Navigating in a Tidal Wave

It was supposed to be a paperless society. But we are drowning in the reams of paper and information constantly streaming toward us. It was supposed to be the leisure age yet time has become our most precious commodity as we struggle to surface from the overwhelming demands for our attention. How do we maneuver through this daunting sea of excess? And how do marketers compete for attention from consumers who must scan mail and zap through commercial messages with ruthless indifference? We have a few insights for our clients who want to break through the clutter to connect with the hearts and minds of their customers –

Knowledge Economy

The dawn of the Knowledge Economy heralded a seismic shift from quantitative to qualitative markers for value and status. The entire socioeconomic structure is no longer about bricks and mortar, adding and subtracting. Ideas and intellectual property have become the new capital. In an effort to abstract from all this information, icons or images – brands have become even more significant. In a virtual world, where we are unable to touch and feel, reputation and reliability become even more important and more valuable.

At the same time, to bring order to all this chaos people have become adept chameleons. Multi-tasking has become a way of life. All of this complexity is refining a consumer who is increasingly sophisticated and subtle. Broad, single dimension categories no longer address consumer interests. Just as marketers once ‘touched’ consumers at a wide range of physical entries, they must now offer a rich variety of sensory and intellectual signals that reach out to a vast neuron port.

Primal Forces

Just as symbols or conventions help to codify a complex universe, people turn increasingly to metaphor and icons to decipher or find meaning in this information overload. As our lives become more and more abstract and virtual, conversely we look for ways to add spirituality and meaning in our lives. We seek a human dimension in our messages. Storytelling and myth are a familiar leitmotif that lend comfort and reassurance. Successful marketers are leveraging this, blurring the line between commercial messaging and narrative entertainment to engage consumer interest.

Respite

Amid the chaos, people are seeking relief in a variety of ways – cocooning at home, faith and meditation, exercise and sport, travel and escape. Employees will choose flexible hours over salary increases and people everywhere are buying services that promise to relieve some of their responsibilities – housekeeping, childcare, pet walkers, shoppers, parent minders – whatever it takes to gain respite from the onslaught. In that context marketers should think about positioning products as sources of relief for stress and overload.

Tribal Identity

In the face of increasing globalization and the anonymity of a virtual world, people have let out one great, existential howl. They are asserting their self importance in a variety of ways. They are returning to their “tribes” searching their roots, reestablishing traditions, reconnecting with family and community and looking for ways to articulate their individuality in the consumer badges they choose. They are indulging in luxuries and even small indulgences as statements of importance and significance. And they will choose products and services that reinforce notions of “specialness” that set them apart.

The New Morality

There is a new elite defining tastes. Slowly, a different set of rules and sumptuary codes are emerging defined by gurus or taste mavens – Martha Stewart, President’s Choice, HGTV personalities and even The Shopping Channel – leaders who make the choices for consumers by defining style and selecting quality. They do not trust advertising. They are looking for ways to simplify and choose reliable and trusted products or services. This is why so many marketers are turning to public relations over paid advertising to reach out to their customers. Editorial coverage provides a third party endorsement or testimonial that consumers believe they can rely on.