“The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads.” –Jeff Hammerbacher
Innovation and creativity are the stepping stones for successful businesses today, and we’re seeing a lot of that coming into play these days. Every business or brand wants to be known, and not just known, preferred by the customer. However, with the kind of world we are in today, no matter what the industry, there’s always competition ready to thrive. Talking about your brand and making people aware about how it can benefit them is important, and that’s what marketing aims to achieve.
Marketing is no longer a good-to-have service, especially for newer brands who wish to make their mark. It has become an essential department for all business leaders to focus on, and those who still choose to ignore it will have to bear the brunt of it in the longer term. Customers are king today, and establishing a connection with consumers should be a priority. As more and more businesses move towards becoming consumer centric, marketing is bound to take centre stage much more than before.
Going a little more into the specifics, advertising is the marketing function hat deals directly with promotions and brand awareness, and is one of those sectors that every business needs to invest in. The origins of modern advertising can be traced right back to the 19th century, when the first ads began to appear in print. Newspapers have been the backbone for traditional advertising since its inception, and print ads still work wonders if implemented correctly.
However, we’ve come a long way since then. Print mediums continue to challenge marketers all over the world today, but it’s not the only medium in use these days. Broadcast stepped up in the 20th century and since then there has been no looking back. Mediums like radio and television are definitely more expensive to invest in, but also a better fit for disseminating messages to the masses. They also allow marketers to explore regional content like never before, and are well suited for customised communication that needs to be shared.
But the game changer has been digital. Ever since digital and social media communication has come to the forefront in the early 2000s, they have completely transformed the brand-customer journey. For one, this digital push has allowed for two way communication where consumers can interact with brands in real time, rather than just one sided message dissemination. Digital advertising, thus, has huge potential to grow, and we have not even scratched its surface yet. It has allowed brands to become more humane and develop their personalities, it has allowed them to interact with consumers more freely and that too in real time. It has also allowed for enhanced tracking and measurability outcomes that can be mapped in line with changing consumer expectations.
If there’s one thing we know about today’s consumer, is that they love their screens. In today’s time, and especially in light of the Covid 19 pandemic, screens like mobiles, smart Tvs and laptops have become very important touchpoints to target consumers, and this can only be done through digital marketing. In a nutshell, now’s as good a time as any for marketers to explore the vast expanse that advertising offers them in order to build brands effectively. Those who can connect with their consumers with effective messaging strategies are sure to thrive!