§New Trends in Marketing Communications and Event Management 2020

The outcome of our first digital event on the Zeen platform.

Many events are now going digital: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia, Vogue Korea Digital Fashion Week, Burning Man as well as professional conferences, business forums, and many others are already held in online.

Recently in collaboration with Toola Digital studio, we have presented our platform for integrated digital events and held a first digital event, where Event marketing experts and brand representatives answered the most pressing questions and discussed further trends and prospects of events and communications market.

The key task of our platform Zeen was to work on the involvement of guests.

Almost 1,000 people attended Drink&Talks at the same time. 95% of the participants were directly involved in the event through interaction with content and other interactive mechanics: opinion polls and votes, discussions, communication with speakers, participation in draws and access to additional content.

Thanks to this, people did not just watch, but were involved in the online event.

Trend 1. The boom of online services

Online services are everywhere, they greatly simplify our lives and provide us with new opportunities. Everyone is moving online: sports training, food delivery, education, remote work, online events, and many others.

But talking about events, then a webinar instead of an event or an online party instead of going to a bar is not exactly a real, it’s a simulator. So, the most important thing here is involvement.

Trend 2. Social Responsibility

Fashion brands launch the production of masks and antiseptics, online cinemas, and educational projects give free access to their services. The companies also help each other out, one of the striking examples is the Russian retail chain “Magnit”, which is ready to hire people from fast food and drink venues that have been closed for an indefinite time.

In addition to caring for society, there is also a minus that is the big losses that not every company can afford. On the other hand, social responsibility is the long game that will help your brand win the hearts of many and already now gather a large audience that will further bring you profit.

Trend 3. The shortage of events

Recently, a large number of small and large events have been canceled, from private events to large-scale business forums and conferences. Despite everyone talking about the importance of digital, it is now that people have realized the importance of offline and lively communication.

The scarcity of events creates a rush of demand. The shortage of events is the best advertisement. By now, we all realize how important events are in our lives. This is a huge advertisement for future offline events, but on the other hand, we are already looking for substitutes. Can these substitutes fulfill all expectations?

Trend 4. Dispersion competition

The economic situation leads us to an influx of freelance teams, which are a huge competitor to brand agencies. In recent years, many agencies have created their brand and market image. Thanks to them, small studios can easily participate in tenders and carry out large-scale projects, but we will never know how much they were involved in the project.

Trend 5. Postponement

Of course, not all events are completely canceled, it is more profitable to postpone them for the summer and autumn. However, the flip side of the postponement is that everyone will be “torn to pieces” and there will not be so many free contractors and locations left, we must take long views to prevent force majeure.

Imagine the first day after quarantine when you can hold your event. Is everything ready for you? If not — we don’t envy you.

Put yourself in the place of your audience: in half of the shake people will have the opportunity to attend all the events, they will have a lot of choices. Therefore, a competent PR campaign for the event is also important here.

Trend 6. Lifestyle marketing

Inside the main products of Russian companies such as Tinkoff and Yandex, there are a large number of additional services: restaurant booking, taxi ordering, air tickets, and entertainment — all life in one ecosystem. It’s not enough to promote only the product, leading companies and brands are creating a lifestyle around them.

The problem lies in mass communication — brands make people adjust to their lifestyle, so most of the audience drops out. Previously, brands tried to adapt to each client, but now they offer a kind of lifestyle frame where they place the client.

Trend 7. Go beyond

Events no longer surprise us — we already know in advance what to expect. But at the same time, in each brief for the event, the client wants to cause a wow-effect, high outreach, and surprise their consumers.

A striking example of moving beyond is the presentation of the new Audi Q3. People thought that the presentation would be as premium and pathos as possible, but it was made in the format of a hypnotic circus.

Or another example is the presentation of the Porsche Taycan. There is no premium, black ceilings, and immersive show, but the online event held simultaneously in three countries of the world.

You need to turn the game around and change the rules, create a new Tone of Voice.

Trend 8. Keep it simple

How to come up with a cool concept? Make it easy!

If you take a look at the slogans of brands that are used in most cases — they all sound beautiful, but it is not always clear what they want to say. To understand you often need to dig into the history of the company, and only then we will catch what is at stake. They seem to be milk-and-water, as they can fit any product or brand, which is why identity is lost.

We live in the days of Instagram and TikTok. We do not want to think and look for a deep meaning — we need everything here and now. Brands have just a few seconds to сatch the viewer with their slogan and hold their attention. Express your thoughts as simply as possible, so that a person immediately perceives your message and understands what is at stake.

Trend 9. Gamification and merchandise

All the lives we play games and many do not even notice it.

Gamification is already present at the summer festival integrations and entertainment events, so why not apply it to all types of events? This is an additional motivation: in addition to obtaining useful information, you are also involved in the game. The game is exciting, people like to compete. However, do not forget that the topic of gamification itself should find a response among your target audience.

What types of gamification can be?

• Easter eggs
• Quests
• Installations
• QR codes
• Quiz
• Questions to speakers

We’re done playing — and what do they get in return? Merch is a simple solution that makes absolutely anyone ambassador of your brand.

The rules of good merchandise:

• Nativeness — avoid large logos
• Style — it should be relevant
• Practicality — it should be necessary for people. Raincoat in case of rain at an open-air festival or a warm jacket at an event in the Alps.

If you successfully integrate your merch, your audience will not throw this thing away but will leave it and associate it with your brand.

So, these were the main trends that we highlighted. What is your opinion about them? Tell us if you have any predictions and suggestions on how communications will develop in these rapidly changing times.