The document outlines 10 digital marketing trends predicted for 2019, including the wider adoption of augmented and virtual reality technologies, the continued dominance of video content online, efforts to curb fake reviews, brands becoming more socially and environmentally conscious, challenges of the changing Facebook algorithm, the rise of voice searches, more brands using augmented reality in marketing, improved human-like interactions from AI assistants, addressing customer complaints through social media, and advances in conversational chatbots.

1. Digital marketing
Trends 2019
Orbital Media is a registered trade mark of Orbital Media and Advertising Ltd. Trade mark number: UK00003191130.

2. Hello! WELCOME TO OUR SLIDESHOW
Welcome to our annual digital marketing predictions for the year ahead.
These ten trends are set to permeate the digital sphere in 2019.
Why we predict these trends
We are a digital marketing and technology innovation agency, and we operate across over forty
international territories. It is our job, and our responsibility, to keep looking ahead – for the
benefit of our clients – and apply these findings to our marketing strategies.
This slide show encompasses but a chapter, in the vast volumes of novels that could be
written about digital facts, findings and theories. If these trends pique your interest (or if
perhaps, you think we have missed something out!), then get in touch with us.
We would love to have you over for a appointment, as we believe that we really help brands
grow. Biscuits may be provided.

3. In 2019, this means that brands will be more
likely to take the plunge, and incorporate
these immersive technologies into their
marketing strategies. 75% of major brands
have already used it.
1. AR AND VR widely adopted
Over the past year, technologies using
augmented reality (AR) and virtual
reality (VR), have become not only more
“user-friendly”, but less expensive to
develop.
Up to 88% of mid-market companies are
planning to use some form of AR in their
marketing.

4. Videos and content that use VR draw a
higher emotional response than their 2D
counterparts, and consumers nowadays
are far more likely to watch a video
online, than read a blog. The challenge for
brands now, is to work out how to use VR
to their advantage - and even monetise it.
Still not convinced?
1. AR AND VR widely adopted
Whilst 2018 has seen the AR/VR
industry grow to an estimated value of
$15.32bn, by 2021 it will be worth a
whopping $74.82bn! (source:
Greenlight Insights)

5. 2. Video content dominates the internet
In the internet age, retaining attention from
consumers has become one of the biggest
challenges that digital marketers face. This
means that the most popular form of content
will always take precedent. Currently
speaking, this form of content is video.
53% of mobile site visitors will leave
a page that takes longer than 3
seconds to load.
Video content is projected to claim more
than 80% of ALL web traffic by 2019.

6. 2. Video content dominates the internet
Originality and interactivity are both key factors
here – a picture slideshow simply won’t do it;
consumers want to watch videos that are
engaging, interesting and interactive (with 360
videos being the most obvious example of this).
Videos are so well-regarded, that a single minute
of video content has been compared to having
the equivalent value of 1.8 million words(!).
64% of customers are more likely to
buy a product online after watching a
video about it.
In 2019, we predict that the remaining
online marketers who do not incorporate
video content into their digital marketing
strategies, will join the 87% of online
marketers who already do.

7. 3. Fake reviews become fake news
Try Googling ‘Buy Reviews’ and you are hit
with hundreds of opportunities to do so,
which of course questions the validity of any
review that’s read online.
We can all agree that fake reviews are bad
news. Honesty is a valued commodity, so how
can we stop this degradation of such an
important purchase factor?
Consumers have come to rely heavily
on existing consumer reviews of
products and services, as a more
reliable indicator of their quality than
advertising.

8. “Review brushing” is now big business
– this is the process whereby reviews
deemed to be fake are sieved out, and
removed.
3. Fake reviews become fake news
Businesses are certainly becoming more astute,
and measures such as checking the reviewer’s IP
address against the product/service location, and
accepting reviews from verified purchasers only,
are good places to start.
Fakespot, an online service that analyses reviews
and checks their validity, has analysed two
million reviews so far (as of August 2018).
With online review sites potentially influencing up
to £23 billion of annual UK consumer spending,
review brushing is only going to become more of a
common practice, with many more algorithmic
businesses entering the market. This has strong
support from the likes of Google, Amazon and
eBay.

9. Fans of Mr. Robot will be well aware of E Corp, the
gargantuan conglomerate that’s severely lacking
in good ethics. It stands as a metaphor on
corporate culture as a whole - specifically the
public’s perception being that big businesses
tend not to ‘care’ about matters of a
humanitarian nature.
Whether this is true or not, consumers have
certainly become more aware of the
environmental, economic, and societal impacts
that businesses can have - regardless of their
size or income. To many, slowing consumerism
and improving education, are starting to be
recognised as the only solutions to the world’s
growing problems.
4. Brands become more morally aware
The next few years will see sustainably
produced products become even more
important to the average consumer.

10. For example, look at the backlash that conditions
for animals in the dairy farming industry have
caused. Boycotting palm oil is near-on
impossible – yet still, people are trying to do it
anyway, due to the destruction that sourcing
palm oil brings to the world’s rainforests. Viral
video footage of oceans filled with tonnes of
plastic, are causing a worldwide wake-up call,
and consumers are lobbying manufacturers to
seek alternatives. Social media is leading the
environmental charge here, and will continue to
do so.
Of course, these are all extreme, colossal
examples. But they serve as an important
prelude.
4. Brands become more morally aware
Honest, greener brands may not have won the
battle, but they could still win the war.
In 2019, honesty and altruism will continue
to be held in high regard, by consumers
everywhere.

11. Naturally, social media marketers panicked.
Although it hasn’t been as catastrophic as
originally envisaged, reach (both paid and
organic) is becoming increasingly difficult to
attain.
5. Facebook feed becomes more personal
Brands will have to get even more
creative if they are to “beat the
algorithm”, and gain some valuable
seconds of consumer attention.
In early 2018, Mark Zuckerberg announced
that Facebook would return to its original
purpose, and adjust its algorithm so that
users would see more news, posts, and
“meaningful conversations” from their
friends and family, over commercial
content.

12. In 2019, expect to see more innovative,
and perhaps more unusual, styles of
content (which, of course, all hope to
provoke “meaningful conversation”) on
your Facebook Timelines...
5. Facebook feed becomes more personal
Marketers will need to ensure that content is
far more shareable, in order to benefit from
highly prized peer to peer network referral -
with video being the big winner of course.

13. Siri, Alexa, Cortana. The busiest personal
assistants in the world by a long, long way. In
the last few years, usage of AI assistants has
exploded, and conducting online voice
searches has become less of a novelty, and
more of a commodity.
6. ‘Voice’ dominates ‘type’ in search
2019 will see over sixty-seven million
devices with voice search technology, in
homes and workplaces around the US
alone.
In fact, it has been predicted that by 2020,
over 50% of all online searches will be
carried out via a conversation with an AI
assistant like Siri.

14. The average consumer will use this
technology to source facts, find suppliers,
plan their meals, book appointments, set
themselves reminders and even book the
weekly shop. Therefore, brands will need to
adjust their keyword strategies, in order to
better align to this voice search revolution.
What’s more, audio advertisements will
become more common. Google are already in
on the action, and are selling audio ads as
part of their wider ad buying services.
6. ‘Voice’ dominates ‘type’ in search
Audio ads generated $1.6 billion of
revenue in the US in 2017. That was a
39% increase from 2016. In 2019,
expect the figure to skyrocket.

15. Pokémon Go has since paved the way for
other games to use similar geo-centric
technology, with many brands waking up to
the realisation of the true potential of AR.
7. AR becomes reality for many brands
Marketing incorporated with gaming, is
arguably one of the most powerful
forms of branded engagement, and in
2019, many more consumer brands will
be embracing it.
In 2016, Pokémon Go made history. The
gaming app made $500 million faster
than any other gaming app to date. Six
months after it was released, the wildly
popular game had made $1 billion in
revenue.

16. Car giant Audi have already released a
television advertisement that, upon
recognition from a smartphone, releases a car
from the TV, into the user’s living room. Pretty
cool, right? Although its not necessarily a
game, it’s an amazing use of AR, and has set
the bar… well, quite high for forward-thinking
marketers.
7. AR becomes reality for many brands
The AR gaming market alone is set to be
worth $280 billion by 2023. Stay
tuned...

17. Of course, when humans are speaking to a
robot (we’ve all had those calls), it’s blatantly
obvious after a few seconds that there’s no
human on the end of the phone - robots
aren’t exactly known for their warmth, or their
conversational flair.
However, in Duplex’s case, the person on the
other end of the phone call will be far more
likely convinced they ARE indeed talking to a
real person (called ’Bob’, who can hold a very
natural conversation!).
8. Are you really human?
Earlier this year, Google announced a new
feature for its virtual assistant, called
Duplex. Duplex is designed to make phone
calls on behalf of a human.

18. Due to this, Duplex has been “taught” how to
speak in a more humanlike style. Fillers such
as “like” and “erm” have all been learned, and
natural pauses are also incorporated into the
technology.
Of course, linguists will (rightly) argue that
language is far more difficult to replicate than
just adding in a couple of filler words every
now and then. However, this is just the start.
8. Are you really human?
In 2019, AI assistants and robots will
become much more adept in their
human interactions, and linguistic
tendencies and habits will begin to
replace the concrete precision of
machines.

19. The same survey established that when a
consumer interacts with a brand through social
media, their motive is usually fueled by the need
to make a complaint.
9. Got complaints? You can rely on social
in 2019!
In 2017, it was reported that 36% of
consumers would use social media to
make a complaint about a product or
service.
61% of respondents said that their primary
reason for engagement was to make a
complaint.
This shift in habits may be good news for call centre
workers, but brands need to be aware that in 2019
and beyond, their customers would like help - and
even a resolution - through their social channels...
And quickly!

20. Customer service via social channels is
recognised as a major differentiating factor
for brands, with a consumer expectation that
complaints will be dealt with within minutes.
Are pre-written responses enough to quash
consumer complaints? In 2019, we will surely
find out.
As social media has become a
facilitator of sales, it must also become
a facilitator of customer service, and it
has been reported that over a third of
customers would consider switching
companies after even one, solitary,
negative experience.
9. Got complaints? You can rely on social
in 2019!

21. By 2020, more than 75% of businesses
will make use of A.I. Chatbots.
10. Chatbots make sales as you sleep
Whilst chatbots are not new, up until now
they’ve been a tad lacklustre, offering
repetitiveness and little value to the
information seeker. However, 2019 will see a
number of new, advanced players entering
the market and integrating with social
networks more effectively, allowing you to
simply input your most relevant automated
responses to FAQs, and leave your bot to do
the hard work.

22. They will also learn from what we ask of them,
and refine their answers accordingly. Whilst we
have no preference to the chatbots currently
available, Zendesk Answer Bot and Bold360 A.I.
both seem to be getting a lot of attention right
now. Apologies for the shameless plug, but we
(Orbital) will be launching our own advanced,
machine learning chatbot in Q3 2019, which has
been designed as a dedicated customer service Q
& A tool.
This enhanced, ‘human feel’, chatbot interaction
will only benefit your sales pipeline, as you
efficiently address your consumer’s questions
and concerns, before they have a chance to find
another supplier who is prepared to stay up all
night waiting for the next question.
10. Chatbots make sales as you sleep
These bots will sound and feel very
human, right down to the speed that
they type.

23. Get in touch!
Contact:
Hayden Allen-Vercoe (COO)
Our web address:
www.orbitalmedia.com
Our number:
+44 0203 411 9111 (ext: 901)