Blurring the Lines Between Old and New
Marketing for the New Generation.
When author Joseph Jaffe speaks, people listen, and his latest pronouncements citing the beginning of a new media era—the “and” generation—is a positive step in breaking through the traditional direct marketing versus brand advertising argument. This is a new horizon, leaving many of the old guard marketing professionals staring into space with a blank look upon their faces. It is an era during which the lines have become blurred, when it is important to look upon consumers as equals, not someone to beat or dupe. This is the age of communication and flexibility.
As a seasoned marketing executive with experience working at both a brand agency (JWT) and as the president of a direct marketing company (Enversa Companies), I have spent my life arguing the unique advantages of both sides. Recently we began adopting the term “brand response” as a way to talk through the inevitable combination of both forms of advertising. This is in direct alignment with Jaffe’s statement that “and” will be a key component of defining advertising success with your advertising.
Direct marketing has until now consisted of being a means of individual communication when necessary, or a way to complete a transaction. As the new methods of marketing develop and expand with the internet—solidifying its role as a marketing tool—direct mail, stationary advertising, and traditional media spots will evolve into a method of communication with the more relaxed feel of brand-focused communication. Direct advertising has begun to develop a more conversational manner between consumer and corporation. The blurred lines exist in this space, the area in which it is no longer buyer versus mega business, but customer talking to producer as if they are speaking to a neighbor.
Perhaps the one problem direct marketing has always had is the ability to balance long vs. short-term benefit. In the past there was no ongoing communication between consumers and corporations, and what little there was could hardly be considered ‘cozy’. While direct marketing was an efficient way of directing a consumer’s attention to sales, new products, or other, completing a sale was cold and impersonal.
One of Jaffe’s key points was stated in a recent lecture: “new does not replace old and old should not dominate new”. This is the best way to pinpoint the relationship between old and new marketing methods, particularly the way businesses communicate with their customers. Jaffe also attacks the Web 2.0 tendency to overshadow direct marketing with branding as the only thought in marketing aspects. While branding is vital—and he calls anyone who attempts any kind of direct marketing naïve—there has to be an understanding of how the concepts can and must work together.
The idea is that we should no longer attempt to live on one side of the coin. Both methods of marketing have great potential and both have pitfalls. Utilizing what works in one in conjunction with what works in the other leads to successful new age marketing that transcends both the physical and the cyber world.
The “and” economy takes the best part of direct marketing, its accountability, and the ability to measure it accurately, combining that with the communication styles that have flourished in the online communication forums. Since its inception, the internet has continued in an upward thrust to take over all consumer activities. Though the benefits are immense, it has given both consumers and those marketing the goods a way to view each other in a more human light. As scary as the new age may be to the old guard of marketing, nothing but good can come from people relating to each other as equal partners in the purchasing/selling scheme.
As we watch the evolution of marketing and consumer relations develop thanks to the internet, it soon will become obvious that the only real line in existence anymore is the one dividing those stuck in the past from those moving with the flow.
How you handle the tide of change in the end will determine on which side of that line you are.
Tags: direct marketing, the "and" generation
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 7:40 pm and is filed under Enversa POV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:51 am
The ‘and’ lies with both the customer and the client. The customer is the user, the client is the advertiser. The ‘and’ lies in exposure. Creating a link between the two is the key. The ‘and’ happens here, “the customer ‘and’ the client”. How do you make this possible. You give as little inconvenience to the customer and you give as much targeting to the client as possible. But how do you do this? You do it in reverse. You give as much freedom and expressiveness as possible to the customer, letting them tell you who you are and what they want as possible, and then you track their progression along the way. Thus, letting them build a shopping profile out of thin air. So where is the opposite? This profile provides convenience to the client letting them target the who, when, where, why, how much, what color, and every other demographic and psychographic in detail. The new ‘and’ is the Clickboard. Check out advertual.com for more.