Thoughts by Elizebeth Croeser

What the rise of TikTok means for marketers
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

What the rise of TikTok means for marketers

Social media platform TikTok has become one of the world’s favourites over the last couple of years. If this acceleration feels somewhat sudden to you, you are not entirely wrong. According to CNBC reporting on TikTok, the app had 54 million active monthly users worldwide in January 2018. By August 2020, TikTok’s active monthly users increased to 689 million worldwide. With 2 billion downloads so far, it is fast becoming one of the most downloaded non-gaming apps, according to Jenn Guidry from eclincher.

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Marketing Trends 2021
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

Marketing Trends 2021

If you have crossed the threshold into 2021 with a mixed bag of emotions and expectations, you are not alone. You have had to adapt to major changes and might feel uncertain about which changes will remain, evolve or return to something more familiar. The uncertainties will most likely remain but analysing the changes that have taken place across your industry and consumer segments, might help you navigate the choppy waters.

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What resonates, replicates.
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry Social Media

What resonates, replicates.

Going Viral has become a buzzword, and something brands, influencers, and campaigns often aspire to. And although going viral can generate tremendous interest around your brand or campaign, it can also be for the wrong reasons, as we have seen ample times recently both locally and internationally. Shifting the focus slightly away from going viral and more towards creating what resonates, allows us a less myopic view and moves us more towards long-lasting impact as opposed to a ‘get-rich-quick’ approach.

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Having a Systems Mindset Can Build Your Brand
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

Having a Systems Mindset Can Build Your Brand

2020 has placed our interconnectedness and interdependency under the microscope. What we see under this magnified view is how even the most seemingly minuscule individual actions form part of larger experiences, which in turn creates collective circumstances and, in some cases, global impact – a notion we are all well acquainted with by now. There is an acute awareness of the systems and structures we are a part of, whether by choice or by organisational, societal or political design.

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Re-imagining Storytelling
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

Re-imagining Storytelling

Some of the stories we told ourselves three months ago have had to be rescripted. These days, you are probably writing new stories daily. If you said to yourself that you simply cannot start a new week without that tall latte from your favourite coffee spot on your way to work, well, that story has now likely become one where you are your own barista.

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Marketing During Chaos and Crisis
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

Marketing During Chaos and Crisis

Jeremey Gutsche from Trendhunter describes chaos as a state that presents new opportunities, but that only happens when we get out of a crisis disposition. By the time you read this, South Africa will be within the incremental lifting of a five-week lockdown. This might be different if you find yourself confined in other parts of the continent or the globe.

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So, What’s the Big Deal About Trends?
Elizebeth Croeser
Industry

So, What’s the Big Deal About Trends?

The notion of trends has been around for over a decade but hashtags, famous futurists and trend talks and conferences have gained rapid popularity in the past ten years. So, what’s the big deal? Is it something worth taking notice of or is it just another short-lived sensation equal to one-hit-wonder and overpriced vegan ‘meat’? Moreover, how can brands benefit from practices such as trend research, analysis, forecasting?

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