Advertising in 2015; the year that was

By Darren Gilbert

Then there is Danny de Nobrega. Founder and MD of recently opened agency, Kilmer & Cruise, his optimism couldn’t be higher; “We launched in the middle of this year and we’re feeling that optimism bubbling over up in the market.”

Having said that, it’s still worth having a look at the ad industry and the year that was 2015.

What changed?

There has been some incredible work coming out of South Africa in the past year, points out De Nobrega. At the same time, there have also been a number of changes. For De Nobrega, the biggest of them is with regards to digital.

“We’re approaching that tipping point where we don’t do digital for tech’s sake, or social media for social media’s sake and react to every whim and fad because it’s shiny and new,” he says.

On the other hand, Cherry points to the ability to measure everything; “Campaigns can be steered based on performance as you go, which is a huge plus when it comes to the ROI of a campaign.” This, in turn, bodes well for business.

“In the future, a lot more thought will be put into cutting an advertising budget because its effectiveness is no longer a mystery,” adds Cherry.

What were the trends?

When it comes to trends, it’s difficult to pick, as there have been many. “The biggest trend for me is that people don’t want to just ‘consume content’ from a brand, they want to feel some kind of connection with the values of a brand,” says Cherry.

In their Trends Report for December, NATIVE VML views virtual reality as the next big thing, if it hasn’t already made its mark. “Virtual reality is fast-becoming the best way to have a fully immersive experience and is extending to all corners of the entertainment world.”

As for Kevan Aspoas, CEO of The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town), smartphones have now become part of everyone’s daily lives. “It is now the reality and everyone has a smartphone," says Aspoas, “delivering YouTube, Instagram, and now the price of data (expensive) has become a mass market issue.”

What can we expect in 2016?

This year, though, is almost up, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at 2016. It’s also time to discuss what to expect.

For Cherry, there is an expectation that advertising is going native. “The lines between editorial and advertising are quickly becoming invisible,” he says. “A new age of creativity in advertising is dawning and the old rules no longer apply.”

In their newsletter, Joe Public believes that personalisation with be the biggest trend next year; “Ultimately facilitating an omni-channel experience that brings consumers closer to your brand, building a loyal base of people who are emotionally connected.”

Meanwhile, De Nobrega is looking forward to closer relationships between marketers and their brands to use creative thinking and expertise to solve real business problems. “Over the last few years, the global networks have been gulping up local agencies as a springboard into Africa; 2016 will be the year that we need to make good on that.”

What are your thoughts? Have you noticed any other big changes or trends over the past year? Tell us below.