Here are top 5 marketing trends to look out for as we approach 2012.

1. Location Based Marketing (LBM)

This is all about delivering content (usually to mobile devices) to consumers based on their location. Imagine getting a push message from Starbucks as you walk past one of their stores offering you a free muffin with your coffee.  It can be achieved using a number of technologies including Mobile Phone Tracking, WiFi and RFID

2. QR Codes

2011 has seen a massive increase in the use of QR codes on everything from advertising campaigns to product packaging. Their novelty factor has not worn off as quickly as some predicted and we are now seeing them used on ATL and BTL advertising from some of the biggest brands in the wold, right down to family run businesses. Expect to see a lot more QR codes in 2012

3. Video

Video comes in many different form factors. Most people think of YouTube or case study material, but what about video as a communication tool? With Apple shipping Facetime ready devices like there’s no tomorrow and Cisco predicting that 80% of all internet traffic will be video by 2015, we must embrace it in all its shapes and sizes. Think about running customer events over video or producing video newsletters, you might be pleasantly surprised how much the technology has moved on since you last tried it.

4. Social

Social is ‘Trending’ in a big way. Not just for consumers and our online ‘friends’ but also for businesses. Forget Twitter, Facebook,LinkedIn, etc, they have been trending for a some time now, I am talking about business applications that are social in their very make-up.SalesForce.com’s Chatter, Cisco’s Jabber, Show and Share and Quad. The enterprise is gearing up to embrace the Facebook Generationand some of it’s here already.

5. Infographics

The way we consume information is changing and different audiences prefer to consume it in different ways. Infographics have been a hit in 2011 and I stronly believe they will become more popular through 2012. Not just for displaying stats on how many users Facebook now has, but being the breeding ground for a new approach to corporate collateral, Curriculum Vitae’s and many other documents. Watch this space.

POSTED BY GARETHCASE ⋅ SEPTEMBER 9, 2011