1) In 2019, AR and VR technologies will be more widely adopted by major brands, as their costs decrease and capabilities increase. Up to 88% of companies plan to use AR in marketing. 2) Video content will dominate the internet, claiming over 80% of web traffic. Marketers who do not incorporate engaging video into their strategies will fall behind. 3) As consumers increasingly rely on online reviews, businesses will implement techniques like "review brushing" to detect and remove fake reviews, restoring trust in review platforms.

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)