Marketing Strategy Turned Upside Down

Once upon a time, like in the post-War era depicted by the Mad Men TV series, clever people in marketing departments or an elegant advertising agency spent their time dreaming up catchy ways to lure consumers to their products.

They created demand for things people never knew they wanted, they sliced up the market and pored over their research data as they sought new ways to differentiate their products from competitors, often creating irrelevant and artificial distinctions. Does it really matter which cola you drink?

But that era is long gone as the one-way media funnel has been inverted and brand recognition has changed, well, beyond recognition.

It was easy to tell people what they wanted when they couldn’t respond or could only absorb the bombardment of messages on television screens and newspaper advertisements.

Now, through the two-way communications of blogs and social media, consumers can decide what they want and demand products that are tailored specifically for them.

Consumers will also make sure they inform their friends when their satisfied and they’ll make absolutely certain to tell everyone when they’re not happy – what else are all those status updates about?

There may still be smoke-filled boardroom plotting the behaviour of millions, but the emergence of a conversation, means only those engaged in a social networking dialogue will succeed.

Now, it’s the era of social marketing, where only the arrogant would think the boardroom is where a successful brand strategy can be created. It’s on the internet in the comment section of a blog or the response to a friend’s twitter.

Think of your social media strategy as a way to be part of the real chat and make sure you listen when your potential consumers tell you what they need, it’s the way to create your own cyber smoke-filled boardroom.

Tags: Advertising Agency, Brand Recognition, Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy, social marketing, Social Media, social media strategy, social networking