In today's fast-paced business landscape, the phrase “This is how we do things around here” seems to have lost its relevance.
Gone are the days when artisans and traders meticulously honed their skills and proudly passed on traditions to the next generation. As we transition from the increasing age of yesteryear to the exponential age of today, it is easy to believe that the rules of the past no longer apply.
We have witnessed seismic shifts in the way we consume media, shop, bank and communicate, both virtually and in person. But just as we learned twenty years ago, the answer was not Bricks OR Clicks but Bricks AND Clicks (i.e. real and virtual access to our brands). Maybe it's time to revisit some timeless principles. Despite the allure of large-scale change, there is value in recognizing and preserving the fundamental truths that have guided business for generations.
In his role as CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos spent as much time on what he knew would NOT change as he did on what he predicted would change in the next decade. As he put it, he knew that spending money on the former perennials (low prices, fast delivery, wide selection) would pay for itself in a decade or more, while the latter might not last as long. As historians say, those who ignore or forget history will be forced to relearn its painful lessons.
Are there things in this shiny, fresh brand marketing world that we can keep from the days of yore, when everything had seemingly changed?
Inevitably, I intend to argue yes. But only partly of course.
How many of you still watch shows on the same TV station, at the same time, and on the same channel where it first aired? The data doesn't mean much and it continues to decline every year. More and more of us are watching more content than ever on a large panel in the living room AND a smaller panel in our hand, and on the channel of our choice. That's a new way to watch what we used to call TV.
We are also seeing more and more dynamic and personalized ads on social media because our phone heard us talking to friends the night before about the topic we are now seeing an ad for. That's a new tool that has the power to surprise! Outdoor media, once reserved for simple, static print advertisements for consumer goods, has now become giant, weatherproof cinema screens with engaging and fun content for luxury brands.
So yes, a lot has changed. But to the point, much has remained the same.
For starters, we still communicate with each other. And the best communicators find ways to engage an audience, not interrupt them and yell at them repeatedly. The same goes for storytelling: authentic, human and emotional. These are the things we love – from the stories of the Roman Empire, to the Normans crossing the seas, to seeing humanity return to the moon and then venture to Mars. We love a good story.
In marketing there is no B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer), but everything is now B2A (business to Audience) involvement. So treat everyone as a full member of humanity and you'll be more likely to gain their interest, followers and support – all things a brand desperately needs to change behavior and drive repeat purchases.
The second thing that hasn't changed is relevance. Don't advertise dog food to someone who doesn't have a dog. You pay to advertise there, and it's wasted. It doesn't matter if your customer sees the ad as a 5-second spot on TikTok instead of a 30-second spot on ITV, it's still true. We used to accept that 99% of direct mail was wasted because the 1% who bought the product reimbursed the cost of the mailer. But then we realized that this meant that 99 out of 100 people who looked at a message from your brand then rejected it and tossed it. Not good.
The same goes for today's online advertisements. Don't make someone wait until they watch a YouTube video with an unskippable ad to present me with a boring piece of film about a product I have no interest in. You're spending money to make your customer feel even worse about you.
And the third thing that hasn't changed is craft. Whatever means of communication you want to spread in the world, we all know the positive impression great content can leave on you. There is still a certain amount of reassurance, or shall we call it a quality impression, when seeing a nice piece of film or a great still image of a brand or a well-written piece of text. Even if we never heard of the brand before seeing it, engaging content, effective audience targeting and timing will have a disproportionate effect on brand impression and purchase intent.
It's interesting, isn't it, because I bet in your own business, whatever product you make or whatever service you provide, if you don't think about the humanity, the relevance and the craftsmanship of what you do, you're less will be successful. . The same goes for brand marketing and yes, in short, some of the old rules still apply. Just like old dogs learn new tricks.
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