2020 is already a monumental year. It’s the first year of a new decade, and there are a number of defining events lined up with the potential to affect the years to come. Many brands hope to predict the future of marketing, but the reality is that we live in a world is full of uncertainty and constant unexpected change. It can make planning and forecasting for the future awfully difficult.

We don’t pretend to have a crystal ball, but we will be watching the big events of 2020 to see which brands make a splash and which ones flop – and we’re not just talking about diving competitions. Expect brands to push the limits of what seems possible in marketing this year, implementing new strategies in hopes of winning the gold. With so many changes and important stories ahead, we think 2020 will be a very telling year for how marketing will function in the future.

Streaming Service Boom

From the last month of 2019 through the early part of 2020, six new streaming services will debut in an ever-growing market currently dominated by Netflix. Nearly all the major TV networks and quite a few major tech companies now have their own offerings, with additions that include NBC’s Peacock, Disney+ and AppleTV, among others.

With so many more streaming options available, it’s very possible that more consumers will “cut the cord” with cable – and with traditional TV ads. A few streaming platforms, including HBO Max and Hulu, offer lower-price ad-supported subscriptions, but many services are completely ad-free. When the dust from these changes settle, expect to see brands start finding creative ways to work their products into streaming programs. Think about how Eggos linked themselves to Stranger Things. It’s kind of like product placement on steroids. Commercials will still surely be a part of many brands’ advertising strategy in 2020, but watch for the TV landscape shaken up a bit in the years to come following this onslaught of new streaming options.

Tokyo Summer Olympics

When nearly all the nations of the world come together for one event, it’s bound to be a big deal for marketers. The 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo this summer, are expected to generate more than $1.2 billion in ad sales for NBC. That number would break previous records set by the 2016 Rio Olympics. Advertisers hope more people than ever will tune in to the Games for a much-needed politics break – this year, they will fall between the Democratic and Republic National Conventions.

Following the streaming trend, the 2020 Olympics will be available on more devices and apps than any Games before. This means brands have more opportunities to advertise beyond the typical TV commercials and partnerships. We often see inspiring, emotional, tugging-at-your-heartstrings commercials during the Olympics, but with so much content now available digitally, we wonder how sponsors will translate those messages online. Instead of creating long-form commercials, they may choose to advertise more on the NBC website or create shorter video ads. As more people shift to watching TV and videos on their phones, laptops and tablets, expect the Olympics to be a telling sign of how brands will adapt to these trends  in the future.

2020 Presidential Election

Many have called the 2016 US election one of the craziest of our lifetime, and 2020 promises to bring its own chaos and controversies. Analysts expect this election to beat the ad spend record set in 2016 at $6.3 billion, with digital media accounting for 20 percent or more of that total. Donald Trump and many of the Democratic hopefuls are incredibly active on Twitter and other social media, so we expect to see more campaigning online than ever before. Political commercials may still take over our TV screens come fall, especially in important swing states. However, we think the 2020 election will follow the masses online, with an increased focus on digital and paid social ads.

Only one small problem: Twitter just banned all paid political ads from their site. To reach key audiences (like those pesky millennials) on Twitter, candidates will need to rely on the organic audience only. On the other side of the spectrum, Facebook recently lifted their fact-checking requirement on political ads. This essentially allows the presidential candidates to advertise to their heart’s desire. We may see an increase in political Facebook ads as a result, but we also think audiences will be more wary of the ads than they were in 2016. In future elections, and in the future of marketing in general, we won’t be surprised to see audiences get smarter and take a more critical look at the ads they see each day.