2019 Predictions – 5 Videos To Help Set The Mood And Prepare

2018 flew by fast and a brand new year is here…what does 2019 have in store for us? Here are 5 videos to help predict the year ahead and set the mood.

The Biggest Stories of 2019 by The Economist

A great 2-part video that covers the top 10 stories in the year ahead. Everything from powered clothing to driverless cars, augmented reality, the moon rush, Brexit, Trump and more…

Bulls to Bears – Expect More Volatility in 2019

Everyone knows a global slowdown is on the horizon…the question is when the downturn will happen and how severe the impact will be. Experts claim 2019 is likely to be a volatile year and it’s probably best to brush up on our learnings from the last recession. Here’s a great video interview with Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates founder, co-chair and co-chief investment officer. He discusses his new book, “A Template for Understanding Big Debt Crises,” (available as a free PDF) and says we’re probably in the 7th inning of the current economic cycle.

Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2019

Don’t expect marketing fundamentals to change in 2019…you still need to lead with the customer in mind and the age old marketing mix (four Ps of marketing – Price, Product, Promotion & Place) are still as relevant today as they were a decade ago. However developing a better understanding of evolving customer behaviour will help you adapt marketing techniques for improved reach and engagement. Remember that great, meaningful content is still critical and popular channels like video (including Live Video), podcasting, social media (esp. Instagram) can help break through the clutter with relevant storytelling and surgical targeting. Smart use of tech will further aid personalization (from email, mobile and location marketing to better preference tracking), automation (think chatbots, AI) and convenient interfaces (e.g. voice search). Here’s a taste of some of the Digital Marketing Trends to consider in 2019:

2019 Hotel Industry Trends and Opportunities

The hotel industry has seen a fair bit of consolidation in the past couple of years, with Marriott acquiring largest hotel chain status in 2016 with its acquisition of Starwood…and that activity has continued in 2017 and 2018, with the ten largest travel acquisitions last year totaling over $20b. 2019 is likely to be a turbulent year but airline and hotel companies remain optimistic about growth as demand for travel remains strong…the picture looks quite different around the world, though…and it remains to be seen what a potential trade war and slowdown may do to corporate and leisure travel. In terms of the hospitality and travel experience plus marketing, here’s a slightly older video that covers trends that won’t quite fizzle out in 2019…with the pace of adoption and change in the hotel industry, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

There’s Always Room for Optimism (Bonus Video)

2018 wasn’t an easy year…and by the looks of it, 2019 is going to be quite the rollercoaster too. When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and all the GOOD that’s happening all around us (we certainly don’t find a lot of positivity in mainstream media). As usual, Google did a great job of recapping the year in search in 2018…check it out for some inspiration and lets help make 2019 a year of positivity, progress and inclusion.