ALEX PAQUIN,

Managing Director, Nomads Experience-driven brand collaborations

Nearly 20 years ago Louis Vuitton sued Supreme for unauthorised use of its monogram. Fast-forward to 2017 and there are nearly 10 co-branded LV x Supreme popup streetwear retail experiences in major cities around the world. Spotify and Uber recently joined forces to create ‘Soundtrack for Your Ride’. I don’t think I need to explain this concept. In 2018, expect to see even more brands partnering to create unique experiences neither brand necessarily has the audience permission to authentically execute on their own.

Micro-influencers become standard play

In 2018 a micro-influencer strategy will become an ingrained part of the annual marketing calendar for more leading brands. Micro-influencers used to be a (usually disorganised) way for brands with smaller budgets to still participate that couldn’t necessarily afford the hefty half-million dollars per post ticket to get a Kardashian touting your wares on Instagram. However, now even leading brands are identifying this tactic as powerful tool for reaching niche audiences, and activating a loyal and hardworking network. Not only will we see more influencers become brand ambassadors in 2018, but we’ll also see more platforms come online that easily facilitate identifying, managing, paying, and measuring a brand’s stable of micro-influencers.

Voice-first user interfaces will change our buying decision process

With the proliferation of voice-enabled speakers in homes, people are shopping more frequently via Voice-first Interface – creating a new medium for product promotion. While Amazon is rumoured to be in talks with major FMCG companies such as P&G about promotional opportunities, this new frontier leads me to believe our buying decision process will be greatly impacted. While a traditional ecommerce ‘Click to Add-to-cart’ interface made it impossible to ignore product comparisons and customer reviews, it’s very likely that in the future, for purchases under a certain price, people will begin to let Alexa decide which brand of kitchen roll, or detergent to buy for them.