Relier Connect is a creative agency founded by Anoushka Adya in 2014. What started as a digital studio to participate in the internet revolution, now has become a renowned boutique agency.
Digital media is the most powerful communication medium today. It is spread wide and far, from cities to villages and to remote areas globally, anywhere the internet goes! However, the digital revolution is still underway and the tsunami of digital transformation is yet to happen.
Digital transformation has so far influenced businesses and made the world more accessible. It has single-handedly been the biggest communication revolution of the century and has substantially changed the way we communicate.
New technologies and platforms are constantly coming out. Today, we can communicate and work seamlessly while being remote or traveling, and from any part of the world. Today, we can get information and operate things with the stroke of a finger or the sound of a voice.
Digital media has indeed transformed the way we communicate and interact in profound ways. But it's just the beginning! Below are some ways in which the changes will be further felt in the way we communicate in 2023 and beyond.
Here are some ways digital media will further change communications in 2023:
Change #1: OTT Platform
OTT has changed the way the entire entertainment industry communicates, and has changed the foundation of entertainment for this generation. And it's just the beginning. The AI and VR integration etc is yet to develop and follow suit in stages.
In just a few short years, the OTT industry has experienced significant evolution and it's still close to the beginning. OTT apps combine the reach and power of traditional pay TV. The flexibility of the internet creates an unstoppable force, & has opened up opportunities for content creators, distributors, and brands everywhere.
Today this immersive platform has garnered more interest than traditional viewing habits. That’s because this trend solely depends on bringing up newness in services offered by over-the-top content publishers which always helps them to taste success!
You’ll be surprised to know that the OTT video market worldwide is expected to double in size by the year 2023! The business is expected to develop much more in the future years, according to experts. By 2027, the OTT market is anticipated to be valued $1.039 trillion.
Change #2: AI Adoption Accelerates and ChatGPT
AI has been slowly gaining traction, mainly in the form of virtual customer service options like chatbots and virtual assistants. In 2023, however, we’ll see this digital marketing trend’s accelerated adoption.
AI has already been integrated into almost every digital marketing channel and indeed powers all marketing. Algorithms determine the social media posts you engage with, the search results you see and even the ads displayed to you. AI is making marketing smarter, connecting consumers to the exact right products and messages.
In 2023, AI is expected to get real. Generative AI (content producing AI) is already being called the next era-defining innovation, changing how we experience the internet and receive content. OpenAI launched Chat-GPT last month - and this time, the detailed responses and well-reasoned answers it produces has garnered a lot of attention.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence bot that can chat and write essays, poems and computer programs. It's the latest AI chatbot that is set to revolutionise the AI bot space, and will definitely change the way we communicate in the future.
Change #3: The Metaverse
The metaverse is a fully-realized digital world that goes beyond the analog one in which we live right now. The pandemic led to a sharp shift to virtual experiences, environments and assets. When everything moved online, these virtual worlds gained momentum. This all paves the way for what the internet will become next.
Video games have metaverse tendencies where players can build their own world. Additionally, cryptocurrencies are part of the metaverse experience. Virtual and augmented reality are metaverse adjacent too. So if you’ve ever experienced any of these, you have experienced some part of the metaverse.
Simply put, the metaverse is the next big thing. With heavy investment and interest from leaders worldwide, it could be the future of the internet.
The metaverse will be the most important change in terms of the way we communicate in the next few years. It will open up a world of new possibilities that we cannot yet imagine.
Change #4: Interactive Messaging
Interactive messaging is the idea that beyond just text, users can get additional content they can interact with. Whether, it's automated using Chatbots, or with a customer support platform. These are messages intended to kick off an ongoing two-way conversation between customer and brand. They make valuable conversations happen between enterprises and consumers.
Additionally, since more people continue to work from home or remotely, they naturally use these platforms more when communicating.
So, all in all, interactive and personalised messaging has not only made digital communication fun but highly effective. That’s why new software applications continue to break into the market to serve these needs.
Interactive messaging has changed the way businesses and customers/employees communicate and this change will be felt more strongly with further developments in 2023.
Change #5: Hyper-personalisation
Hyper-personalisation is currently one of digital communications’ most “trendy” terms and it is a trend that isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Now customers are more likely to buy items and services from companies withpersonalised products, services and customer support. Providing users with a highly tailored experience keeps them coming back.
Hyper-personalisation is also the secret ingredient to effective digital marketing strategies, be it social media ads, email marketing, push notifications, promotional SMSing, or specific retargeting ads because customers end up with highly relevant offers they are very likely to act on.
Hyper personalisation has permeated all aspects of customer interactions, and companies are taking advantage to provide more valuable and memorable experiences. This has changed the way we communicate at the foundation level.
Change #6: Video Marketing and Short format-viral videos
Video marketing has taken over. It’s one of the best ways to engage and communicate with customers and prospects. The average person watches a minimum of 30 minutes of video content per day. If you create engaging content, then you’ll be able to attract new leads and keep existing ones engaged.
Apart from the longer format, short videos like Instagram reels are going viral on social media feeds, grabbing consumer attention. Undoubtedly, this format will only continue to grow further. If you want your business and audience to stay relevant then you need to appear in the channels and formats where your audience are. This is all about real time content and real time communication with your audience, and this is the future.
Change #7: Omnichannel Approach
Seamless integration between multiple online and offline channels will be key to the way we communicate. Since the number of digital and offline platforms increase, it will be important to ensure seamless integration between these multiple channels in order for communication and the customer experience to be smooth. Omnichannel messaging will also become even more important and tools that combine the different sources will be key to maintaining communication efficiency.
For instance, an increase in the “brick-and-click” retail model: an integrated online-IRL model in which customers can order a product on their phone, then pick it up curbside.
Conclusion:
The depth of the digital transformation will be felt in the coming years, and will surprise many people. The digital age has indeed changed the way we communicate with each other (inter-city/inter-country/globally), and it has connected the human race very profoundly. And it's just the beginning. With the Metaverse, AI chatbots and OTT changing entertainment, there will be many accelerated changes that we will witness in 2023 and beyond.
