A DOSE OF REALITY MARKETING
Yes, the struggle is real, market-eers. It’s half past woke and you’re dreaming if you think you can just ignore what’s happening in the world of marketing and digital media management.
It doesn’t matter if you’re b2c, b2b, or b2f*, every customer you care about is a smartphone addict, each one a victim of extreme content shock, and largely unaware that every time an alert notification pings, chirps, or rumbles in their pocket their brain receives another splash of dopamine. The mood-altering sensation produced by this biochemical reaction is a digital-age “dragon” they’re compelled to chase by uncontrollably checking their phone every freakin’ waking moment.
But digital dependence isn’t strictly a b2c phenomenon. Because, guess what? All those “sophisticated” business buyers out there are every bit as buried in their smart devices as everyone else. At the end of the business day, business people, it turns out, are still people. Who knew?
People of all stripes used to fast-forward through the commercials. Now they savor that very same break, flipping through their never-ending social feeds in search of something indescribably “engaging,” defining their personal zeitgeists one double-tap at a time, and digesting an ever-expanding world of images, ideas, and sentiments. A good many of them from commercials, by the way.
Have you noticed yet? Texting is the new email. YouTube is the new Google. TikTok is the new Instagram. At least today it is. Just wait a week. So, as a marketer, where exactly should you be, and what should you be doing there?
The ugly truth about marketing is that we’re all under relentless assault. From every direction. Clout chasing celebs, ratings-driven “news” organizations, data-gobbling tech giants, and lead-seeking marketers are all screaming at the top of their metaphorical lungs for just a few seconds of attention.
Everyone wants you to give them a moment, at this very moment…and they will do almost anything to get it.
IT’S TIME TO FIND YOUR NEW FIT
Yes, the amount of distracting content out there is both mind-blowing and blowing up. So, maybe you need to stop asking your agency how to stand out and start figuring out how to fit in. Not to BLEND in, that is. But to belong. To be relevant. That’s the order of the day, in a nutshell.
Today, you have to move faster than you ever thought possible if you hope to get any traction at all in this hot mess of a marketplace. Stick a fork in perfection, because it’s all about the production timeline. Just get it done and get it out there. Perseverate on the details and you’re done.
The good news, if you’re looking for some, is that doing this is not exactly “rocket surgery.” It just requires thinking differently about how people are consuming content these days and the meaningfulness of the messages you’re sharing.
Marketing can actually be cheaper and more measurable in many ways given the tools at our disposal. And some tried-and-true media, like OOH and direct mail, are experiencing a renaissance of sorts as the pendulum swings back from soliciting eyeballs in the virtual world to fishing for them in the real one.
So stay positive. And pair up with partners who are equally optimistic – and always with one eye responsibly trained on what’s next. Because, honestly, there’s never been a more exciting, more promising, and more impactful time to be a marketer.
Let’s Go Beyond.
*Business-To-Friend marketing, otherwise known as cozying up to customers via social media content designed to tickle their fancy.
