lose trust with your community, make them aware of any sponsored content.
• Mix and Mingle with influencers and other businesses…co-branding should and will take on a whole new meaning and produce cost savings while growing stronger brands and communities!

Happy Brand New Year! As 2024 unfolds, The Kulur Group hopes these new insights will serve as a compass for navigating the brand and marketing landscape going forward. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that listening to your audience while keeping a data-rich strategy is the truest way to ensure your brand not only adapts, but thrives in Kulur.