Integrated Communications in India post-pandemic

The COVID-19 disruption turned out to be a blessing for the digital marketing growth, especially in India.
The marketing industry always maintained a fine balance of traditional and digital strategies when it came to integrated communications. But the last two years, the brands relied heavily on digital marketing.

While the industry went through a disruption, new trends emerged in the Indian integrated communications space:

Conversational AI for client servicing: As per Statista, the number of digital-voice assistants used worldwide will go over 8.4 Bn by 2024. Customers love conversational AI for client servicing because it enables 24x7 support and thus, is here to stay. We have seen websites that have implemented chatbots to answer client queries and this trend will only grow.

Personalization: As the journey of a consumer moves along the marketing funnel, from branding to conversion, the more personalized it should get. Consumers love seeing their favourite brand know their names, their anniversary or birthday. With the tech available today, brands can and should implement personalization almost everywhere. Digital ads, online and offline stores, email communication as well as social media communication. With the data the ML & AI have, the function is only going to become better and accurate.

Omnichannel communication strategies: Omnichannel communication is not new at all. In fact, many businesses have tried or are trying to implement omnichannel strategies. But this will only grow because customers expect brands to be available on platforms they are on. And if the brands want to be where their customers are, they really need to invest in more marketing channels like Twitter, Instagram, email, website, Facebook, mobile applications, affiliates and more.

AR, VR and Metaverse: Before tech and visual creativity, integrated communications was done through textual platforms. Later, this was replaced by AV. And now augmented reality and virtual reality are gaining mass attention because they enable brands to allow consumers to understand product better before buying. And now, we have Metaverse. The first virtual environment to bring together the business and social worlds. Although this is relatively new, brands and consumers are willing to explore this new digital world.