I love it when industry pundits make generalizations without accounting for how different we all are, or how diverse human behavior really is. One size never fits all, and painting with a broad brush is extremely shortsighted. In fact, even among hispanics alone, there are more sub-cultures and market fragmentation than any other people group.
What I'm driving at, is the notion that traditional marketing is dead (at least, the science, rationale, and thinking part of the selling process is dead) or no longer needed somehow, because consumers have full control over their own purchasing decisions. Or do they?
For years, gurus have been saying that the digital era pushed aside old rules of engagement and made way for an exciting, new marketing landscape. I don't dispute that. But one thing hasn't changed all that much, and that's the way our brains make decisions. Everyone is influenced by something, and that changes dramatically depending on who you talk to on any given day.
I've heard the arguments. Consumers no longer wish to tolerate annoying advertisements or traditional marketing methods that disrupt their busy lives. They strongly despise any business or brand that tells them what to buy and why. Instead, consumers know what they want and how to get it. Unfortunately, that's not what the research shows, or what common sense would dictate.
Sure, we all have access to a world of information via the Internet. We can research our own products and services online. We can read forums and see what others are saying about brands. We can contribute our own thoughts and reviews. We can follow key people on Twitter or Facebook and even write our own blogs. But how many are actually doing that, especially for day-to-day purchases?
Statistics show that the average person isn't doing all these things before they go to the store to pick up a gallon of milk or some laundry detergent. People are creatures of habit, and many things along the retail path-to-purchase influence the decisions we make. For instance, many decisions are often determined at the last minute.
It's true, the Internet has transformed the way we shop, and marketing has had to adapt to the cultural shift. Instead of just broadcasting a message, brands and businesses are actually returning to the days when they used to engage consumers in a two-way conversation about their needs and concerns. Somewhere a long the line, we lost sight of this principle and consequently, our way. Involvement is a valuable, but often overlooked investment. It's about championing a movement; not just a message, which involves anything that helps your brand become an industry leader that people love, trust and loyally align themselves with.
Rather than paying for expensive ad space, or spewing out press release after press release, brands are forced to participate in a new process or perish. But that doesn't mean we should all become digital PR agencies and digital marketing firms. That's just over correcting. Businesses are as different as the consumers they serve, and there's no cookie-cutter formula that works for all brands. That's why an integrated approach works best and we need to focus our time and attention accordingly. This is not about a digital revolution, but an uprising that brings the customer back into focus where they rightfully belong.
What I'm driving at, is the notion that traditional marketing is dead (at least, the science, rationale, and thinking part of the selling process is dead) or no longer needed somehow, because consumers have full control over their own purchasing decisions. Or do they?
For years, gurus have been saying that the digital era pushed aside old rules of engagement and made way for an exciting, new marketing landscape. I don't dispute that. But one thing hasn't changed all that much, and that's the way our brains make decisions. Everyone is influenced by something, and that changes dramatically depending on who you talk to on any given day.
I've heard the arguments. Consumers no longer wish to tolerate annoying advertisements or traditional marketing methods that disrupt their busy lives. They strongly despise any business or brand that tells them what to buy and why. Instead, consumers know what they want and how to get it. Unfortunately, that's not what the research shows, or what common sense would dictate.
Sure, we all have access to a world of information via the Internet. We can research our own products and services online. We can read forums and see what others are saying about brands. We can contribute our own thoughts and reviews. We can follow key people on Twitter or Facebook and even write our own blogs. But how many are actually doing that, especially for day-to-day purchases?
Statistics show that the average person isn't doing all these things before they go to the store to pick up a gallon of milk or some laundry detergent. People are creatures of habit, and many things along the retail path-to-purchase influence the decisions we make. For instance, many decisions are often determined at the last minute.
It's true, the Internet has transformed the way we shop, and marketing has had to adapt to the cultural shift. Instead of just broadcasting a message, brands and businesses are actually returning to the days when they used to engage consumers in a two-way conversation about their needs and concerns. Somewhere a long the line, we lost sight of this principle and consequently, our way. Involvement is a valuable, but often overlooked investment. It's about championing a movement; not just a message, which involves anything that helps your brand become an industry leader that people love, trust and loyally align themselves with.
Rather than paying for expensive ad space, or spewing out press release after press release, brands are forced to participate in a new process or perish. But that doesn't mean we should all become digital PR agencies and digital marketing firms. That's just over correcting. Businesses are as different as the consumers they serve, and there's no cookie-cutter formula that works for all brands. That's why an integrated approach works best and we need to focus our time and attention accordingly. This is not about a digital revolution, but an uprising that brings the customer back into focus where they rightfully belong.
