THEME:
The privacy act and talk of the death of the cookie begin to change the conversation surrounding data capture and use for marketers. At the same time, increasing incidents involving active shooters at major events, including the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival massacre in Las Vegas, present a sobering new reality for marketers responsible for planning group gatherings. Marketers respond by incorporating new training and updated event safety plans. The industry zeroes in on sophistication, strategy and safety.

TREND:
Maybe it’s the influence of the poop emoji, but campaigns for personal care brands, especially the ones consumers use behind closed doors, capitalize on relatability with irreverent, funny and honest programs that confidently tell consumers in-person: We get you, and others get you, too. Among them: A carnival by Cottonelle, a “Bald Important People” campaign by Schick, and a mobile tooth brushing station by Spyt.

TREND:
TikTok, a social media app centered on short-form mobile videos accompanied by musical overlays and augmented reality-powered visual effects, launches and its popularity explodes. Considered an upgraded version of video-sharing app Vine, which folded in 2016, TikTok attracts Gen Z in spades (66 percent of users are under the age of 30), but as its popularity grows, new demographics are jumping on board, too. Marketers take note.

CASE STUDY:
Out-of-home meets experiential as Visible, a low-cost service that utilizes Verizon’s network, runs several billboards throughout its headquarters city of Denver with the message: “Unlimited massages, minutes and data on Visible’s $40 per month phone service.” Yup—the brand offers unlimited massages instead of messages as a viral marketing tool to catch consumers’ attention. Consumers call the typo out on social media—and that was all part of the plan. Visible follows through on its promise by offering professional massages in a local park.

CASE STUDY:
Sneaker drops and other hype events increase in frequency, but adidas goes in a different direction: into the future. To prove to consumers that its styles have always been ahead of their time, the brand creates a futuristic bodega pop-up in New York City that transports media, influencers and consumers to the year 2048. In addition to getting a glimpse at what the world would be like in 30 years, the brand muses on what fashion innovation might look like, too, all while dropping new styles for the adidas Originals Ozweego line of sneakers.