Marketing Insider Group

• 2016 will be the year for content marketing M&A
• All signs point to video
• More Participation in Marketing Content
• Podcasting tech will explode
• A Backlash against content marketing
• More resistance to content marketing
• Content Marketing will finally hit the mainstream
• Content-driven experiences
• Content Marketers focus on sales funnel building and optimization
• Synergy between content marketing and customer lifecycle management
• Content marketing breaks free of silos
• Personalization leads to better results

AudienceBloom

• Aggregated content will put content marketing in the hands of users
• Algorithms will threaten freelancers everywhere
• Google’s Knowledge Graph and instant answers will necessitate a shift toward long-form content
• Social media will offer new publishing options
• Content will demand more visual mediums
• Interactive content will emerge
• Competition will skyrocket

Big Data

• The rise of the algorithms
• Data-lake-as-a-service solutions
• Blockchain will become accepted in different industries
• People analytics to keep talent engaged
• Smart governments improving societies and citizen’s experience
• Increased big data security and data breaches
• Fog analytics takes off due to smart machines

Content Marketing Institute

• 37% marketers have a documented content marketing strategy vs. 27% last year
• 48% of B2C marketers meet with their teams either daily or weekly to discuss their content marketing program
• 62% marketers are using infographics this year vs. 45% last year
• B2C marketers are getting better results with Facebook. This year, 66% rated it effective (vs. 58% last year)
• There’s been a shift in the paid methods that B2C marketers use to promote/distribute content
• B2C marketers are putting 32% of their total marketing budget to content (vs 25% last year)

Smart Insights

• The increasing complexity of the purchase decision
• Increasing mobile usage
• The rise of the Chief Marketing Technologist
• The challenge of integrating digital and traditional marketing

bazaarVoice

• Shopping is social
• Millennials are setting the tone
• In-app functionality will diversify and spread
• New publication options will be available
• User privacy concerns will hit an all-time high
• Competition for organic visibility will increase
• Fewer small platforms will emerge

North America 2016

• Balance or bust
• The big brand theory
• Eye get it
• Pride & persona

Europe 2016

• On the waterfront
• Space-time continuum
• My mind’s eye
• Pond filter
• Archbeacons

JWT’s The Future 100

• New buzzword: empathy
• Online universities
• Sportspitality
• Neuromarketing
• Natural junk
• Celebrity retail havens
• Sound healing
• DNA personalization
• Metabolism boosters
• Extreme dining

SEJ

• Use a lightbox to grow your email list
• Personalization will grow
• Detailed and consistent tracking

HubSpot

• Relationship marketing
• Marketing automation
• Location-based marketing technology
• Virtual reality
• Ephemeral marketing
• Search past search engines
• The Internet of things (IoT)

Influence&Co

• A “trough of disillusionment” will plague content effectiveness
• Ad blocking will continue to shift companies from “me” marketing to “you” marketing
• Distribution will skyrocket in value
• Publishers and social media will intersect
• The era of the “informed customer” will dawn
• Visual complements to content: video will continue to move upward
• SEO budgets will center on creating valuable content
• Content will no longer be a marketing-only initiative
• Facebook instant articles will empower publishers
• Mobile will continue to grow