SOCIAL MEDIA

Report discusses shift towards a culture-first social media approach

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

Brands will need to understand and tap into culture in a more nuanced and empathetic way than ever before, says Ogilvy.

Ogilvy has released its ‘2024 Social Media Trends Report’, highlighting sub-trends within the broader shift towards a culture-first approach to social media.  

 

The report draws on Ogilvy expertise from various regions, incorporating campaign data and research to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the brands that Ogilvy works with. 

 

Ryan Laing, Digital Strategy and Intelligence Director at Ogilvy Social Lab, elaborates on several key points from the report: 

 

Culture remains at the centre of social media 

 

“Culture has long been a buzzword within the broader marketing community; however, it is now clear that it sits right at the centre of Social 3.0,” says Laing.

 

“Brands will need to understand and tap into culture in a more nuanced and empathetic way than ever before, going beyond simply reacting to trends.” 

Photo by Fauxels from Pexels

 

Rather, brand marketing teams must play an active role in shaping and leading social media trends by embedding culture into the brand’s meaning, Laing believes. The key to this will be a clear understanding of culture, powered by a customised cultural intelligence model.  

 

We are living in the era of authenticity 

 

“Creators are now an essential part of any winning social media strategy. The numbers are staggering, with the creator economy expected to hit US$480-billion by 2027,” Laing says.  

 

“For brands, creators provide a more agile and scalable way to stay at the forefront of culture. As creator-led content becomes more integrated, its impact will spread across categories, even ones not traditionally associated with these types of partnerships – the rise of healthcare professionals on TikTok being one such example.”  

 

Laing says marketing teams must consider more permanent and meaningful creator engagement plans to really take advantage.  

 

Video goes from ‘snackable’ to serious storytelling 

 

“Users spend more time consuming videos on social than any other social media activity,” states Laing. 

 

“The dominance of TikTok and Instagram Reels, and the uptake of YouTube Shorts, speaks to consumers’ love for punchy short clips. 

 

“However, long-form content offers huge potential for extended, creative brand content. We’ve even seen TikTok testing 30-minute uploads. Most importantly, long-form video can potentially be an indicator of the most valuable metric of them all – attention.”  

 

AI will continue to impact the industry  

 

“This was always going to be part of any trends list, and in 2024 we see AI propelling brand social teams forward. It’s set to take over community management tasks such as social monitoring and customer service,”  

 

Notes Laing: “AI will shorten the process of equipping brand teams with invaluable insights into customer behaviour, sentiment and social trends, enabling deeper connections, targeting and personalisation in content distribution.”  

You can find out more about the report here. 

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    Dr Kin Kariisa

    Group CEO - Next Media

    Dr. Kin Kariisa is an extraordinary force at the helm of Next Media Services, a conglomerate encompassing NBS TV, Nile Post, Sanyuka TV, Next Radio, Salam TV, Next Communication, Next Productions, and an array of other influential enterprises. His dynamic role as Chief Executive Officer exemplifies his unwavering commitment to shaping media, business, and community landscapes.
    With an esteemed academic journey, Dr. Kariisa’s accolades include an Honorary PhD in exemplary community service from the United Graduate College inTexas, an MBA from United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Huazong University in China, and a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Makerere University.
    Dr. Kariisa pursued PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. As a dynamic educator, he has shared his expertise as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at both Makerere University and Radboud University.

    Dr Kin did his PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radbond University in Nigmegen, Netherlands. He previously served as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and Radbond University in Netherlands.

    Dr Kin did his postgraduate courses in Strategic Business Management, Strategic Leadership Communication and Strategies for Leading Successful Change Initiatives at Harvard University, Boston USA.

    • Other current and previous roles played by Dr Kin Kariisa:
    • Lecturer of e-Government and Information Security to graduate students at Makerere University, Kampala and Radbond University in the Netherlands
    • Director of Eco Bank Uganda Limited, one of the largest banks in Africa
    • Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, an umbrella industry association for all Television, Radio and online broadcasters in Uganda.
    • Chairman of Board of Directors of Nile Hotel International, that owns the leading hotel in Uganda, Kampala Serena Hotel.
    • Chairman of Board of Directors of Soliton Telmec Uganda, the leading telecom company in Optic fibre business managing over 80% of optic fibre in Uganda.