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Nex Media • MARKETING – EVOLVING OR DYING
Marketing – Evolving
or Dying
A
lot has been written in recent months on the changes taking pace within the marketing industry. Many of these
changes are being forced on the industry by consumers, especially the millennials. The ways in which they
influence marketing trends are too numerous to mention all of them but suffice to say that they are generally not
interested in being bombarded with product or brand messages. They are also more distrustful of these messages and
are more likely to be swayed by word-of-mouth than an advert.
This is directly impacting the way in which marketing campaigns have to be conceptualised and the weapons which
marketers have to include in their armoury. Surprisingly, consumers would rather believe a false statement from a
disgruntled customer than a factual statement from a company which simply appears to be a blatant advert.
Possibly the most disconcerting factor surrounding the changes which are being forced on marketers is the speed with
which these changes are occurring. Slow and organic change can be easily absorbed and assimilated. The speed of the
change now means that every campaign is reactionary. The most effective campaigns are those which respond quickly
and intelligently. Millenials are also demanding that the brands they support be truthful, responsible and accessible. All
of this is placing increased pressure on marketers to consider the customer as much as the brands they represent.
This issue of Nex Media is full of advice on what you need to do to be the most effective marketer you can. Perhaps
the most important piece of advice, but the one which is not necessarily stated openly, is that you need to be flexible
and open to collaboration. It is no longer sufficient to create a mind-blowing campaign and trust it to see the brand’s
popularity rise. Multi-channel approaches are more important than ever. Here too you have to consider that the spectrum
and range of channels has grown. Social media is important, digital content has its place but, focusing on these in
exclusion to everything else will result in failure.
Be prepared to expand your knowledge base and with it your arsenal to meet the demands being placed on the
marketing fraternity. Failure to do so could see you becoming redundant. This issue of the magazine will go some way in
helping you to keep on top of the trends which are, and will be, influencing your industry.
I hope you enjoy it and I encourage you to participate in the conversations with your own thought leadership articles.
Join us and join in.
Till next time
Happy reading
Mark Norris
Editor
