The summer months are often associated with time off work to relax and rejuvenate in the sunshine. However, for marketers these are crucial months to prepare for one of the busiest — and, arguably, the most profitable — times of the year: the festive season.
With people starting their holiday shopping earlier each year, marketers need to act now to drive measurable impact with their end-of-year campaigns. That’s why we’ve created this essential summer reading list to set you up for success. It’s filled with our favourite long-form reads of 2022 so far — and we’ve teased some insights from each of the reports to give you a flavour of what to expect when you click through.
What matters to your customers right now
The war in Ukraine and rising inflation are creating fresh concerns and uncertainties for those living in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Yet, at the same time, people in many countries want to go out and have fun after more than two years of pandemic-related restrictions.
Here’s a snapshot of how this duality of emotions is shaping consumer behaviours:
- New priorities: People have taken stock of what truly matters to them and they are reordering their priorities. For example, they’re putting their health and wellbeing first.
- Fast-changing demand: Consumer demand is fluctuating as people are breaking out of their stay-at-home comfort zones and embracing new experiences.
- Value matters: Customers increasingly expect brands to help them in times of financial uncertainty and provide real value.
What you need to know about shoppers’ needs
People are shopping in ways never before imagined as they piece together the online and in-store shopping experience to best meet their needs. This in-depth retail guide helps you meet your customers where they prefer to shop — and puts them at the centre of your marketing and customer experience.
Some of the key findings:
- Shopping starts with inspiration: 48% of consumers around the world say they get inspiration for purchases when they are online.
- Shopping is local: Searches for “open now near me” have grown globally by over 400% year-over-year.
- Shopping is omnichannel: Today’s customers are living in a channel-less world. They expect to be able to shop wherever meets their needs, whether that’s on your site, through your app, or directly within an ad experience.
How to craft effective creative on YouTube
As part of new research by Google and Kantar, we reviewed 17,000 video ads to understand the keys to advertising success on YouTube.
The result? The ABCDs of video marketing — four guiding principles marketers can use for more effective YouTube creatives.
- Attention: Hook your audience in from the very start of a video by playing with colour, audio, imagery, and action-packed scenes.
- Branding: Work your brand identity into the story often and richly.
- Connection: Help viewers think or feel something by educating, entertaining, or inspiring them.
- Direction: Provide clear and simple instructions on what to do next to encourage viewers to act in response to your ad.
Whether you're spending the summer months on a tropical beach in the sunshine or in an air-conditioned office, we hope these long reads inspire you to start planning your festive season and end-of-year campaigns now. That way you can engage your customers from the moment they start browsing online for shopping inspiration right through to when they’re ready to make a purchase.