Earlier this year, our agency compiled a trend report forecasting marketing trends within five key real estate verticals: general, multifamily, senior living, student living, and the hospitality. Now that 2022 is coming to a close, we’re taking a look back at which trends proved successful — and what we’re predicting for the year to come.
We began the conversation in our Good Mood Media podcast where Allison Diep, Senior Brand Account Manager at Catalyst, talked about some of the anticipated trends from the beginning of the year and where they landed.
General Trends
- Euphoric ads topped the list as the most popular trend that’s here to stay. When the right mix of content, music, pictures, and video are combined, consumers’ attention and emotions are engaged: “That’s the whole background behind these comfort commercials or euphoric ads, right? We’re coming out of this stressful two-year period with the pandemic, and the whole goal was to just really put a spotlight on joy and authenticity.”
- Biophilic design is catching on fast as urban developments throughout the world incorporate more green space. For example, the Botanica Tower in the Porta Nuova neighborhood in Milan, Italy, is working on a development that’s covered with 18,000 square feet of plants and trees, including bay laurel, pine trees, and climbing roses. As the season changes, the color of the building changes.
Multifamily Trends
- One of the most popular amenities within multifamily communities is the prevalence on being pet friendly with barkitecture perks: “You’re not just seeing a dog park; these are amenities that are like dog pet spas. Right. They’re really putting some money into these new areas for your pets…There’s so much demand because they’re part of the family.”
- Other multifamily trends continuing to grow are smart buildings with keyless entry and other technological conveniences, as well as mail as a major amenity: “Who would’ve thought that snail mail is something that everyone is really excited to kind of reinvent and evolve…We’ve seen new designs for these massive mailrooms where people can even just go and hang out.”
- With the pandemic forcing a work-from-home environment, it’s now become part of the new norm where there’s a shift for multifamily communities to incorporate space for work-life balance, whether it’s within a floor plan or dedicated space in a building: “A lot of new luxury buildings in New York are starting to build spaces specifically like entire floors in these high-rises, almost like a WeWork within your building. Working from home is great, but sometimes having a separate space away from your home to actually do your work is also really nice to have. So, it’s cool to see developers thinking about that and making that another amenity.”
Hospitality
- Embracing bleisure is creating unique remote work opportunities by blending the hospitality and travel industries, enabling people to work from anywhere while still enjoying life. This also parallels the trend of GOAT — Greatest of All Trips — nicely with our society moving forward with post-pandemic travel. Many hotel business centers look different now to intentionally accommodate the work-life balance of their guests.
What Our Team Says
As our recap continued, we also surveyed the Catalyst crew about their thoughts on the curated trends for 2022. As a full-service marketing agency with an in-house team of experts in multigenerational research, our team has front-row access and insight into a lot of the trends mentioned in this year’s report. Here were just a few of the highlights we gathered:
How have you seen any of the trends highlighted in the report implemented so far this year?
- “Audio ads: Instagram has been focusing more and more on curated video content in reels and in the grid. Videos are here to have a more personal connection to the person sharing the post to really play to emotions and share true feelings.”
- “Modular work: We have rearranged our home and upgraded internet to accommodate work. I have friends who built detached offices. The portable monitor and noise-cancelling headphone market has also taken off.”
- “In my personal life, I’ve definitely come across several of the trends just in everyday marketing. Specifically, the ‘comfort commercial’ ads, bleisure, and the year of the GOAT. I think people are really dialed in on experiences they were missing out on during the pandemic and have a strong urge to make those a priority now.”
- “It really has been the year of travel. Everyone is making up for lost vacations and even work travel to the point that it feels like airports can’t hold all of us. Most advertisements I get on social media at the moment are for luggage or ‘the perfect travel sweater,’ etc.”
What work have we done this year for our clients that incorporates any of the trends discussed in the report?
- “The metaverse is definitely a huge push from the end of 2021 to now in our work, with the incorporation of crypto and NFTs into our campaigns and strategies. In the multifamily space, I’ve seen us incorporate copy and images of trending amenities such as the mail spaces, smart living elements, and even barkitecture. Old, standard amenities won’t cut it anymore — things like these are the new normal.”
- “We had a heavy focus on the metaverse for Campus Advantage fall 2021. This futuristic theme has carried itself into other campaigns throughout the year. I think that we were ahead of the trend with this for student housing and they were not as up to speed on NFT at the time it was rolled out.”
- “Audio experiences on social, metaverse marketing for Campus Advantage, highlighting multiuse amenities and dog parks for multifamily clients, and utilizing authenticity for all clients.”
Have you experienced any of these trends in your personal life? If so, how?
- “The trends I’ve seen the most are the euphoric ads. There’s been some father/son/daughter ads that have been quite emotional and effective.”
- “Shoppable experiences: I do purchase from things on Instagram, and I also gravitate toward brands that make an effort in waste reduction.”
- “The most recent trend is my apartment community converted to smart technology with keyless locks, lights, and A/C that can all be controlled from an app on my phone.”
Which trend prediction(s), if any, stands out as the most accurate?
- “GOAT: Mask mandates are gone, travel borders are open, people want to get out and explore.”
- “Metaverse: I feel like it’s a trend currently but is going to be a long-term shift, and brands that don’t adopt will be seen as left in the past.”
- “Senior living increase in the middle market.”
- “Wellness and authenticity.”
- “Everything in the hospitality section seems spot on with what was actually done this year.”
Which trends will fade out and which will strengthen in 2023, and what new trends do you forecast?
- “I think the NFT trend will fade out a bit and augmented ads will strengthen.”
- “I think the idea of it being the year of the GOAT started strong, but with constant talks of recession and inflation/rising prices to travel, I’m curious if people continue on that path.”
- “Crypto and NFT will fade out, maybe temporarily until genuine value is found. Augmented reality, modular work, and reduced waste will strengthen.”
- “I think the metaverse will continue to strengthen, but maybe not in the way we expect. I think it’ll need to feel more real, authentic, and accessible for people to be willing to learn and adopt it.”
- “I think authenticity will continue to strengthen! I also think waste reduction and green initiatives will become trendier as energy conservation becomes a bigger topic of discussion.”
- “It doesn’t feel like bleisure travel or home offices are going anywhere. I think the freedom to work anywhere has improved people’s overall mental health.”
Color of the Year (and What’s Next!)
In the introduction of our 2022 Trends Report, we discussed how Pantone selected Very Peri as the color of the year due to the transformative, optimistic times we’re living in — a color that symbolizes a “rekindling gratitude” for the “global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through.”[1] Moving into 2023, some are predicting Digital Lavender will be the new Pantone Color of the Year, which is already being seen frequently in metaverse-themed art.
Naturally, our team of creative thinkers had a lot to say when asked if they agree with the 2022 color, and what they suggest it should be for 2023:
- “I like the thought behind the color, but I do not feel that the color Very Peri sparks much of what the intention behind it was. I think 2023 should be Pantone Color Citrus, sparking sweet and slightly sour nodes. 2023 will be bright, colorful, and a year to plant new seeds.”
- “[Very Peri] is calming after a time of so much high stress and red warnings, and I like the idea of the positivity it produces for looking forward. I think 2023 will be very vibrant — almost a neon/highlighter yellow.”
- “I think green could be a Pantone color we see a lot in 2023.”
- “I liked the idea and meaning behind the color but don’t feel like it was prevalent in pop culture the way a lot of Pantone colors of the year tend to be. Mostly, when I see this color, I think of the metaverse and other digital spaces. I feel like 2023 will bring something more tranquil or neutral.”
- “I think Very Peri fits in with the metaverse atmosphere that’s been trending this year. I think 2023’s Pantone color could be something brighter and warmer as we head in a more positive direction out of the pandemic.”
- “I agree this is the right color for 2022. For 2023: Good Time Lime!”
Trends are always unpredictable, Catalyst is keeping an eye on these shifting mediums to understand our industry, verticals, and audiences in a greater, more strategic way. Stay tuned in the coming months as we unveil our predictions for 2023!
[1] https: //www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2022