7 Shifts

The ad that started it all
(click to enlarge)

Marketing never stands still. As communication tools evolve and change our expectations, we need to modify how we interact with our audiences.

Over 40 years ago, a one-word headline shook the advertising world and ushered in a whole new way of thinking about marketing communications. Yet, while the creativity of the “Lemon” ad and others which followed set them apart, the media was traditional. The Volkswagen ads were, like all other advertising of that era, one-way messages. They ran in newspapers and magazines, directed to a large number of people, designed to capture the imagination of some of them so that they would buy the product.

All that has changed. With the emergence of social media, consumers are ever more interested in a genuine two-way dialog with their favorite brands. They want to be involved in the development of brands, asked for their opinions, recognized for their contributions.

In addition to these changes, new technologies are transforming how we talk to our audiences. Here’s a look at 7 major shifts that are impacting the world of marketing.

Shift 1: We’re learning to use the instruction manual

Because the instruction manual is no longer just a colossal waste of paper. It’s becoming interesting. Fascinating, even. Through the web and other technologies, paper is reduced and we’re able to enage through interactive video-based instructions, product details, brand support messages and much more.

Your video camera’s manual will come with advice on how to shoot the perfect wedding, narrated perhaps by Steve Martin as Father of the Bride.

Personal beauty products from waxing kits to hair dryers will show you the art of the possible and the latest styles, perhaps with Facebook groups or pages dedicated to sharing makeup trends or hair styling tips.

Electronic products will demonstrate what to plug in where and how to set up your system to get the most out of it.

Product managers will look you in the eye and tell you that they stand behind the fine product you just purchased, and even how to reach them if you’re unhappy about anything at all.

Shift 2: Paper cuts deeper

Will we still use paper? Surprisingly, despite all the talk of the paperless office, we are using more paper than ever before. Many clerical staff are actually printing every E-mail message for filing purposes! While we make an effort to create awareness about our planet’s precious limited resources, there will continue to be reductions in the use of paper. Still, in marketing the changes taking place relate more to how we use paper than simply in reducing volume.

Product brochures, rather than including all the details, are becoming more generic and emotional in scope, with the Internet being used to provide the constantly changing product details.

As a result, some of the most effective marketing materials depend more than ever on special techniques to maximize their emotional sales appeal. Rich paper textures, die-cut shapes, embossing and foil stamping are making a comeback as companies realize they can be used to enhance the brand. Brochures are thinner and smaller, but with the use of special production techniques can still be as dynamic and powerful as ever.

Shift 3: We’re cutting the umbilical

Wireless connections are becoming ubiquitous. Many people are abandoning the wired home phone, replacing it with their mobile. Rising gas prices and economic concerns are impacting conferences, taking them online. Consumers want meeting and work spaces, including restaurants and coffee shops, that let them connect to the Internet without the hassle of wires, freeing them up to be as mobile as possible. Other demands on the horizon are voice recognition systems for operating everything from cars to entertainment systems to kitchen appliances.

You’ve already noticed growing use of voice recognition when calling customer service lines. Computer-based dictation systems are getting better than ever, and will continue to improve. Online services like ReQall can already record your iPhone notes, convert them to text, and set an appointment in your calendar. Imagine how sophisticated these services will become in the next few years.

How can marketers adapt? By being more mobile. Building kiosks in a variety of locations instead of relying entirely on brick and mortar stores. Design regular webinars into your marketing mix. Use social media like Twitter and Foursquare to encourage and reward customer loyalty.

Shift 4: Life moves more

There’s a reason television and movies captivated whole generations of people. Life moves, and nothing reflects the nature of our world better than moving images and sound.

As the Internet becomes faster, computers more capable, and video cameras more portable, video is rapidly increasing in appeal. Look at the popularity of the tiny Flip cams and YouTube. Video editing, once requiring specialized skills and tools is now bundled with almost every computer sold. Young people are experimenting with the thrill of directing their own video productions. Even cell phones now include the ability to not only shoot, but even edit movie clips.

Life will move more, and marketing will have to respond with more motion-oriented communication.

Shift 5: Our memory is shrinking

Computer memory chips will soon be considered dinosaurs. The tiniest SD memory cards already have enough capacity to store hours of video — equivalent to several million typewritten sheets of paper. CDs, DVDs and hard drives contain complex moving parts, deliver data slowly compared to newer solid state memory options, and are fragile.

As these technologies continue to improve, companies will be able to deliver highly detailed, customized, video-based brand messages in what will seem impossibly small containers.

Before long, video-based instructions will be embedded directly into products themselves, with wireless online links to manufacturer Web sites.

Shift 6: We’re getting more intimate

In the movie Minority Report, Tom Cruise’s character walks into a store in which an elaborate customer relationship marketing system immediately goes to work, calling him by name and referring to previous purchases he has made. A computerized system that seems so human may seem eerie and unnerving. Get used to it. Because it’s inevitable.

We are already well on the way to greater personalization in marketing, and people are beginning to expect it. Consider how you feel when connecting to a favorite Web site and the familiar personalized welcome message doesn’t appear as you’ve grown to expect. We hear more concerns about personal privacy, yet more people than ever are opening Facebook accounts and posting the most intimate details about their lives.

Brands that find creative new ways to create personalized interaction with customers will win big.

Shift 7: We’re trusting less, yet risking more

One thing the Internet has helped us become is cynics. We’ve learned that the words “I love you” are not a message of endearment but a computer virus. E-mail messages of all kinds are really deceitful ploys to sell us something we don’t want, and requests for help from strangers in Nairobi are con games by the Russian mafia.

The Internet isn’t the only thing teaching us about human nature. We’ve learned to be wary of phone calls, knocks at the door, and even invitations to neighborhood parties.

Yet, while becoming more cynical, we’re also more willing to take chances. We know products won’t last but buy them anyway, expecting to throw them out in exchange for something newer and better next year. Many brands can take advantage of this shift to open up new markets and product lines, with planned product add-ons and built-in obsolescence of certain product features.

The key as you plan for these developments is to ensure that customers are recognized for their value. It takes 20 times as much money and effort to create one new customer as it takes to sell a new product to an existing customer. Bend over backwards to ensure that existing customers are valued and cared for as products transition or expire.