by Danielle Yuthas, Vice President of Marketing at SpeedPro
2021 brings a lot of opportunities for brands to shape how they are communicating with their audiences. With visuals serving as a critical component of one’s message, here are the emerging trends your business should look to capitalize on this coming year.
1. Instagram Appeal.
Brands with visually appealing, unique design features are 10x more likely to be promoted on social media.
Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube – every social media channel saw engagement and time spent on the platform swell in 2020 and the user habits will carry into 2021 and forward. Influencers and those promoting your brand by word of mouth over social media are the most cost-effective way to create buzz.
2. Optimism.
Spaces where we all work, live, shop and play impact our mental state. Everyone can use a boost of positivity.
Bright, open and welcoming retail and workspaces signal a return to the new normal that inspires everyone who comes through the door to keep moving forward and gives us hope for the future of our work, play and shopping habits.
3. Touchless Smart Signage.
Deliver information and advertising through the user’s phone. No app required.
Everyone is anxious to get back to favorite activities and be around more people but still without touching anything. Consumers are accustomed to getting information through our phones and refuse to go back to static. Near field communication tags trigger the website, text message, phone call, etc. on phones through proximity of holding the phone to the sign or wall mural without the need for a third-party app or to open the camera on the phone.
4. Dimension.
Make your brand stand out. Literally.
With all of the constant distractions and push notifications, it takes something substantial like a Great. Big. Graphic. or three-dimensional sign to capture fleeting attention spans.
5. Privacy with Panache.
Window films create a new look for ordinary glass.
Whether the glass is for the safety of social distancing or it’s just that corner office window, a decorative or printed film can be applied to the glass to transform the look of your space in a very short and simple process. Think mini facelift.
6. Creative Applications.
Put a new twist on traditional out of home advertising. Wrap any surface.
Out of Home Advertising (OOH) has picked up steam in the era of social distancing because all signage, graphics and visual communication needed to be bigger, seen from farther away and to convey more information. Rethink the traditional OOH and create your own by wrapping practically anything including solar panels, walls, buildings, vehicles, vending machines and more with branded vinyl to gain visibility.
7. Vibrant Color.
Match every brand touch point, anywhere in the country, to your exact brand color.
Getting your exact brand color right every time is important at every touchpoint for every brand and especially for those scattered far and wide, hitting the same color consistently can turn into a headache, but not with SpeedPro’s color-printing precision.
8. Styled Safety.
Floor decals, cut acrylic and signage can be designed into brand assets.
We are way past the early days of “stay-6-feet-apart” tape on the floor. If you have permanent visual cues to communicate, they should be integrated into your space in an aesthetically pleasing and on-brand fashion.
9. Social Responsibility.
Highlight how you give back.
Social responsibility is top-of-mind for many companies as everyone is in the spirit of getting through the rough patches together. When you have a feel-good cause you can rally behind, you should show it.
10. Authenticity.
Prominently display hand-drawn elements, brand vision and what makes your brand unique.
Authenticity is the buzzword of the century. Consumers are tired of fake, tired of cheap– even feeling the fatigue of “luxury.” Individuals are committed to shopping locally and supporting independent business and demand to know who he or she is working with and the value for each dollar. When you take a graphic or brand component that is uniquely you and make it into a wall mural, it is a signal your true colors are showing and consumers appreciate that.
Discover how each of these high-impact tactics can benefit you or your client’s business.
Danielle Yuthas, is Vice President of Marketing at SpeedPro. She is a franchise marketing expert with experience at multiple brands including Ace Hardware, Elements Massage, Fitness Together and FIT36. Danielle earned her Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) credential through the International Franchise Association where she serves as a member of the marketing and technology committee.
