30 May Time to Wake Up.
Marketing is bland and it’s our fault.
For our perpetual hunt for quick answers, speedy content and easy solutions, we’ve been sold a bill of goods. Marketing in the 20th century was about discovering “the big idea”; it was consistent and predictable and for a very long time, things worked. Then something happened, the industry arrived at a tipping point. Cable television changed the landscape by fragmenting audiences. Overnight numbers and ROI drove the industry and ideas became less important.
21st century marketing is hardly recognizable when looked at through the lens of the past. The industry is digital, mobile, connected and quick and marketers’ backgrounds are as varied as the projects they oversee. Designers, mathematicians and technologists are at the helm and while often the results are brilliant, new methods always present hurdles to circumvent.
Search Engine Marketing has spurred an entire industry of professionals dedicated to analyzing data and metrics for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). While this has proven extremely powerful, content is driven now by Keywords and metrics and not by quality. Frustration has been expressed in dark corners over the ever-present “listicle” (list article) and “click-bait”, or articles published with the sole purpose of driving traffic to a site. Consumers have caught on and people are now openly criticizing brands with inauthentic marketing messages and in an era where authenticity is in demand, this type of criticism spells certain death.
It’s time we bring back big ideas and merge traditions of the past with the strategic approach of the present. As marketers in the 21st century, our job is to make use of technology to connect in real-time to what consumers want to see, hear and know. We have the technology to listen effectively, it’s time for us to put it to use.
The magic of marketing is in its’ ability to inspire thoughtfulness, start a conversation and drive sales and interest to a brand, idea or product. In our endless hunt for clicks, impressions and conversions, we’ve lost our way.
B4B has arrived; we are here to engage, disrupt, innovate, connect and inspire…
No Comments