It’s one that holds just as true in the business world as it does in my personal one. Brands – ranging from retail to corporate, from B2B to B2C – must be prepared to embrace change in their strategies. Customers evolve, their demands evolve, and businesses must evolve alongside them. Being a marketer and advertiser, it’s even more crucial that you have your ear to the ground, so to speak, so you’re not caught off guard by this one constant.

Speaking of change, 2022 has been a tumultuous one indeed for the world economy, and a transformative one for customer bases at large. The global pandemic marked not just a fundamental shift in how businesses operate – necessitating on overnight shift to omnichannel commerce – but also a fundamental shift in customer expectations towards mindfulness. These two factors, I believe, have had a profound impact on how we advertise, and will define marketing strategies in the near future.

Given that the MENA region boasts of some of the highest usage rates for social media, and given that it’s no secret that influencer marketing is as entrenched as it’s ever been, it’s more important than ever that brands lean into personalising their presence.

What do I mean by that?

With businesses having to go digital and having to embrace online platforms, we’re now in a situation where the playing field has been levelled. Going digital not only opened a much larger market – a global one in many cases – but also a more competitive one, a place where anyone and everyone has a say and a presence.

Our customers, on the other hand, are spoilt for choice. Given easy access and a flood of options, they have the luxury of being mindful of which brands and businesses they choose to associate with. The brands that will succeed in 2023 and beyond are the ones that understand who their customers are and learns to resonate with them on a personal level.

“Brands need a voice and a personality”

Going forward, I don’t think brands can afford to remain neutral, faceless entities, especially not in the social-media savvy MENA region. Word-of-mouth is important here, and it’s vital that brands learn to project an identity that reflects who they are, their values, and understand who they hope to be doing business with. In short, we need brands that seem more human.

Interaction is an important part of being human, which in turn means that there will be a need for brands to be far more social media savvy than they currently are. Brands will need to develop a voice, a persona that matches the image they intend to project. Social media teams will need to be trained in how to use that voice when responding to feedback or criticism, for example, and even when simply putting up posts. This personality will have to be baked into marketing strategies at all levels.

Again, this personality, this image, will reflect your brand and how you choose to run your business. A video game maker might choose to be edgy when targeting Gen Z, but a retailer might need to be focused on messages around sustainability.

“The more things change; the more things stay the same”

However, the marketing and advertising landscape might evolve, and businesses along with it, we must not ever forget that it’s always the customer who calls the shots.

The metaverse might disrupt social media, emojis might replace text, and mixed reality could very well be the future of the smartphone. Platforms will come and go, but if brands and businesses are alert to who their customers are, where they are, and how they wish to be served, they will thrive.

“Loyalty remains”

Loyalty can be built. Not overnight. But over weeks and months and years. Brands are responsible for ensuring their customers remain committed to them and there are now various ways to ensure they grab their attention. One of the keys to establishing brand loyalty lies in enabling an experience that sparks an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand. Connection is the key, brands, be it hybrid world / telecommute, or office set up work, will need to forge a stronger bond with the customer.