Reflecting on 2024’s Marketing Landscape:
Trends and Best Practices.
In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, understanding and adapting to the latest trends is essential for businesses to stay ahead of the curve. As we near the end of 2024, we reflect on several key trends and innovative strategies that emerged this year, significantly impacting how brands connect with their audiences and achieve growth. This article explores the most significant trends shaping the marketing environment, providing insights and best practice examples from our portfolio companies, The Female Company, BillEase, and Bloom & Wild.
1. AI and Automation: Enhancing Personalisation and Operational Efficiency.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept but a powerful tool already transforming the marketing landscape. Looking ahead, AI-powered content creation, personalised customer experiences, and data-driven decision-making will become ever more the new norm.
AI’s ability to analyse customer data allows for highly personalised interactions. BillEase is leveraging AI not only to enhance its customer engagement, through chat functions and individualised product offerings, but also to streamline its creative and operational processes. AI plays a crucial role in creating designs and generating text for BillEase’s marketing assets, accelerating their content generation process. Additionally, their development team utilises AI to assist with coding, debugging, and optimising performance, significantly enhancing workflow efficiency across the board. This AI-driven approach is designed to not only improve the customer experience but also drive higher conversion rates and operational excellence by offering tailored solutions that meet individual needs.
The Female Company has shifted its marketing strategy towards automatic lead generation ads instead of traditional conversion ads. This approach has allowed the company to generate 20 times more leads for the same content creation cost. These leads are then stored in their lead database, and over time, a significant percentage convert into customers, making the customer acquisition process far more effective. This strategy has helped the company build a substantial lead base of over 1 million active users, highlighting the effectiveness of their data-driven marketing approach in a rapidly changing ad landscape.
2. Eliminating Interruptions: Shifting Towards Seamless and Authentic Advertising.
Intrusive advertising is becoming a thing of the past, with consumers increasingly favouring ads that are relevant, contextual, and seamlessly integrated into their online experiences, and companies are shifting towards approaches that prioritise authentic engagement.
The rise of influencer endorsements and sponsored content has transformed how brands connect with their customers, helping them reach niche audiences in authentic ways. The Female Company leverages the power of micro-influencers to create authentic connections with their target audience. Campaigns around creators’ endorsements resonate deeply with their engaged follower base and lead to higher conversion rates, being as effective as personal recommendations. By setting up affiliate programs for micro-influencers, The Female Company has achieved impressive returns on ad spend.
Similarly, BillEase’s influencer marketing activities have proven effective in creating authentic content, particularly when working with micro-influencers and YouTube reviewers. Their ambassador campaigns featuring well-known celebrities boost their brand visibility and credibility, driving customer engagement and conversions.
The Female Company has developed a community-centred approach, fostering a sense of belonging among its customers. With a focus on female health education and empowerment, they have built a dedicated following of hundreds of thousands of women on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn. By engaging with their audience through various channels, from social media to direct mailings, they boost retention and drive organic growth. Recently, The Female Company won the SevenVentures Pitch Day 2024, securing a media budget of €3 million along with a TV commercial. The commercial will help to further establish the company’s presence in German-speaking countries, while promoting sustainable hygiene products and raising awareness of the female cycle, aiming to break the taboo surrounding menstruation through open dialogue and innovative solutions.
3. Ethical and Sustainable Practices: Building Trust through Transparency.
As consumers become increasingly conscious of the impact of their purchasing decisions, they are demanding greater transparency and ethical practices from brands. Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have but a key differentiator in today’s business practices.
Bloom & Wild is setting a standard in the industry by offering full visibility into their ethically sourced supply chain and integrating eco-friendly packaging as well as carbon offset and reduction programs into their operations. Their recently achieved B Corp certification reflects their commitment to exceptional social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This not only builds trust and brand reputation but also attracts environmentally conscious consumers, fostering brand loyalty in an increasingly eco-conscious market.
The Female Company demonstrates how incorporating ethical practices into product offerings can boost brand appeal and strengthen the market position. By using organic cotton in their tampons and period underwear, the company addresses growing consumer demands for sustainable and eco-friendly products while also differentiating itself in the market. Their cotton, free from chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and GMOs, is both skin-friendly and biodegradable, reducing irritation and environmental impact. By prioritising sustainability, The Female Company effectively leverages its eco-friendly practices as a key component of its marketing strategy, reinforcing its commitment to both consumer health and environmental responsibility.
Looking Ahead: A Dynamic and Exciting Future
The marketing landscape holds significant potential for those who embrace new technologies and adapt to evolving consumer needs. Success in 2025 and beyond will require adaptability and a keen understanding of shifting marketing dynamics. Best practices of our portfolio companies, The Female Company, BillEase, and Bloom & Wild exemplify how leveraging current marketing trends can drive growth and foster lasting customer relationships. Looking ahead, the brands that dare to innovate, stay agile, and create meaningful experiences for their audiences will be the ones that thrive in this competitive landscape.