A thought that I’ve been stuck on. These days all you hear is “consumer this, consumer that.” Consumers are hit over the head with messaging in almost every channel you can think of: indoor, outdoor, near the door, on-the-door, in-the-door, etc.But before you or I become a consumer, aren’t we first viewers and listeners? Sure, we may eventually buy something. Until then, we’re just looking, thanks. Potential consumers, nothing more. Has to start somewhere though.
Like with print ads and radio spots. Funky experential touchpoints that seem to be everywhere now. Product placement and branding efforts in movies we watch. Virals spread via word of mouse. All of these things eventually create consumers, assuming your product is good. (More on that in a later post.)
But you don’t just see an ad for the first time ever and then rush out to buy the widget you saw. Doesn’t happen that way. I’m not saying individual elements don’t work. They do. They can. People likely take action though because of a brand familiarity they already have. One that came through previous exposures to brand messaging.
It’s this series of things along the way that need to happen. There isn’t one sure-fire step in the process that on its own, is money when it comes to guaranteeing a sale.*
If there is though, name it, ’cause the world will beat a path...
*Heard MIT is working on this as we speak. Or was that MTV?
Tags: advertising,brands, viral
4 comments:
No doubt it's true that we're usually viewers (or listeners or clickers -- ) of advertising before we're consumers of that particular product, but we're all consumers and viewers every day in the general sense. I recently read the estimate that we absorb 5,000 ad messages daily. What do we purchase daily -- maybe twenty things? It's just matching up the ad with the motivation to purchase that's the magic marketers seek. But there seems to be this perception among marketers that consumers wake up every morning waiting to throw their money at something, as if reaching eyeballs were the end of the game. Once upon a time, the simple repetition of advertising reassured viewers that the product was genuine and ubiquitous. Now the clutter is also a din and media feels so fragmented it seems a marketer has to advertise everywhere -- tv, print, radio online, foreheads, email, product placement, buzz, WOM -- just to get noticed. And the legitimacy a brand could buy with mainstream advertising is long gone. Now consumers know that a big advertising budget only means -- a big advertising budget. I'm beginning to think it's just easier and smarter to make a great product and gently assist people in finding it with simple messages, an informative website, great packaging and a memorable logo than it is to fabricate hype, shill, cajole and manipulate viewers into becoming consumers. Better mousetraps.
You had me at "...and a memorable logo."
That statement is so wrong. So wrong.
;-p
I think the old-school brands think that consumers do have that disposable income ready to throw their way. New school brands realizes it ain’t that easy.
Consumers are empowered more than ever. Buyer beware?
More like brands beware.
well, blind people would not be viewers. and deaf people would not be listeners. and deaf and blind people would be neither.
additionally, most of us are not viewing or listening to the overwhelming majority of messages directed toward us.
viewers and listeners seems so media-centric.
why the fuck are we even pondering this?
“why the fuck are we even pondering this?“
Free time. Too much free time.
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