Performance Marketing: What to expect in 2022

As we head towards the 2021 end-of-year holiday season, we wanted to think past the holidays and get you prepared for 2022.

So without further ado, here are Creative Clicks’ predictions for performance marketing in 2022:

Start building the metaverse with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Though the metaverse is still a decade away, there is a feeling in tech and marketing circles that augmented and virtual reality can be mobile marketing solutions for metaverse 1.0.

Research from Neuro Insights about augmented reality (AR) shows that 55% of consumers want to be able to point their phone at any object and receive information about it. The percentage rises to 74% amongst those who have already experienced AR.

The platform leading the push into AR is Snapchat. For the 2021 holiday season, the company launched immersive AR experiences on Black Friday with Amazon Prime Video, Coca-Cola, Hollister, Under Armour, Verizon, and Walmart. Each brand will have a dedicated virtual store where users can experience products and get deals. With more than 200 million Snap users interacting with AR every day, the platform generates on average more than 6 billion AR Lens plays every day.

Startup Dent Reality is creating augmented reality shopping experiences that will save shoppers time and improve the in-store experience by organizing their shopping list according to the store’s layout and directing them through the store. Check out this video:

Though virtual reality is less developed as a mobile marketing solution, companies like Dyson are creating online virtual reality shopping experiences.

Are you on Roblox?

If you thought Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system for 12 year-olds, think again.

Marketers including Nike, Pacsun, and Gucci are obviously not marketers focused exclusively on the elementary school playground but are all investing in marketing programs on Roblox.

Retailer Pacsun enables Roblox users to customize their avatars with Pacsun branded clothing and accessories. This campaign is designed to both engage with existing communities while also creating new ones by bringing identity and self-expression to Roblox users.

Nike has created NIKELAND on Roblox, a place for fans to connect, create, share experiences and compete. NIKELAND is inspired by Nike’s real-life headquarters. In December, users will be able to experience NIKELAND via a Snap AR filter at the company’s House Of Innovation (HOI) in New York City. Users can outfit their NIKELAND avatar with Nike products from the company’s digital showroom.

NIKELAND enables users to use the accelerometer in their mobile device to transfer offline movement into online play. This allows users to move their real bodies, and make their in-game avatar jump further or run faster.

Turning to owned & operated sites (with richer data)

With marketers facing data-driven challenges with the end of IDFA and the demise of the cookie coming, one solution with privacy-friendly data includes owned and operated sites.

By working with sites owned and operated by your marketing partners, you gain access to data based on the first-party relationship because the site is owned by the marketing partner. And that marketer probably established or acquired the sites they own and operate to improve the targeting and, ultimately, the performance of their client’s campaigns.

So if you’re looking for a tactic to regain your targeting functionality to improve your user acquisition and other performance marketing campaigns, reach out to marketing partners with owned and operated sites.

And be sure to reach out to CC and ask about running campaigns on our owned and operated sites.

Influencer marketing continues to grow

According to data compiled by Statista, four out of ten brands are investing 10-20% of their marketing budgets in influencer marketing while one in ten brands is investing more than 40% of their marketing budget in influencer marketing.

Why are marketers investing in influencer marketing? Because it’s a strong performance marketing channel, even effective in user acquisition campaigns. Users relate to and appreciate the authenticity of the influencer pitch. That’s why 49% of consumers say they depend on influencer recommendations, according to data compiled by the Digital Marketing Institute.

With so many social platforms in use today, marketers need to run influencer campaigns across all relevant social platforms. Each marketer needs to find the right influencers to create content across the most relevant social platforms to maximize the potential of influencer marketing.

According to data from Linqia, 71% of marketers are planning on increasing their influencer budgets next year. So what are you waiting for?

Marketing in an online/offline cross-channel world

With the rise of a new strain of COVID-19, it looks like 2022 will be another hybrid marketing year.

But what we learned from the Tokyo Olympics this summer is that we can survive, even thrive, in this environment.

According to research conducted by professional services network Deloitte, three-quarters of global executives surveyed will invest in creating hybrid experiences over the next 12 months with the goals of improving personalization, customer connections, and inclusive experiences.

In 2022, marketers will need to create new customer journeys. These new journeys will enable all customers to move through the marketing funnel in a way that is safe and comfortable. For some, that will include a lot of in-person experiences, but for others, it will be completely online.

Are you looking for answers to your performance marketing questions? Whether you’re looking to jumpstart your user acquisition campaigns or seeking new mobile marketing solutions, Creative Clicks has answers. Just reach out to CC today.