The marketing trends shaping what comes next
As new technology transforms the profession, South Australian marketers are being urged to focus on evidence, critical thinking and staying curious about what the future holds.
The marketing industry is changing quickly, but the skills that will help marketers navigate what comes next may have less to do with mastering the latest tools and more to do with staying curious.
That is the view of Dr Kirsten Victory, senior marketing scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Marketing Science at Adelaide University and current South Australian State Chair of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI).
With marketers facing an ever-growing range of trends, technologies and changing consumer behaviours, Dr Victory says it can be difficult to know where to focus.
“Perhaps the better question is what aren’t marketers talking about?” she says. “There are so many trends and tools that make it hard to know what’s important.”
While technical skills will continue to evolve, Dr Victory believes the marketers who thrive in the longer term will be those who are prepared to keep learning and questioning what they think they know.
“The marketers who will continue to thrive will be those who stay curious while also being critical thinkers,” she says. “Seek evidence, keep learning and don’t be afraid to challenge assumptions.”
It is an approach Dr Victory believes is particularly important at a time when the marketing landscape is becoming increasingly complex.
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New technologies, including artificial intelligence, are changing elements of the way marketers work, from content creation and audience targeting to customer understanding and research.
But rather than trying to predict exactly which technology or trend will dominate next, Dr Victory says marketers should focus on developing the skills that allow them to adapt.
AI, she says, is already influencing a number of different areas of marketing rather than being one single conversation.
“It is not just one big conversation happening but rather several (still chunky) conversations happening all at once,” she says. “It can be hard to keep up, it is evolving so fast.”
For Dr Victory, that makes critical thinking particularly important.
“There is no doubt it will be used more and more,” she says. “AI has enormous potential but what it can’t replace is the critical thinking and context needed to make sound decisions.”
But the bigger opportunity for marketers may be found beyond the latest technology.
Dr Victory is keen to highlight the depth of marketing expertise already available in South Australia – and says the state should be more confident in showcasing it.
“South Australia is known on the world stage for a few things, including delicious wine and stunning beaches,” she says. “I argue we need to add exceptional marketing talent to the list.”
Rather than automatically looking interstate or overseas for inspiration and expertise, Dr Victory says South Australian businesses have access to a strong local marketing community.
“We often look interstate or overseas but we have world-class marketing talent right here,” she says.
That local talent spans a diverse range of businesses, organisations and brands, including some of South Australia’s most recognisable names.
Dr Victory says the state’s marketing community has plenty to learn from one another, making opportunities to share ideas and experiences particularly valuable.
It is one of the themes behind AMI’s upcoming Mastering Marketing event in Adelaide, which will bring together marketing leaders and practitioners to explore the issues and ideas shaping the profession.
For Dr Victory, the value of events such as this extends beyond simply identifying the next big marketing trend.
“That’s why conversations at Mastering Marketing will go beyond sessions that talk about what’s trending right now,” she says. “We will hear from leading marketers about what we need to navigate what’s next.”
The event will also provide a showcase for some of the marketing work being done by South Australian brands, with Adelaide Fringe among those featured.
The festival will use the event to reveal its refreshed brand ahead of the 2027 festival, offering a glimpse into how one of the state’s best-known cultural brands is evolving.
For Dr Victory, that kind of local expertise is worth celebrating.
In an industry where the tools, platforms and consumer behaviours may continue to change, she believes the fundamentals of good marketing remain grounded in an ability to learn, question and adapt.
“Stay curious,” she says. “Seek evidence, keep learning and don’t be afraid to challenge assumptions.”
And for South Australia’s marketing community, there is an opportunity to do that together – while recognising that much of the expertise needed to navigate the future is already here.
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