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The Brand Dream is going sourbecause we are less and less able toconnect with consumers
As an industry, Marketers we are becoming less able to connect withconsumers. There is a tug of war going on. On our side we arepulling against consumers as we resist change and continue to dothe same old things we have always done. On their side consumersare becoming far less willing to play our game.So the marketing industry is resisting change. Consumers areresisting classification.Firstly, let’s consider the industry.I have long been a believer that things are changing in the world of brands and communications. In fact I would go as far as to say thatthe traditional approach to brand building so reliant on interruptiveadvertising like TV is past it’s prime. Today’s more cynicalconsumers have a quite different and more realistic sort of relationship with brands. They know the game. Brands are no longera mystery. How often have you sat in a research group whererespondents have played back the strategy? But, we hardly registeron their radar UNLESS they are getting some benefit. This could bethe functional benefit of the product or service or some added valuePage 1 of 9
 
they might get from involving themselves with our marketingactivities. They are asking themselves ‘What’s in this for me?’, ‘Isthis entertaining?’, ‘Am I getting anything in return for listening,watching or reading?’, ‘Are the people who produced this ad anygood?’, ‘Do they really understand me?’. Of course this is on thepresumption that people actually see our brand marketing. The trouble is that people are not seeing most of the communicationthat we put out. People are bombarded with more and morecommercial messages and they are actively trying to avoid them.Some of the figures are shocking. Billets claim that 41% of TVviewers don’t see any of the break. The newspaper society say thatonly 5.7% of readers notice the average display ad. 94% of listenerscannot spontaneously recall a heavy radio campaign according tothe Radio Advertising Bureau.But it’s OK. We have an explanation. Low involvement processingmeans that people don’t actually have to recall advertising as it hasan effect anyway.Now if we are being honest we would much rather people didremember our communications than not. But to get people toremember they have to consciously engage and getting people toengage consciously is more and more difficult.Page 2 of 9
 
 This is why I have begun to believe and work in more experientialmedia like events, Interactive TV, the web, the telephone etcetera. Ibelieve that if people consciously engage in the communication theywill be much more likely to listen to the message and build arelationship with the brand. We are likely to have stronger opinionsabout those things which we have in some way experienced thannot. And this is what draws me to the permission marketing model.If people go to an event, visit a web site or press the red button ontheir TV remote, they are entering into a contract. They are givingtheir permission to be marketed at. They are consciously engaged.When they are in this mode it is no longer a battle between us andthem. There is no longer a tug of war. We are in it together. Brandswhich recognise this will command more respect from consumersthan those who hit and run.Now of course I am not the only one saying this. For a start agenciesworking below the line have been saying it for years and to quoteNiall Fitzgerald soon to be retired CEO of Unilever
’advertisers must adopt new ways of engaging customers....the interrupt and repeat model is in decline’
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