Manila, 19 October 2021 – Talkwalker, the #1 consumer intelligence company, and HubSpot, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform for scaling companies, have published their latest Social Media Trends Report in 7 languages, tailored for markets worldwide. 

The pandemic has accelerated The Age of the Consumer, and for brands to survive, they need to anticipate and respond to consumer demands. The current global situation is challenging but also offers opportunities for certain companies to get ahead. The top trends and consumer insights included in this report will help marketers and top global brands plan successful strategies for 2022. 

Trends include: 

  • How TikTok will take over social media, leaving other platforms to adapt.
  • Why brand inclusivity will be brand critical. 
  • How metaverses will be the next consumer connection. 

“Consumers have taken control, with more demands, more urgency, more unpredictability. They’re driving this year’s trends, but we’re giving brands the power to take back control. By revealing the trends for 2022 using accelerated consumer  intelligence, and inspiring actions, Talkwalker is enabling brands to drive business value next  year, and beyond.” 

Elena Melnikova, Talkwalker CMO

“The tumultuous events of the last 18 months have created widespread uncertainty for marketers across all industries. Although we have started to see the light at the end of the tunnel with some of the biggest brands showing signs of recovery from the impact of the pandemic, knowing the trends most likely to define the coming year is one of the best ways marketing leaders can combat the ongoing unpredictability and set their teams up for success in 2022. 

Susanne Ronqvist  Ahmadi, VP of international marketing at HubSpot

Hear about the trends from some of our regional experts… 

As the first non-Facebook app to reach 3 billion global downloads, TikTok’s influence, especially on Gen Z and Millennial consumers, has become hard for brands to ignore. In the Philippines, brands are rapidly adopting TikTok to keep their audience engaged during the pandemic,  moving from ads to more direct forms of consumer engagement. 

“We believe that businesses of all sizes deserve to be  discovered, and we empower brands to grow through creative content and storytelling.  Today’s consumers are increasingly tech-savvy and place a premium on keeping up with  the latest trends. They are also looking for short, fun, snackable content on the go.  Combine these two forces and it becomes increasingly difficult for brands to compete for  user attention, especially with ads – because people have told us time and time again,  they don’t like ads.” 

Shant Oknayan, General Manager, Global Business Solutions (Middle East, Africa,  Turkey and Pakistan)

Brand inclusivity will be critical. Companies can no longer create their products or services and  stay on the sidelines of topics that matter to their audience: 

“Responsibility. Platforms will own up to and address issues around content and  harassment in the face of increasing regulation. And brands will need to drop ‘purpose  marketing’ to show they can do the right, responsible thing by their users and employees,”  Head of Brand & Creative Marketing at Google for SEA & India Samit Malkani said. 

Samit Malkani, Head of Brand & Creative Marketing, Google, SEA & India

“A platform that embraces diversity, TikTok encourages  users to project images of themselves without thinking too much about complying with  certain standards. Anyone can be a creator or a trendsetter. With this democratisation,  content becomes more hyperlocal and thrives on being ‘receh’ as the Indonesians would  say – where content that is humorous, irreverent, snackable.”

Cassandra Tan, Director of Insights & Analytics at Universal Music Group,  Southeast Asia and Korea

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