As 2009 fast approaches, the marketing industry is gearing up to start the New Year with determination and careful planning.
2008 was rocked by financial crises, data loss scandals and the ever-present surge in new technologies and industry developments.
There are of course lessons to be learned, and many companies will inevitably be nervous about what the New Year will bring.
However, it's not all doom and gloom -- there are many exciting trends being set and lots to look forward to in terms of cleverer targeting, enhanced channels and the promise of better relationships with consumers.
There will be a greater focus on personal targeting and predicting consumer behaviour in 2009, ensuring that activities are focused, both in individual and geographic terms.
Marketing and customer analytical techniques now mean we are closer than ever to the behaviour and real needs of the consumers engaging with brands, and behavioural targeting will become more and more important.
Understanding how customers act, think and react to offers and services will serve marketers in more ways than one.
Getting communications right in terms of the target audience and the channels and media used to reach them will reduce wasted communication and increase response rates, and inspire greater confidence between brands and their customers. The journey should not end with delivering the message.
What we will also see in 2009 is brands looking at different ways of tracking consumer responses such as measuring email clicks, web page visits and retail interactions.
It's not enough to conduct detailed analysis into how to talk to consumers -- it's now imperative for marketers to sustain those dialogues and react to the changing needs of consumers as they continue to engage with the brand.
Consumers have access to a huge range of tools now which affect how they behave and respond to brands and to marketing communications in particular. Social networking allows them to share their experiences, good or bad, with their friends and networks, and both good and bad opinions can spread like wildfire.
It's up to the marketers to stay alert and track consumer reaction to ensure it's the good kind of fire that is spreading.
We must exercise our new powers with caution. It goes without saying that we must not slyly exploit the fact that we can now track and follow consumers closely, as this will only result in distrust and consumers feeling as if their privacy is being threatened.
It will be a challenging, fascinating and exciting year ahead of us, one in which we marketers must stop marvelling at all the new channels and opportunities available to us and try and adapt them as market conditions change.
If we get targeting and personalisation right, we can be confident that customer and brand relationships will be strengthened, and that sounds like a very promising start to the New Year.
Paul Kennedy, head of consulting, Broadsystem