An exciting year of authentic connection with consumers awaits us

As we move into the new year, businesses that are attentive to trends in marketing and consumer behaviour will be able to recognise the importance of authentic connections, and the role it can play in achieving greater success and improved customer interactions.

With more apps and services still to come, do keep an eye on these five trends in 2017.

1. Authentically mobile experience
The smash-hit smartphone game Pokémon GO and the car-hailing app Uber both have elements of mobile authenticity that make them harbingers of what is to come. Both apps jump at the "in-the-moment" property of mobile and leverage location-based technology to provide a seamless mobile experience, which is only possible with a mobile phone.

While AR and VR have become viable mainstream marketing tools, a trend expected to continue in 2017, brands need to formulate authentically mobile branded experiences to wow their patrons.

2. Personalised content
It’s known that personally relevant content can increase the likelihood of purchase, but to deliver a truly personalised message, brands will start using machine learning capabilities to understand customer product preferences based on purchase history.

Also, marketers can improve A/B testing techniques via machine learning; it takes advantage of the huge amounts of data and hundreds of variables to analyse and identify which campaigns work and which don't.

3. Live streaming video
Social media users are beginning to demand more in-the-moment content, and I believe broadcasting live video will steal the show in 2017. Having amassed more than 2 million likes on Apple Daily’s Facebook page, we are taking the lead in deploying live streaming video to broadcast important news event in real time to engage with audiences to drive stronger growth and viewership.

4. Influencer marketing
This year, we have seen the power of influencer marketing as it can incorporate sponsored content to help brands create and build more authentic connections with consumers effectively.

According to a survey by eMarketer, 48% of marketers said they will boost their influencer marketing budget in the new year. To conquer the social and digital battlegrounds in 2017, I think brands need to leverage more interactive and creative technology such as HTML5, VR or AR in their stories to enhance user experience.

5. Programmatic ad
The marketing industry is on a march toward automation. As programmatic advertising technology continues to become more sophisticated, programmatic advertising is expected to skyrocket with a 31% growth in 2017, faster than all other digital channels, according to Zenith’s Programmatic Marketing Forecasts. It is likely that we'll see more premium inventory sources offered by publishers with targeting data, which enables advertisers to target audience segments most likely to be interested in what they’re selling.

By Mo Chung, Vice president - sales of Apple Daily and Next Mobile