Now that we are halfway through January, we can take a few minutes to look back at 2018 from an advertising perspective. The past year has left us with a great legacy in terms of trends. If we understand advertising as one more tool by which companies and associations get in touch with their audiences, we have to look beyond new applications or formats to analyse current advertising trends. We have to analyse what messages brands have launched to connect with audiences that have been noticed and well received.
On 8 March last year, a 'purple tide' filled the streets and demonstrated to citizens, institutions and brands alike that feminism is a concern that is gaining in relevance. Thus, advertisers and agencies have carried out actions to change the image with which, traditionally, this industry dresses women. Pirelli has been one of the protagonists of this change, leaving behind the traditional sexist (and objectified) vision of women that characterised its calendars, for a project where, in the words of the photographer Albert Watson and collected in an article of MarketingDirecto.comThe book, which analyses women, proposes "a positive vision of today's women" that focuses on their stories rather than their bodies.
Another example is the campaign #VocesEnIgualdad carried out by the Tango Agency, together with the National Confederation of Women in Equality and the Association of Men for Gender Equality (AHIGE), where it wanted to start a public conversation on the subject in order to point out and denounce one of the most discreet ways in which gender stereotypes are evidenced and perpetuated.
But the role of women (fortunately) is not the only one that is being called into question. Toy manufacturers, supermarkets, cleaning products... more and more advertisers are taking a more proactive approach to the role of women. dismantling stereotypes. With the campaign '#JugandoIguales' '#JugandoIguales' (#JugandoIguales)Hasbro is breaking with gender stereotypes in children's toys, joining other brands that are committed to diversity in advertising, such as The Three Witches, Uber and Lynx.
While some advertisers link their actions to current events and their brand purpose, others connect with consumers by starting new conversations. This is the case of IKEA or Ruavieja, which, on the occasion of Christmas, showcase the influence of social networks and the digital hyperconnection of consumers to remember the magic of reconnecting with the family. Under the slogan of '#DisconnectToConnect'. o We have to see each other'. The aim is to open the public's eyes to the fact that, in this digitalised society, the most important thing is human, emotional and family relationships.
And following this willingness of brands to put the consumer at the centre, we find another of the big trends of 2018: giving consumers a voice. The latest company to implement it was Yoigo when, last November, presented 'I think, therefore I act'. "a web platform with its own content whose aim is to give voice and visibility to people who take the initiative to open new paths that lead us to a better, more accessible, fairer and more humane world".
All these trends are part of brand strategies that are committed to transmitting a powerful message, with social impact, that connects with the public through content and experiences based on emotion.
Marta Gallardo
Consultant at Proa Comunicación