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.

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