2023 Digital Trends

Lunch & Learn
Digital Trends in 2023
By Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
www.futuresoft-ng.com

1. The evolution of Digital Marketing
2. Brand Strategy is taking centre stage
3. Data Driven Strategies aren’t just nice to haves
4. Metaverse, Mixed Reality & Web3 - here to stay
5. Technology & Digital Transformation Trends
6. What’s Next?
Overview

1. The evolution of Digital
Marketing
Digital Trends, AI in Marketing, Consumer
engagement and SEO

Digital Marketing Trends
Digital Marketing is still leading marketing and that won’t change
anytime soon….
● Social Media Marketing is not going anywhere, brands must invest
across various channels to address cross-generational audiences.
Tik tok is where GenZ plays and brands need to figure out their
playbook to engage
● Influencer Marketing and Content Creator partnerships will be a
must have in 2023. Brands cannot rely on the content they create
by themselves
● Customer retention will become more important that customer
acquisition. In a recession year, brands must reduce CAC and
invest in retention, cross sell and upsell strategies to drive
entrenchment.
● AI and web3 will continue to disrupt and shift Digital Marketing in
2023
The evolution of Digital Marketing

ChatGPT and other AI Solutions turning Content inside out
ChatGPT is leading the wave of AI-content creation tools.
● AI Content Creation tools have the potential to both help and
potentially, challenge freelancers and agencies. They will also
likely cause a content saturation, which will lead to it becoming
more and more difficult to position high quality content.
● AI Design tools like Dall E are revolutionizing and disrupting design
and may lead to more deep fakes
● AI in social media is already changing algorithms and driving sales
and marketing content delivery
● Other AI driven technologies: Other than ChatGPT and other AI
tools across marketing we are going to continue to see the rise of
AI in risk management & compliance, language processings and
translation etc.

Engaging your consumers
Whether we are talking about content creation, content formats or ads,
consumer engagement needs to be personalised and strategic in 2023:
Community Content:
● Consumers are 2.4X more likely to trust user-generated content
compared to content created by brands. User Generated Content
(UGC) and content by creators and influencer is taking centre stage
and becoming more and more important in attracting, engaging and
converting potential customers.
Video
● LiveStreams - BTS content to humanise the brand, real time
engagement, AMA sessions → live video is going to become the
primary engagement medium in 2023
Click to message ads & Conversational marketing
● We are seeing the rise of click to message ads that allow consumers
ask relevant questions and engage with a chat bot or human
customer service staff directly. Conversional marketing is where the
conversion happens.

SEO is evolving
We saw SEO shift to become more human centric than algorithm
centric in 2022 and in 2023 we will see further changes to search:
● Search is evolving:
○ Search intent and relevance of content are key: Search
engines try to understand the reason behind search queries
and categorises them based on intent (e.g. informational
query, navigational query, transactional query or commercial
investigation query) and measure relevance of content
○ ChatGPT is a new kid on the block in search - and will surely
disrupt search engines in 2023
● SEO is changing:
○ Backlinks are taking a backseat, long tail keywords are here
for the win and page load speed is becoming more
important than ever - brands will need to invest in website
optimisation and regular audits to stay winning.
○ Schema and other on-site optimisation techniques are no
longer nice to haves

Key Takeaways
● Digital Marketing is going through a shift driven by AI, Automation,
Personalisation, Web3, Data and MarTech.
● Ensure that you understand the search intent of your target
audience and develop relevant content in line with it
● Brands must leverage community content at scale through
influencer and content creator partnerships
● ChatGPT has Big Tech especially Search Engine Giants shaking in
their boots - watch this space to see how AI disrupts existing
business models and how policy and regulation tries to balance
out market domination.
● Conversational marketing and search are evolving and require
high levels of personalisation and adoption to local context and
realities.

2. Brand Strategy taking
centre stage
Brand marketing is evolving: Purpose,
strategic ESG integration, a seat at the
table are critical

Leading with Purpose
● In 2023 more brands will be driven by Purpose, Values, Mission,
Vision and align their brands with chosen Sustainability / ESG pillars
● Product and service are no longer the exclusive focus of the
business relationship
○ Your Brand: Brand identity and brand personality matter
○ Your Values: Alignment on values and thought is important
○ Consumer Involvement: More than just purchase-centric
relationships: Consumers want to be part of the decision
making and not just consume
○ Agility: Ever changing consumer habits demand innovation
and testing using an agile approach in 2023
○ Community: Consumers want to belong to a community and
get added value by making a purchase
○ Doing Good: Consumers want to know how your brand
contributes to a better world
Brand Strategy taking centre stage

ESG Brand Integration
With ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) on the
rise, stakeholder management is no longer about consumer and
shareholder communication alone and CEOs are being challenged to
engage and give the brand a face and more importantly a voice.
● Stakeholder mapping and stakeholder engagement strategies are
no longer a nice to have
● Messaging is key: Every brand should have Messaging Pillars to
shape their communication and narrative at the executive level
● Executive Profiling: Communications departments need to focus
on strategically positioning CEOs and C-level executives for
meaningful engagement with the various stakeholder groups →
executive profiling strategies are key for any brand that wants to
win when it comes to PR, Community & Stakeholder Engagement
as well as thought leadership

Brand Strategy & Marketing must have a seat at the
table
The Board must be involved
● Brand Strategy must be aligned to the business goals of an
organisation to ensure prioritisation.
● There must be Board level oversight from a strategy & risk
perspective → Brand Marketing should have a seat at the table
and get good visibility at board level for effective oversight
● A Governance Framework must be in place to ensure
effectiveness of brand marketing
Brand Marketing is part of your Business Strategy
● Brand Marketing is an integral part of every business strategy in
2023
● Brand Marketing must be treated as a strategic investment and
not as a cost centre in 2023
● The focus on Data Driven Decision Making & Tracking the right
metrics for performance is imperative

Key Takeaways
● Brand Strategy takes centre stage and drives all marketing
activities in 2023
● The current marketing landscape demands innovation and testing
→ develop an agile approach to marketing in 2023
● The focus on Data Driven Decision Making, Tracking the right
metrics for performance is imperative
● ESG will become an integral part of brand strategy and will shape
the way brands communicate
● Brand Strategy needs to have a seat at the table and
organisations need to rethink brand strategy and marketing
reporting lines and governance structures as well as the role of
data

3. Data Driven Strategies
aren’t just nice to haves
Personalisation & Data Storytelling, Data
Analytics, Insights, ESG,

Personalisation & Data Narratives
Data Plays a big role in knowing your customer. In 2023 it’s out with the
generic and in with segmentation and personalisation
Personalisation no longer optional:
● The more skillful a business is at applying data to increase
consumer knowledge and connection, the greater the ROI.
Research shows that companies that excel at personalization
generate 40% more revenue than those that don’t
● Personalisation can be built on name recognition, location-based
recommendations or messages based on preferences.
Understand your Data Narrative & tell a story
● Brands must develop data narratives (a written summary of a set
of data that draws conclusions and makes comparisons to explain
the meaning of the data in detail) that resonate and tell stories
with their data
● Using a mix of narratives and visualizations allows businesses to put
their performance into context and help execs and board
members make informed strategic decisions
Data Driven Strategies aren’t just nice to haves

Data, Data, Data - what about the Insights
90% of the world’s data was created in the last 2 years and brands are
struggling with platform silos, lack of insights and data dumps that
haven’t been analysed or segmented and remain meaningless.
Unified Data Views:
● Businesses must create unified data views and dashboards that
assist execs and board members with data driven decision making
and heightened risk oversight
Build a Data Culture
● Companies that embrace data culture will see the biggest ROI
Self-Service Analytics & Insights
● Self-service access to analytical data will become important and
will be spurred by a higher demand of business units needing
data, analytics and insights to optimise product development,
deliver exceptional customer experience and manage the overall
risk appetite

Data will enable successful ESG efforts
Robust ESG data is key - You can’t manage what you can’t measure
● Data is not only able to unlock and drive ESG strategies, but is
going to be integral to successful ESG efforts in 2023
● Data will continue to enhance how organizations deliver services /
products and will also serve as a means to help mitigate ESG
related risk factors
● Global standards will drive ESG reporting and data formats
● Businesses will use data to measure and track ESG efforts using ESG
analytics platforms and dashboards that enhance ESG reporting
across the organisation

Key Takeaways
● Data plays a key role in engaging optimally with customers
● Personalisation must be integrated at relevant customer
touchpoints to deliver value.
● Tracking the right metrics are key - board members and execs
need to understand what metrics to track based on their
organisational goals and growth plans.
● ESG data can give you a huge advantage in developing and
tweaking your business strategy, driving consumer education and
entrenchment as well as contributing to a better world.
● Data meets storytelling as brands develop robust data narratives
to support visualisation of their data
● Data is driven by people, people are only as good as your culture
and your L&D strategy - it’s time to invest

4. Metaverse, Mixed
Reality & Web3 - here to
stay
XR (AR & VR) - Immersive Reality, The
Metaverse (Web3.0, Crypto, NFTs)

XR (AR & VR) - Immersive Reality
As generational marketing becomes more relevant, so does immersive
reality - Neo Consumers are influenced by interactive digital TV and
immersive reality - a reality where technology enables the replication
of the human senses in simulated spaces.
● Commerce will be completely disrupted by immersive reality
● AR and VR (mixed reality) are becoming a core part of the
customer experience as well as institutional learning and
development and are emerging fully integrated into social media
through avatars,
● Gamifying the in-store experience with social apps will redefine
retail commerce in the coming years → campaigns need to be
true to your brand identity and also resonate with your audience,
providing them with some value and not just focus on selling.
Metaverse, Mixed Reality & Web3 - here to stay

The Metaverse (Web3.0, Crypto, NFTs)
The Metaverse has gone mainstream and a huge shift is happening,
which will impact your Digital strategy in many ways.
● Especially retail and luxury brands are quickly finding their place in
the Metaverse and are finding ways to connect with Consumer 5.0
and any other early adopters
● Ethereum is going to drive and develop the App store of the future
● NFTs are not just digital art, but are playing a huge role for brands
when it comes to loyalty rewards in retail or for exclusivity in the
luxury segment
● There is a growing talent shortage around Web 3.0
● Big Tech is driving the Metaverse with internal projects and
initiatives that will drive mainstream adoption in the coming years
● Brands need to invest in a Metaverse strategy in 2023

Key Takeaways
● Invest in mixed reality experiences especially if Consumer 5.0 is the
next frontier
● Invest in developing expertise in everything Metaverse
● Invest in creating a Metaverse strategy
● Invest in talent development and acquisition to ensure you have
the right skills required to build mixed reality experiences
● Involve your consumers and build experiences with their feedback
- agile and rapid prototyping will always be your friends
● Web3 requires a content strategy that isn’t the same as what you
are using for Web2
● The Crypto winter won’t last forever - the winners are building now

5. Technology & Digital
Transformation Trends
Information Architecture, Automation,
Optimisation, Strategy and Agility will drive
Digital Transformation across African
Enterprises

2023 Technology & Digital Transformation Trends in Africa
We are seeing African organisations embrace Digital Transformation
and the focus is slowly shifting from standalone IT projects to a more
holistic approach that cuts across Information Architecture,
Automation and Optimisation as well as Strategy Development and
Implementation.
● Information Architecture: Key areas that will be affected are
Cloud infrastructure (Hybrid and Mixed Cloud), Microservices to
drive sustainability and the emergence of more and more Super
Apps, Platform business models and API Marketplaces.
● Automation: We are seeing Robot Process Automation across
internal processes and customer experience, integration of robust
and very strategic MarTech stacks, AI and Machine Learning.
● Optimisation: From internal process optimisation to CX
Optimisation African brands must invest in continuous optimisation
of their Digital Processes.
Technology & Digital Transformation Trends

2023 Technology & Digital Transformation Trends in Africa
We are seeing African organisations embrace Digital Transformation
and the focus is slowly shifting from standalone IT projects to a more
holistic approach that cuts across Information Architecture,
Automation and Optimisation as well as Strategy Development and
Implementation.
● Strategy: IT Consulting Services such as Digital Strategy, Audits,
Digital Transformation Strategies are on the rise, while Data
Strategy (Turning Data into insights Data Driven decision making)
and Cybersecurity Strategy are not left out.
● Agile: Rapid Prototyping and Brand Sprints are a new way to
quickly design, test and iterate concepts before going to market.
Brands must embrace these methodologies to stay winning.

2023 Sectors to watch out for
● Sustainability - Sustainable Technology - ESG compliance and ESG
integration into business
● Financial Services / Defi
● Healthcare - 3D printing, gene editing
● Manufacturing - AI, Big Data
● Marketing - CX, Automation, AI
● Energy and Utilities - EVs, Tokenized distribution, decentralised
energy grids
● Education - AR & VR - Mixed reality
● Farming and Agriculture - AI, Big Data

Key Takeaways
● Digital Transformation is no longer optional and every organisation
that wants to be around in the nex 5 years should have one
● Information Architecture, Automation, Optimisation, Strategy and
Agility will drive Digital Transformation across African Enterprises
● Global interconnectedness means reviewing processes, supply
chain transparency, ESG compliance, Talent and overall Digital
Strategy.
● Almost all sectors will see significant technology driven growth.
● African governments must create enabling environments and
policies that encourage active Digital Transformation
● Executives need to upskill / reskill and every board should have a
Digital / Technology professional on board.

What’s Next?
2023 is here…how is Digital going to shape
your brand?

2023 is here…how is Digital going to shape your brand?
- Have you audited your Brand / Technology Stack?
- Do you have a Brand Strategy / Digital Strategy?
- Is your brand strategy / Digital Strategy part of your organisational
fabric / DNA?
- Do you know what your biggest challenges are and how to solve
them?
- Do you have clarity on your stakeholders, integrating ESG or DEI
into our brand strategy and optimising your overall customer
experience and internal processes?
- How are you using data, what can you automate and how do
humanise your brand and communication?
- Does your branding team, marketing team, tech team, board and
management have the right skills and knowledge?
What’s Next?

Let us be your Brand
Strategy Partner…
● Brand / Digital Transformation Audit
● Brand / Digital Strategy
● Brand Optimization
● Brand Sprints
● Integrated Marketing Communications
● Digital Marketing
● Corporate Branding
● Go-to Market Strategy
● Executive Training
Email us on: projects@futuresoft-ng.com

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2023 Digital Trends

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