Another year, another list of trends and predictions. not so fast! This one’s different. They all say that, but really, this one has a heart to it. How? Because we’re removing our rose-colored glasses. Instead, we’re looking at these trends through the lens of ethics. What’s the use of predicting a tomorrow where ethics hasn’t seen the sun rise? 

A quick recap on what ethics in marketing means. Simply put, to not be a d*ck. Too simple? Alrighty. So, when a brand prioritizes transparency, honesty, and responsible marketing that takes into consideration the well-being of people, the health of the planet, and the margins of profit, then it’s called ethical marketing. It’s really important to consider ethical marketing as consumers have grown smarter than before. They’re sensitive to bs, as they should be. It’s not all bad - it just holds us all accountable. 

Onto our key trends and predictions…

Oh AI, my AI, wherefore is thy data being shared?

AI is on fire. And whatever is hot, marketers pick it up and use it (inefficiently). Like, it’s cool that you have AI-powered bots to quickly resolve my jumper pant queries for my boyfriend. But it’s not cool that right after that I see ads of xxl couple sweatshirts. And if I do click on them, then cute date cafés and condoms? Let’s set boundaries, please, dear marketers? Let’s start with getting our clear consent on the collection, usage, and storage of data. And our right to get it back or delete it from your servers if need be. 

Another aspect of AI that balances between originality and plagiarism. Remember the Harry Potter trailer directed by Wes Anderson? Yeah, all the  vibrancy of Anderson except that it wasn’t made by him. It was done using AI, by a fan. And that’s not the only case. #southsudanbarbie is a classic example. And the millions of user-generated visuals ‘inspired’ by art. (Sorry Karen, but not everyone can be an artist!) In stricter terms, all these are a violation of copyright and IP. However, there are no laws (yet) to safeguard either the creator of the original or the maker of the AI art. And this is where marketers need to set ethical standards within the community to not ‘steal’ or ‘AI inspire’ anyone else’s work. Because if they normalize it, how long before everything becomes just copies of mediocrity? Shouldn’t AI be the brush and not the artist?

Key expectation: while the usage of AI is not slowing down anytime in the future, marketers can check if it’s going over the speed limit. Firstly, setting internal ground rules and responsibilities on the use of AI. Like using it for brainstorming is cool. Using it to create content that’s ‘inspired’ by other artists’ work is not cool. Why not start with an AI usage policy? It could help create guidelines for all aspects: collecting, storing, and using data along with creation of new assets. Add to it periodic audits too. Moreover, it would also define the disclosures and disclaimers of using AI. Prevention is better than cure, dear marketers. for AI, this rings truer than before. 

Siri, does my voice matter? 

Imagine having a friend who is available to listen to you 24*7*365. Would you tell them about everything? Probably yes. All your shopping habits? Yes. Your dinner plans? Yes. Your travel routes. Yes.And your big surprise? Yes, as well. Now imagine if this friend doesn’t tell you what they do with all that you tell them. Who are their friends? Are their recommendations motivated by profits? Or plain platonic values? Are they making a model of you based on everything that you tell them? Scary, right? It gets scarier when your child speaks to this friend. 

Imagine an ed-tech company that creates content for children. With voice assistants connected to the cloud, a pandora’s box awaits to be opened. (Come on, we all know what all is there in the cloud.) Children have imprecise speech. And that may result in the assistant playing something explicit. An ‘ah’ may just spoil the learning. You wouldn’t want that now, would you?

Key expectation: voice search will stay. And dominate searches. There will be tons of data. And while it’s common sense, marketers must adhere to GDPR guidelines. They should also consider how children interact with their products. Strictly following the regulations is a healthy start. Enabling parental controls is the next step. Educating themselves on the cultural biases - race, voice, accent, tone, diction, vocabulary - and periodically removing them would be cool as well. There’s a lot that needs to be done. It’s high time marketers hear what the assistants are saying. 

Are AR and VR safe and regulated? 

Okay, let’s talk about the cool kids in the block - AR and VR. They have revolutionized the way consumers and brands interact. All good so far. And so far is what we have all good? Because an aspect of AR is facial recognition. And if brands are using facial recognition for marketing, what more can it be used for? Is there no privacy left? Can they track us on the streets? All very valid ethical concerns. there are more: what if AR/VR augments a property, say your next apartment, distorting the truth? What if this has no law to regulate it? What if there is no demarcation between distorted reality and reality itself? Sure, this is a demonstrative example, and probably not relevant to 2024 - but, it could be. All these need to be looked at through an ethical lens. And marketers must clarify how AR and VR are used. 

Key Expectation: while AR and VR would give marketers the opportunity to make more immersive and interactive experiences, it also poses a serious threat to privacy and realistic expectations. Marketers must not use it to create a reality that doesn’t exist just to mint some bills. 

Do I smell bias in personalization? 

Personalization is like getting ice-cream from your favorite person. It’s exactly what you wanted. How you wanted it. And when you wanted it. Cool, right? With AI and machine learning gradually doing more and more of the personalization, it seems all will be sweeter than today. But there’s an ethical concern. You see, AI and ML learn from historical datasets. And datasets are given by humans. So, if there’s a bias in inputs, there will be a bias in outputs. Simply put, if personalization happens using sensitive data like race, gender, or political inclinations, it would fuel the stereotypes already prevalent. And not help break them. Don’t believe us? Just search #southsudanbarbie. 

It’s not only wrong personalisation. It’s also spreading misinformation. Fake news, if you will. Could this have been avoided? Yes. how? It’s elementary - define what AI and ML will do and use human common sense. It’s rarely used but it’s helpful. Really! 

Key expectation: there is a massive opportunity to train ML models to understand the nuances of human behavior. And different culture and traditions. Marketers should create a checklist of the demographics they are speaking to. Know their quirks and antics. Not stereotypes. understand their culture. Their language. Their food, color, dress, dance, music. It may look like a lot of work, but it’s for the long run. Collaborating with academicians and subject matter experts would help fine tune the checklist. Making the checklist public would help others in the industry get a headstart. Imagine if one brand feeds the right data to an ML model, how simple it would be for others to do the same? Sure AI is cool. But humans working together is cooler. And working towards building ethical frameworks, sexy! 

Don’t let influence become like influenza, please!

Influencer marketing is the Taylor Swift of marketing right now. And while consumers have evolved and become more discerning, influencers and influencer marketing both show no signs of stopping. We know Karen doesn’t actually use that cream. Yet we fall for it. Will 2024 be any different? It could be, if marketers bring ethics - loads of it to be honest - to this game. And with AI now being integrated in selecting potential AI partners, the rules are changing fast. Imagine preferring influencers based on data that reinforces stereotypes. And not their credibility. Will there be human intervention to test their integrity? Will influencers be chosen based on value alignment with the brand? Or just on a metric of higher ROAS? 

Key expectation: ethics has the potential to clean up influencer marketing. Prioritizing transparency, avoiding deceptive practices, rejecting ‘toxic’ partnerships with greenwashed brands, and being mindful of consumers’ data and well-being should be the key trend in 2024. We’re here to wait and watch. And do our bit to make it a better place. 

2024 holds a promise to make marketing clean again. Innovation and growth can be achieved keeping ethics as the backbone. With new advancements and better technologies, marketers must infuse ethics into the equation. And build long-term relationships that’ll welcome every new year with a hug. And a purchase, maybe.