In Part I we looked at the causes. Now we look at the cure
ED is aggravated by ‘Stress’. So what’s the stress the ad-pro today is being subjected to, of late?
It’s the gradual shift in his influence over the consumer. What that shift and why is it happening?
It’s the gradual shift in his influence over the consumer. What that shift and why is it happening?
The 3 generation shift in advertising thinking
Just in time, I curbed typing out the clichéd 'paradigm shift'. Those two words have become an instant put-off.
Probably this is also a symbolic moving away from shallow advertising dictums, which used to view the customer as a unified entity begging to be manipulated.
The ad-pro realises that Marketing has evolved across three generations –
· to the second generation of 'Need Satisfaction'
· and to the present one of 'Making Life Better'
The coming-of-age genre replaces the feel-good genre
Going back to analyse the analogy of three generations, initially the advertiser's script was simple and straight forward - address only the physical needs of the consumer. "You have a need.. we have this product to address that need.. why can’t you buy this?"
Within a few decades life got complicated for the ad pro. The scene was getting crowded and the consumer was getting flooded with choice. So he had to reorient his script with the message, “Please notice how our product is different from what the others are offering .. so you should be buying this rather that that.. Isn’t it?"
Unfortunately, the 'Product Differentiator' script also has now become jaded. Even with visible, tangible differences staring at his face, the consumer is making purchase decisions that defy proven logic.
Slowly the realisation is dawning on our fraternity that an intangible element has to be tackled now - 'The Emotional Connect' with our Mrs and Mr. Customer.
Moving into the realm of comprehending and tackling emotions is emotionally draining for a marketer used to working with measurable metrics. This is a big grey area.
The relevance of social media in 'Emotional Connect'
As we said earlier it’s no longer about 'My Product' or 'Your Need'. It’s all about "Our shared Values".
When one starts talking of Values and Sharing, one has to pre-suppose a 'relationship"; a bonding which has to start long before the Purchase, and which has to hand hold the consumer even after the purchase.
And that’s where social media steps in; because it’s all about sharing.
"Oh...Come on. This is just a fad. Advertising has always been about 'Emotional Connect"
We advertisers took pride in talking of subliminal mental cues, psychology of colours and personality associations. "We were connecting on an emotional level, weren't we?!"
Oh yeah, we were connecting like a tele-marketer, trying to sell us an insurance policy or a car finance. Our tone was as phony as that and our involvement with the consumer was as fleetingly shallow.
The Smile has to reach the eyes
Like how the students of micro-expressions can easily make out a salesman-smile, the customer can see through these 'cosmetic emotional connections'.
Today the advertiser has to give and share information, which does not in any way pressurize the customer towards an immediate purchase. The customer has to associate that particular brand with his ingrained and unvoiced values and not just his life-style.
The secret is in Giving unconditionally.
Coming back to our ad-pro suffering the ignominy of ED, he now has to realise that long term salvation rests on building a deep emotional connect with his partner, which will rekindle the dying embers.
That comes with giving love and concern unconditionally. This secret mantra is what the ambitious Joe realises in 'The Go-Giver' by Bob Burg and John David Mann.
Of course, the ad-pro has also got to do some short term things to recoup his physical health. We will discuss more about that in the next salvo.
