REALITY MARKETING
The struggle is real, market-eers. It’s half past woke and you’re still dreaming if you think you can 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 fucking waking moment.
But seriously, don’t take our word as gospel: open your eyes and have a look. Some scary shit going on out there. Amazombies one-click shopping while waiting for their mobile Starbucks orders. Facebookworms at the stoplight (and in the crosswalk!). Instagrammarians on the couch perfecting their thumbscroll during the recap sequence of last week’s Bachelorette. Sound familiar?
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. Streaming Spotify playlists and Apple podcasts to their airpods via Bluetooth. Compulsively awarding ‘kudos’ to obscure LinkedIn connections at the prodding of a notification. Reluctantly tolerating pre-roll bumper videos on Candy Crush in exchange for in-game boosters while commuting home. Business people, it turns out, at the end of the business day, are still people. Who knew?
People 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 commercial, by the way.
Have you noticed yet? Texting is the new email. YouTube is the new Google. Instagram is the new Facebook. 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. Google ‘Cambridge Analytica’ for a ripped-from-the-headlines case study on it.