by Jerry Mpufane (@JerryMpufane) In a crowded, noisy and globally interconnected world, it may be difficult for marketers like us to differentiate our brands, have our voices heard, and build meaningful customer relationships with diverse — and increasingly demanding — consumers. But it is possible. Here are a few tips for local marketers…
1. Recognise the ‘global village’
Marshall McLuhan’s ‘global village’ refers to the effects of mass media on the world and the way in which these enable people to instantly experience the effects of their actions on a global scale.
Now, McLuhan coined this phrase long before the internet. Yet electronic technology has caused the world to contract even more, enabling the movement of information and the streaming of data worldwide. Businesses are now free to build a coalition of customers from all corners of the earth, and must do so to survive.
McLuhan may have seen the emergence of this phenomenon in the 1960s but it was Nicolas Tesla who was perhaps most ahead of his time when he predicted — in 1926! — that:
When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance.
2. Be ready for always-on engagement
For modern marketers, Tesla’s forecast has translated into challenges when it comes to maintaining constant availability and responsiveness. Brands have to be ‘on’ all the time, but they also have to be ready to tackle both good and bad input. Publicly.
With over a third of millennials claiming to use social media to share updates about their personal activities once a week or more, marketers must capitalise upon their hyper-connection by encouraging consumers to share brand experiences in a visually engaging way, says consumer insight firm Canadean.
We are, however, a long away from a world in which major brands can satisfy the demands of mobile and always-on customers who, every day, develop a bigger appetite for instant gratification.
So marketers would do well to provide live and dynamic platforms for consumers to express their feelings about product and service engagements. Any negative feedback may be responded to in real time, positioning a brand as responsive to consumer needs. On the flip side, both brands and consumers can add topspin and social proof to marketing messages by sharing good experiences.
3. Speak the consumer’s language
As Willy Brandt, the former German chancellor, said, “When you sell to someone, you have to do it in their language.” I believe that ‘brand love’ flourishes when marketing campaigns deliver engagements that prove to consumers that they and the brand share a common interest — whatever that may be.
More specifically, marketers should define lucrative consumer segments, and then identify opportunities to be part of consumer conversations. This gives the brand a good chance of fostering love because — as you can imagine — brands that speak the consumer’s language, and actively support the consumer’s interests (by sponsoring their favourite soccer team, for example), are better positioned to achieve authentic connectedness.
4. Embrace continuous learning
Millennials born into the internet age are ripe for development into great marketing talent. But what about everyone else? In South Africa, there are 11.5m people between the ages of 35 and 50 (said Stats SA in 2014), and they (we) need jobs, too.
For this reason, embracing new technologies is a must for marketers born into the analogue age. As McLuhan advised in the ’60s, “the medium is the message” — and the qualities of a medium, such as Twitter, have as much effect as the data it transmits.
For marketing professionals, the response should be to think locally, but act globally. In practice, this means building a community of brand customers using innovative Internet marketing and leveraging the available (and growing) plethora of tools and applications that enables us to communicate with our audiences more easily and more effectively than ever before.
Jerry Mpufane has executive experience in both ad agency and client organisations. He’s only got one goal in life, which is to be an inspiring leader. Jerry is currently group MD, Gauteng, of M&C Saatchi Abel. His monthly column on MarkLives, “On My Mind”, focuses upon what it takes to run a great AND sustainable ad agency.
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