| Posted by Ann D. at 12/27/2010 9:57 AM CST on Chicago Business |
Isn't it required for all bloggers to make predictions for the new year? Here are mine, in no particular order, and while they may seem random, they represent what is top-of-mind for me right now.
Year of the personal brand.
2010 seemed, to some, to be the year of the personal brand, marked by the rise of Twitter and, when it wasn't failing, Tumblr. But microblogging just introduced the masses to the possibilities. Now, a few will start to apply strategy to building their social profiles, becoming more sophisticated in using content to build a community.
Celebrity chef cookbooks will officially die. Thank God.
I remember nearly crying last year when I received a preview copy of a cookbook penned by a chef I admire. In truth, in this age of authenticity, celebrity chef cookbooks turn even the most engaging of chefs into milquetoast. Grant Achatz to the rescue, shifting the focus from has-been recipes to engaging stories and anecdotes. 2011 will mark the shift away from chef cookbooks and to chef memoirs.
Independent restaurants will learn to embrace mobile.
Restaurant audiences are local, and what is more local than a geo-location capable mobile phone? Yelp kicked off 2010 with some awesome updates to its iPhone app, integrating many local-social features. OpenTable.com also made some significant contributions with its mobile platform, hitting on search but missing in social.
Game mechanics will be embraced for the potential they bring business.
Foursquare may seem like a ridiculous waste of time to some, but in reality the potential for game mechanics to drive marketing is a new frontier with seemingly infinite possibilities. Airline miles are, at their core, game systems with which we are all familiar. And while airline miles are largely lame and frustrating games, we all play. In 2011, creative application of game systems to marketing strategies will begin to gain traction.
Foodies will begin to figure out how to share quality, sustainable food with food deserts
The backlash against sustainability acolytes, branded as elitists, and even racists, will gain steam in 2011, pushing the committed to find answers to how they can bring sustainable, fresh food to the underclass. Expect to see:
- Sustainability-minded food trucks traveling to food deserts
- Chefs bringing more wholesome recipes and knowledge to underprivileged schools
- More farmer's markets and urban farming initiatives in food insecure areas
- Finally, hopefully, upscale farmers markets will begin creating scholarship programs for Link card users, thus truly serving a diverse audience.
Discount fatigue will set in.
It could be that businesses will begin to see that giving away the store doesn't make for a strong bottom line, or that customers will return to making buying decisions based on real need rather than discount availability. Or maybe it will just be a deflationary economy kicking us all in the ass. Any way you slice it, mass discounting days are numbered.
PR will continue its slow spiral into death.
Journalists hate it, clients are frustrated by it. PR is, for all intents and purposes, a broken business model. Brave souls will start to cut the cord, learning that there is life after PR.
Content marketing will take its place.
Companies will begin to realize that building a community is the most secure way to build a sustainable future. And content marketing is how that is done. In restaurant marketing, my area, smart restaurateurs will hire underemployed freelance journalists to pen blog posts, share social stories and report on their in-house events as part of content marketing programs.
Journalism will start to shine again.
In 2010, journalism continued to flail about as plenty of important news was broken by everyone but the journalists — whether on a small scale, like the Chicago Michelin scoop on Yelp or in world-changing events, as seen with Wikileaks. In 2011, great journalists will come to terms with the fact that battling for scoops in a world filled with smartphones is a losing proposition. Expect a return to true reporting — digging into a story and discovering the perspective. This, of course, is precisely what will push journalism into a new golden age.
Donuts will replace cupcakes. Oatmeal cookies will replace macaroons. Cocktailians will be the new farmers who were the new celebrity chefs. There will be a serious injury on "Iron Chef" or "Top Chef" that the show will actually televise. Foraging will rise to farmer's markets status in foodie circles — Know Your Forest, Know Your Food. Pop-ups and food trucks will proliferate as scrappy young chefs discover a less capital-intensive way to enter business.
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