Talkwalker and HubSpot have published their latest global Social Media Trends report.
The report found that the pandemic has accelerated The Age of the Consumer.
For brands to survive, they need to anticipate and respond to consumer demands. The current global situation is challenging but it also offers opportunities for companies to get ahead.
“Consumers have taken control, with more demands, more urgency, more unpredictability,” said Elena Melnikova, Talkwalker CMO.
“They’re driving this year’s trends, but we’re giving brands the power to take back control. By revealing the trends for 2022 using accelerated consumer intelligence, and inspiring actions, Talkwalker is enabling brands to drive business value next year, and beyond.”
“The tumultuous events of the last 18 months have created widespread uncertainty for marketers across all industries,” added Susanne Ronqvist Ahmadi, VP of international marketing at HubSpot.
“Although we have started to see the light at the end of the tunnel with some of the biggest brands showing signs of recovery from the impact of the pandemic, knowing the trends most likely to define the coming year is one of the best ways marketing leaders can combat the ongoing unpredictability and set their teams up for success in 2022.”
Of the ten trends listed, number one in the report is how TikTok will take over social media, forcing other social media platforms to adapt.
It also reported that, as we move to a post-cookie world, social media ads will be forced to develop, while the third trend focused on how the demand for social selling will grow.
Cassandra Tan, director of insights & analytics at Universal Music Group, Southeast Asia and Korea said, “a platform that embraces diversity, TikTok encourages users to project images of themselves without thinking too much about complying with certain standards.”
“Anyone can be a creator or a trendsetter. With this democratisation, content becomes more hyperlocal and thrives on being ‘receh’ as the Indonesians would say – where content that is humorous, irreverent, snackable.”
Karen Sutherland, social media educator and researcher at University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia said, “2022 will see the continuation of TikTokesque functionality popping up on social media platforms as TikT ok maintains its app download lead.”
“In-platform shopping will keep evolving. We’ll see if live audio spaces become more popular with the mainstream after some major players scrambled to add them in 2021 in response to Clubhouse’s sudden user surge.”
Ivy Esquero, head of enterprise & loyalty marketing, Hilton APAC said, “With consumers accessing more content post-pandemic, brands have to compete for even shorter attention spans across an ever-growing set of platforms. Understanding which platforms help tell which parts of your brand story is going to be key. The opportunity lies in using different platforms to tell a more cohesive and differentiated story.”
