Marketing used to be easier, didn’t it? For example, you opened a store, sold the right goods and told people about it. Maybe that involved flyers and posters, or jingles on the radio as families drove home for dinner. And social media was word of mouth from friends or coworkers. Then a few game changing things happened to brand marketing in the past few years. First, emerging technology accelerated to give us global mass communications, near-real-time digital campaigns and rapid social media trends that can either make, or crush, a brand in seconds. Then the pandemic completely rewrote the rules of reaching and engaging consumers. So if you’re a marketer today, you’re dealing with a very full plate that includes all of that, plus the dominant advance of AI and now the rise of Gen Z consumers who think and act very differently. I suppose, then, it’s not a surprise that 99% of the calls or emails I receive from prospective clients seem the same: my business has changed, my customers want different things  - but I’m not sure my brand is evolving the way it should. If this sounds familiar, if you have a gut feel, or even hard numbers, that point to the fact that your brand is no longer performing, it’s time to get in sync with what’s already changed, currently changing and coming fast at all of us. Think of it in three ways. 

We can’t market like it’s 2019

Many brands quickly pivoted during the early part of the pandemic. Amazon accelerated online ordering tools and logistics, Shopify launched simple tools for small businesses to transition to e-commerce, and Zoom famously grew usage 30-fold, increased revenue by 169% in six months and escalated a staggering market cap from $19 billion to $100 billion within the year. Those are extreme examples, of course, but my point is this: many other brands did not evolve and went dark. Now almost five years later their brand strategies seem dated, out of touch and not ready for the way consumers now act or the how they use new technologies to do it. Conversely, some marketers have seen their business models shift dramatically and business grow, but their brand strategy isn’t right, or ready, for that kind of change. Either way, it’s time to think about evolving your strategy and designing a new brand strategy from scratch.

Embrace changing consumer marketplace to grow

Born in the mid-nineties, the oldest of Gen Z are now rising in earning – and spending – power as they enter their 30s and climb the ladder at work (if they choose to). The first generation to be native with the smartphone, it’s not surprising 83% of their shopping is done on TikTok and Instagram, or that influencers are the major drivers of product and brand recommendations versus their friends. Great, right? Just one dominant media channel with amazing reach for this fast growing demo? It’s like TV was in the 1960s. But Gen Z consumers also come with attitudinal shifts and new priorities: experiences versus ownership, authentic brand interactions and a desire for speed and easy, mobile convenience. There are elements of all of this in other consumer demographics but with Gen Z’s generation-wide focus on these attributes and touchpoints, plus $360 billion in global spending power, we will see some huge opportunities for marketers who get it right. Brands that can design experiences – both in real life and digitally – and that can find ways to authentically  include Gen Z customers will be well placed to build lasting consumer relationships in a world where loyalty is hard to win.

Use smart technology in smarter ways

A little while ago, a ripple of AI concern, if not panic, spread through the creative communities. You probably remember that. We all know generative AI isn’t going away. It can’t, because in just two short years it’s snagged a global valuation of $186 billion and is embedded in almost every app, photo stock library, analytics tool or creative solution you care to name. So if we can’t get the cat back in the bag, the question is really about how we, as marketers and agencies, make the robots do our bidding. How do we use AI to help us deliver sharper design, smarter thinking and faster results as marketing reinvents itself again? Focus on four foundational things:

Brainstorm boosting

o   AI tools don’t have the emotional intelligence and life experience of humans but they can provide fast and on-point references, visuals, mood boards and idea starters to help brand, creative and design teams kickstart brainstorms and ideation.

o   Create faster, more fully rounded conceptual campaign elements to work with clients on pinpointing the most appropriate creative direction and nuances for executions.

Analytics-powered creative

o   By using AI to analyze consumer data in terms of brand preference, loyalty, repeat purchases and the many variables that drive engagement and action, we can craft brand positions and creative executions that hit right first time.

o   We can use AI too to jump start faster, data-driven customer journey mapping so teams can more quickly understand consumer touchpoints, and more precisely target brand and creative elements.

Marketing distributions

o   Use GenAI tools to collate data on consumer preferences and optimize ad placements and brand executions across the platforms, dayparts and venues that create highest engagement.

o   Coordinate and cross-promote content automatically and in near-real-time based on engagement patterns.

 AI-Human workflow management

o   Finally, let’s cut down routine report writing, tidy up creative briefs and free team time for strategic thinking, higher level creative endeavors and problem solving

Marketing’s third act – it’s time to get ready

The many efficiencies and automated benefits of AI is going to mean more time, budget and resources to invest in higher-concept brand marketing activities. Things like experiential events and real life pop ups with digital environment overlays and extensions. In other words, more varied, more authentic ways for Gen Z and other consumers to connect with our brands. We’re also going to be able to hyper-personalize marketing messages at far greater scale and speed – at exactly the same time as younger consumers now demand that kind of relationship with brands. What does all of that mean for the future of marketing? Of course, new agency roles from AI content curators to ethicists and strategists as well as hybrid creative processes, but even more urgently, the absolute need for every brand to revisit and refresh strategy for the time we are living in. As we enter this new era – this third act – don’t let anyone tell you that’s a bad thing. A third act isn’t the curtain falling on the way things were; it’s more about the culmination of progress, wisdom and new beginnings. I know that because I used AI to look it up…

Lisa Dammann - VP Marketing

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