Gartner Unveils Top Marketing Predictions for 2021 and Beyond

Gartner, Inc. today revealed its top marketing predictions for 2021 and beyond during Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo. Gartner’s marketing predictions explore how post-pandemic renewal strategies put marketing on the hook for redefining and reestablishing customer relationships in line with digital’s “new normal.”  

“The need for vision, innovation and transformation has never been more pronounced for marketers,” said Jennifer Polk, vice president analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “Marketers need to reinvent how they engage with today’s customers by using online and offline channels to create rich, creative and immersive experiences.”

Major societal change, combined with a global pandemic, is redefining customer needs - most notably how customers find, buy and consume products and services.

“Meeting new expectations of stakeholders — not just shareholders — demands a reset of the marketing function,” said Andrew Frank, distinguished vice president analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “This starts with an understanding of what has changed, followed by a reassessment of how to respond to that change. Organisations’ appetite for risk will be a critical factor in reshaping brands in the years to come.” 

By 2024, 30% of large organisations will identify content moderation services for user generated content as a C-Suite priority.

Major social media and retailer platforms dependent on user generated content to drive engagement and sales face a deluge of malicious content, ranging from fraudulent reviews and product listings to the misguided sharing of false or unverified content. 

As a result, a growing number of content moderation service and tech providers have entered the market. As these technologies and services mature, organisations will start to employ them in greater volume and frequency, ultimately leading to increased spend over the next four years. 

By 2022, 1/3 of publicity budgets dedicated to crisis communications will be used in response to employees speaking out against their organisation.

Across all sectors and job types, employees are growing increasingly comfortable speaking up about their employer and working conditions - from calling out a lack of COVID-19 safety precautions, to racial bias and suspect business practices. In fact, 36% of employees report speaking out either for or against their company in the past year. This is not going unnoticed by executives, with legal, compliance and privacy leaders reporting employee activism among the top 15 concerns in 2020. 

Organisations must combat the negative perception and reputational risks that come with employees speaking out. Organisations will need to dedicate resources to addressing negative employee commentary and staying abreast of discrepancies between what marketers are saying and what employees are experiencing. 

By 2023, 25% of organisations will amalgamate marketing, sales and CX into a single function.

Seventy-seven percent of marketing leaders report they struggled to keep up with changes in customer needs, and 87% believe shifts in customer needs will become even more common over the next few years. This has forced many organisations to seek long-term collaborative solutions. 

As a result, the area of overlap between customer experience (CX), sales and marketing functions is rapidly increasing. Where CX has always focused on building clear understanding of who the customer is and how interactions with the brand add to or detract value across their lifetime, so too are sales and marketing now focused on this objective. Organisations will formally combine sales and marketing and CX under a single leader who has clear and unambiguous accountability to maintain and grow customer lifetime value and profitability.

By 2023, 60% of businesses that pivoted to virtual events will incorporate real-time/real-space experiential elements into marketing experiences. 

Consumers demonstrated just how quickly they could shift their behavior to new technologies and channels with the COVID-19 pandemic. B2C and B2B customers aren’t moving from analog to digital, they are moving away from a digital-analog binary towards hybrid/mixed-mode experiences. 

Many brands have already begun to adopt more practical and convenient options for customers, such as curbside pickup and returns, or real-time store inventory availability. Expect to see more augmented reality apps that will offer more real space or face sense of tangibility, and experiential offerings such as drive-through pop ups and exclusive digital sensory experiences. 

By 2025, consumers’ omnichannel buying behavior will drive 60% of B2C brands to move toward functional, rather than channel-based organisation. 

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the blending of physical and digital commerce today. Leading B2C brands in this environment have proven the efficacy of blending digital and physical channels to support customers new preferred methods of shopping and fulfillment, rather than treating web and physical channels as separate entities.

However, this omnichannel blend is not often reflected in marketing organisational structures, with only 30% of B2C brands reporting they have functional organisational alignment. Brands hinging their future plans on e-commerce—and structuring teams accordingly—should think twice. Brands should take advantage of this time to reorient teams and objectives around a customer-first, channel-agnostic strategy. 

By 2025, 20% of B2C revenue will be generated from recurring revenue models, resulting in profound shifts in marketing strategies, spend and channels. 

2020 has seen a significant increase in subscription revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend is only expected to increase, as consumers continue to benefit from the convenience of regular replenishment and zero-click purchases. 

However, increased competition in this space will test consumer loyalty. Brands must plan for, and actively manage, customer churn. Successful subscription brands will need to be adept at anticipating consumers’ needs and augment offerings accordingly, understanding that what delights consumers today can become commoditised quickly. 

About the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo

Gartner analysts are providing additional insights during Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, taking place virtually, December 1-3, 2020. The conference provides marketing leaders actionable advice about the trends, tools and emerging technologies they need to deliver business results. Gartner analysts address the biggest opportunities, challenges and priorities marketers face today, including data and analytics, customer experience, content marketing, customer insight, marketing technology (martech) and multichannel marketing. Follow news and updates for the event on Twitter at #GartnerMKTG.

About Gartner for Marketers

Gartner for Marketers provides the objective, expert advice, and proven tools that CMOs and other marketing leaders need to seize the right opportunities with clarity and confidence, and to stay ahead of the trends that matter. With in-depth research and analysis, Gartner for Marketers helps you focus on the opportunities with the greatest potential to deliver results. More information on Gartner for Marketers is available online at www.gartner.com/marketing. Follow news and updates from the Gartner Marketing practice on Twitter and LinkedIn using #GartnerMKTG.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities today and build the successful organisations of tomorrow.

Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We are a trusted advisor and an objective resource for more than 14,000 enterprises in more than 100 countries — across all major functions, in every industry and enterprise size.

To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit gartner.com.