Our 2021 Marketing Superlatives
It’s hard to believe we are just one week away from the close of 2021. What they say is true: time really does go by faster as you get older.
As we look back on 2021, the digital marketing & media world has once again evolved at warp speed introducing new trends, new content consumption behaviors, and new platform capabilities that make 2020 seem like ancient history.
For our memory keeping, and your entertainment, here are a few of our favorite standout digital marketing & media moments from 2021, along with the titles they earned:
Class Clown: Oatly
Oatly’s superbowl commercial remains one of the most simplistically brilliant advertisements we’ve seen this year. Something so horrible, it was great. With branding on point and messaging clear and digestible, Oatly continues to trailblaze growth for the non-dairy sector.
Most Valuable Loser: Meta
While I wouldn’t classify myself as a Mark Zuckerburg stan, I’ve always been one to support Facebook’s persistent ‘take no prisoners’ approach to innovation. However, the rebrand this year was just one step too far. Did Tiger Woods change his name when he was in the deep, dark depths of media hell? I don’t think so. A household name is a household name. Plus, who doesn’t love a redemption story?
Most Improved: Cancel Culture
2021 canceled cancel culture. How Meta (I couldn’t help myself). The biggest cancelers were canceled (cough cough, Chrissy Teigen) and Dave Portnoy proved once again that all PR is good PR. Maybe next year we’ll all love one another again, but until then we’ll at least have the opportunity to see a non-traditional media company go head-to-head with the big boys as Barstool Sports sponsors Arizona Bowl.
Most Valuable Player: TikTok
As we reflect on COVID year two, TikTok has held strong as the content world’s Most Valuable Player. With over 1 billion users, TikTok has established its position as the perfect place to take a break from the world around us and waste spend over an hour watching videos from GroovyNannyGranny (I’ve never done this).
Most Likely to be Successful: NFTs
Brands are going in. Just last month Budweiser launched its first NFT project of 1,936 unique digital cans…that sold out in minutes. Nike acquired RTFKT, a leading NFT and digital collectibles brand, to expand its digital capabilities, and Adidas launched a buzzy collaboration with Pixel Vault’s Punks Comic and Bored Ape Yacht Club, two of the world’s most successful NFT projects. It has also reserved a large plot of digital land in Sandbox, a fast-growing metaverse platform. The next evolution of brand digital content is here?
While some things have changed, others have stayed the same. With another year of COVID behind us, here’s to a hopeful and healthy 2022 ahead. To anyone reading this, thank you, it’s utterly amazing to me that we are building a small, but awesome, community. To my team, well… you already know. And to everyone wondering what the world has in store for 2022, let’s remember one thing to be true: a change is gonna come.
