Some of the factors that will drive the Marketing trends for 2024 are climate change and sustainability, economic volatility, technology and web 3.0 and inclusivity.

A cookie less 2024? 

By the end of Q1 of 2024, Google will remove third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users and will eliminate them completely by the second half of 2024. Marketers have been trying to figure out a strategy to tackle the cookieless future that is staring hard at them. And while more than 70% marketers have confessed to not being prepared for a cookie less future, they need to focus on first party data (customer data that they are collecting through forms etc. and belongs to them), through innovative methods such as gamification, offers on packaging etc. It would also mean building a more transparent relationship with customers in the context of data collection. 

Stay relevant for the younger cohort 

With 116 million Gen Z-ers in the country, and more than 65% of the population below the age of 35, brands are left with no choice but to stay relevant to the young generation. Most studies show that this cohort cares more about purpose than profits, they care about authenticity and sustainability. Therefore, for brands wanting a share of their wallet, it has become imperative to take their ESG (Economic Social Governance) goals seriously and put their money where the purpose is. In 2024, we would see organisations across sectors, putting emphasis on sustainability, diversity equity and inclusion in their practices and policies and authenticity in their communication and storytelling.    

The rise and rise of meme marketing

There’s nothing that offers virality to a brand more than a well-made meme. But there’s a lot more to memes than virality. Memes are centred around pop culture, and it is for this reason that meme marketing is considered one of the most non-intrusive forms of marketing. For a generation that’s very adept at using ad blockers, memes are always a breath of fresh air. Think of all the meme-worthy moments during the ICC Cricket World Cup this year, and how brands leveraged them to seed their brand or product messaging. There are hundreds of meme-making apps today, and meme marketing has grown at a faster pace in India than in any other market, given our young population. 2024 will see meme marketing take cetre stage, particularly for youth-focused brands. 

Generative AI powered by human intelligence 

While generative AI will increase efficiency, disrupt team structures to some extent on both the client and the agency side, and make marketing content production a lot more accessible and democratic, what it will also result in is an increase in the content clutter. The avalanche of advertising content has resulted in a significant increase in the use of ad-blocking browsers; India has the fourth highest usage of ad blocking. 

So, the focus for creative marketers in 2024 would be to create compelling, thumb-stopping content that uses AI for efficiency and scale, but also human intelligence and emotions for greater impact. 

Over 60% of marketers worldwide have already started using generative AI to create content. But the winners will be those that cut through the clutter and focus on the quality more than the quantity. 

Personalisation in the era of fragmented media

Your name stitched on a napkin in a five-star hotel, a soda bottle with your name on it, a personalised birthday message in a chocolate pack … there’s a good reason why personalisation is being considered as the fifth and one of the most important Ps of Marketing. About 80% of consumers today are keener to interact and transact with businesses that personalise the experience and the communication for them than those that don’t and send them irrelevant messages or ads.