In 2007...

Branding Predictions
"Many consumer segments have become numb to messages that smack of traditional advertising. Marketers and branders will need to understand how to integrate their brands into this type of experience, building entertainment and viral value in more grassroots approaches surrounding less overt sales messaging."Josh Kelly, PrincipalFINE Design Group

"We will see more product placement in films, TV, and on the bodies/lips of celebrities as advertisers scramble to find alternative ways to influence consumers in this fast-forward-through-ads, TiVo generation.

"Celebrities are 'influencers,' which is why brands will be dishing out more bucks to get celebrities to wear, drink, eat, and be photographed with their product brand. We will also see a rise in 'experiential' advertising, marketing, and public relations as brands try alternative ways to reach consumers."Rita Tateel, President

"[I] predict 2007 will be a year in which companies will break away from traditional forms of marketing and advertising to promote their brand and venture into the technology-driven world of mobile advertising (iPods, mp3 players, cellphones) and the Internet. Although print, TV, and radio still will play a crucial role in a company's brand, much of the younger population will experience new brands in the form of modern technology.

"For example, if Crate & Barrel were to partner with Sprint, you will be walking down the street, and as you pass a Crate & Barrel store, your phone's Sprint GPS will recognize your location and send you an electronic coupon for Crate & Barrel." Dave Seidler, DesignerBaer Design Group

"Traditional advertising strategies have fallen short of reaching the goal of engaging consumers, due to continued fragmentation of the media landscape and a major shift in the consumer mindset. Consumers have become far too skeptical of branded messages. In 2007, I see marketers dialing up the use of sponsorship platforms to engage their target consumers through the things they love and the way they live. Tapping into their passions—via entertainment, sports, or cultural platforms—will allow consumers to experience the brand on their own terms."Tony Signore, CEOAlan Taylor Communications

The Inundated Consumer
"I believe that brands in 2007 will begin to experience an increasingly hostile resistance to the relentless invasion of privacy that marketers are unleashing on their unsuspecting audiences. I'm not talking about 'privacy' as in identity theft; I'm talking about privacy as in the need to live through a solitary moment when we're not battered with unwanted commercial messaging. There's a limit to the unsolicited marketing messages that audiences can handle, and we're going to see that limit come into plain sight, beginning in 2007."Lynn UpshawPrincipal, Upshaw Consulting Member, Marketing Faculty, Haas School of Business, UC-Berkeley

"Consumers are presented with ever more choice and ever more information. It's a mistake to assume the same rules of loyalty apply anymore. It's also a mistake to assume old-fashioned concepts surrounding brand and product lifecycles. Brands need to be very attuned to their customer relationships and not be afraid to evolve and reinvent."Josh Kelly, PrincipalFINE Design

"Advertising budgets will continue to be slashed because credibility and trust are not built with advertising like they were in the past. Today's customers, investors, and other key audiences are more skeptical than ever before."Mike Paul, President and Senior CounselorMGP & Associates PR

"It is no longer enough for consumers to believe that brands are sincere in their communications; that has become cost of entry. To succeed in 2007, brand communications must not only be transparent, but offer some additional value before the audience will even tune in." Hayes Roth, Chief Marketing OfficerLandor Associates

Power to the People

"Gen X-ers need independence and interdependence in products and services. In the time-pressed, faceless world, they seek to be heard. America Idol and YouTube are brands that provide opportunities for these consumers to be heard.
Shelley Rosen, CEO Airlift Ideas

"From MySpace to blogs to message boards, consumers are now listening to the voice of fellow consumers more than that of the marketer. Forty-four percent of the US online population publishes their thoughts and experiences they have with brands every day, positive or negative.
"With that said, the trend for brands is, and will be, complete accountability—period. The brands that walk the walk with their promise, and become an active part in the customer conversation, will flourish. The brands that don't will suffer."Roy De Young, Brand StrategistTemel Inc.

"Smart brands will learn to empower the consumer. Today's consumers know that they hold most of the power in their relationships with brands. Be it by sharing relevant learning with consumers, creating environments that foster customer communities, or offering relevant product or service benefits that improve people's lives, the brands that not only engage but also empower will be the brands that break away from the competition this year."Hayes Roth, Chief Marketing Officer Landor Associates

Design Redefined
"Design economy is about the convergence of value and design. Today's consumer is demanding both in their product offering. Brands like Target, Apple, and JetBlue intimately understand what the customer deserves both with their service and product offering." Shelley Rosen, CEO Airlift Ideas

"One interesting shift in how we develop the visual piece of the brand is how important digital presence is now. It, in many cases, is driving what we [design]. This means more color, more transparent overlapping. The old adage about how will it look in the Wall Street Journal is just that: old."Jeffrey Marcus, PrincipalMarcus Associates

"We have been tempted for some time to issue our staff black turtlenecks outfitted with pocket protectors. Increasingly, branding and design considerations are overlapping with technological ones and there is more than ever a need for this improbable pairing of analytical and creative minds. It could be argued that at some point in the future, branding will be more a function of technological savvy than design sensibility."
Josh Kelly, Principal FINE Design Group

A Brave New (Entertaining) World
"Avatars are becoming more popular in marketing. Recently, stars like Ludacris and corporate mascots such as Tony the Tiger of Kellogg's have been utilized as a form of brand promotion. Much like a pop-up window, a singer such as Ludacris will appear on your desktop and walk you through various tasks on your computer (shopping, web browsing, etc.). He even will sing and dance based on voice-activated or keystroke commands. For many, this makes the online experience much more user-friendly and simple. It also provides entertainment and brand strength."Dave Seidler, DesignerBaer Design Group

"The sports industry is booming like never before. A multi-billion dollar global business on the cutting-edge of entertainment, new media technology, and marketing synergies, the sports industry will continue to boom. However, amid the prosperity, the consumer of sport—the fan—has never been harder to reach…. To date, fantasy sports have changed the way major sports are viewed. A multi-billion dollar industry [in its own right], it has yet to be fully embraced by blue-chip marketers…. I expect that to change as the industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds, not to mention the prime demographic [comprising] influencers."
John Meindl, President/CEOSports Branded Media Inc.

Some Things Don't Change
"I believe we will see more and more brand extensions over the coming years. An example of this would be World Gym creating its own line of energy drinks. (This is strictly a hypothetical example.) While World Gym does not have a core competency in energy drinks or nutritional supplements, it could leverage its brand as experts in the physical fitness industry to create relevance and credibility for extending the brand into other niche markets. As companies with established brands gain more awareness in the marketplace, the brands become a commodity that can be used to leverage new products into new markets with a reduced amount of risk and a reduced barrier to entry."David P. Smith, PresidentEnvision Creative Group

"Brand identity is more important in 2007 than ever before for small and midsized companies, which need to establish some recognition before they go out and try to sell their unknown products and services. Integrated marketing communications and brand consistency across functions and divisions are imperative."Todd Baer, Creative DirectorBaer Design Group

Think Good and Green
"As we look to the future of branding, my thoughts have moved toward inspiring and guiding our clients to create new ideas, products, and experiences that make our world a better place. The tipping point of 'green thinking' has arrived and more and more people will search for ways to participate or choose brands that are actively making a difference. I believe—and I am optimistic—that we are moving toward something new: an era of new opportunity."
John Creson, Executive Creative DirectorAddis Creson

"Sustainability will be a theme that resonates with consumers as it becomes better understood; and it will be a focus for companies looking to do well, while doing good."Peter Dixon, Creative Director, Retail Design PracticeLippincott Mercer

"More and more celebrities are supporting environmental causes and 'going green' with emphasis on supporting alternative energy sources…. Cause-related marketing and PR will continue to rise among brands as an effective tool to 'achieve success by doing good.' Socially conscious baby boomers—who are now in the decision-making roles in corporate America—are driving this trend, as are consumers who are much more likely to buy products from companies they perceive as socially responsible and supportive of causes."Rita Tateel, PresidentThe Celebrity Source

The Corporate Landscape
"[Worldwide,] 2006 saw some of the most heightened activity in mergers and acquisitions, across all sectors of the healthcare industry. As pharma and biotech converge to form potential powerhouses of the future, companies are going to have to look hard and fast at the role of the corporate brand as never before.

"Recent levels of attrition in both pipelines and the rate of new drug approvals coupled with some substantial patent expiries looming on the horizon, will continue to challenge the way in which companies approach both the development and management of their product brands. The watchword for the industry in 2007 will be how to make brands work smarter."
Rebecca Robins, Global Marketing DirectorInterbrand Wood Healthcare

"[In Europe] I predict a shift from companies focusing on building their brand experiences to building their customer experiences. With good clothes you notice how good the clothes look, with great clothes you notice how great the person looks: so [it goes] with great brands—customers shouldn't notice the branding, but the great experience."David Hensley, Senior PartnerLippincott Mercer London

"[In Eastern Europe] there is a certain surge of the demand of branding jobs, mainly in the product branding and packaging areas. The shelf has been rather dull until now, and the EU accession brings also a tide of better-designed Western products, which put the local brands at a disadvantage in front of the consumer. Rapid change of consumer lifestyles is another factor to accelerate this trend."Aneta Bogdan, Managing PartnerBrandient

"[In Asia,] even as media gets fragmented with more customer touch-points than ever, the importance of brand building cannot be overstated. To a large extent, the customer still buys with his heart rather than his head, and so it's imperative that clients and advertising agencies continue to project the right brand image for a product or service by investing in brand building."Suresh Kumar, Creative Group HeadGosh Advertising Pte Ltd Singapore

"[In the US,] corporate fraud, misdeeds, and lies will continue to be major problems for global and national corporate brands. Most corporations are still not walking the talk to become more honest, transparent, accountable, humble, and consistent to build long-term excellent reputations. As a result, a growing trend with corporation brands continues to be corporations with reputations in crisis.

"Ironically, fraud and corruption in the corporate world is so bad that simply doing the right thing has become a major differentiator." Mike Paul, President and Senior CounselorMGP & Associates PR

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