2022: M&As, IPOs and ‘true community’ brands

2020 and 2021 turned business upside down. On the one hand we’ve seen plenty of businesses close. On the other, in 2020 more than 4.3m new businesses started up in the USA alone (Forbes). Combined with the increase in digital innovation across SAAS and app development markets and the shift towards sustainability, the market is ripe for further growth, change and quite quickly also consolidation.

what’s the forecast?

2022 (and 2023) will be a year of mergers & acquisitions, listings and strong brands. The market is shifting. Bloomberg estimates that the global market will grow by 4.5% in 2022. This, of course, means very little if not compared against a backdrop of pre-pandemic predictions. The 2019 outlook, as per the International Monetary Fund read: “Global growth remains subdued. Global growth is forecast at 3.2 percent in 2019, picking up to 3.5 percent in 2020”. Now, of course, we realise that the pandemic created some interesting changes in the market and predictions, based on fiscal support, even estimated a 6 percent growth in 2021.

However, the 2022 figure is much more interesting. It is a reflection of forecasts which see a petering out of the Covid pandemic, stabilising of the supply chain and a drive to encourage spending. It also takes into account a globally new-found entrepreneurial spirit, the incessant drive to #netzero and, the every-rising influence of the new super-power, China and the wider Asian markets.

Deals will be made

Deals will be made, no doubt. Organic growth will continue, but quite quickly, we are likely to see consolidation, particularly in the clean climate industries which are under pressure to deliver at speed.

Will your brand be META or GREEN – or is there another way?

It is here that strong brands will be needed. The market is crowded with new new names, new brands, new ideas. It is in the midst of all this noise, that brands will need to find new ways to raise their game, lift their name and stand out from the rest.

So, what kind of branding are we likely to encounter? My prediction is that we will see two trends. One heading in the virtual direction of the META’s of this world and the other in the direction of even more green and simple.

Design-wise this will mean a move towards the psychedelic, tech inspired and, on the other hand, presenting the clean and simple a move towards ‘non-design’.

The Third option

Then there will be a third group. A group of brands which will capture people’s heart, tap into their need for true community (not simply artificially constructed online) and desire for stress-free, worry-free, common-sense clarity.

How to create a stand-out brand in 2022

For a chat about how your brand can achieve this and be part of community rather than dictating to the consumer, contact us. We’d love to help.

Oh, by the way, we can make flyers, but we don’t. We specialise in strategy.

Need PR support for your merger or acquisition?

And if you are looking at a merger or acquisition and need strategic PR support, reach out. With more than 25 years’ experience across industries, not-for-profits and education and dealing with M&S for Fortune 500s, our strategy consultants can help.

Communication know-how and leadership success with Josh Hoffman, Bechtel – Zeitgeist Leadership Pulse

Josh Hoffman from Bechtel shares his thoughts on leadership and the need for purposeful communication. We discuss that leaders often  fail to get the best out of people due to lack of communication skills, inability to express what they really want and unwillingness to listen first. Josh also talks about leadership in the wider sense and is own growth as a leader. Josh grew up with his two parents and older sister.  Due to the nature of his dad's job in oil and gas, they lived in Washington State, USA, California, USA, Singapore and the UK.  From an early age, he enjoyed tinkering and was very inquisitive.  This, along with his dad's engineering influence, was the reason he chose to study Mechanical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.  While at university, he was able to break out of his shell and develop his passion for continuous learning.  He started his career moving to Houston, TX working for Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals as a Project Engineer.  This gave him the opportunity to dip his toes into the corporate world and utilize his engineering degree.  11 years and many assignments later, he lived in Soyo, Angola, travelled to New Delhi and London to train co-workers and commissioned a liquified natural gas facility in Western Australia.  Along the way, he met his wife, Lizzie, and managed to squeeze in their wedding a week before the world shut down due to COVID.  He enjoyed stints in Engineering, Business Development, Financial Planning and Analysis and now finds himself working as a Senior Cost Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA.  Josh has always been fascinated with the sociological dynamics of the workplace, getting to know people, what motivates them and how different people communicate and lead effectively. Favourite Book: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Favourite Leadership Quote: “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell How to connect: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-hoffman-89a01034/

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