Back to the Basics

The digital marketing bubble has finally burst. It’s time to return to the real brand story. Digital marketing is the new buzzword on the street, one that everyone seems to be swooning over, one that seems to excite anyone and everyone. Marketers are paying more for digital impressions than they are worth in resulting revenue, which must change if we are to avoid an online advertising bubble.

For now, no one can say whether we are in a Bitcoin bubble or not (although the recent 40% fall in value from its peak might be indicative). But bubbles resulting from mass delusion don’t just affect currencies. There is a case to be made that the value of digital advertising may be massively overestimated. It’s certainly true that almost everyone in the industry, right down to the shoeshine boy, will tell you that clients need to spend more on data, technology and targeting solutions to compete, and that almost any cost is worth bearing to reach the right people.

As such, an increasing amount of advertising money is flowing away from traditional advertising and into the coffers of Google and Facebook – and, just as with Bitcoin, that shift is accelerating.

Let us first differentiate three terms. Traditional marketing uses print ads, billboards, calling cards, etc. Online marketing and digital marketing are often times interchangeably used. Online marketing (OM) creates awareness on the web. Digital marketing is under OM and currently includes mobile marketing. Hand in hand with technology, online marketing evolves. Marketers know what these online tools are and use them. Websites, social media, banner ads, YouTube - they are never ending.

Hybrid model of marketing is to stay

* Make your marketing a mix of traditional and online media. Integrate them. Then, streamline your chosen online and traditional marketing. Create something your target market will surely see. Don’t forget to make sure they will be happy seeing it. Unhappy viewer makes no customer.

* Put your loyalty programs with your brand awareness programs. Content marketing and coupons can appear on one page. Maximize your online digital exposure tastefully. It is still the easiest and surest way for attention. Artificial intelligence for consumer strategies is seen as another hope. It’ll measure every marketing move’s relevancy and effectiveness.

Remember the Liril girl ad with the then-unknown Priety Zinta dancing under the waterfall? Or the Rasna girl’s ‘I love You Rasna’, Zakir Hussain’s ‘Wah Taj’ and ‘Hamara Bajaj’ ads that we lip synced to? These weren’t advertisements – these were stories that carried the legacy of the brand on its shoulders. So entwined were the message, the tagline and brand that they not only hit a nerve but they even stood the test of time. Sad, they don’t make them like these anymore.

Digital marketing is all about understanding ur customers privacy by using various habits and behaviours, For example, when behavioral data collection through web, email cookies, location beacons, cross-device tracking, etc. will be curbed, what will happen to Martech? How will digital Marketing communications channel their messages to the right audience? The answer is, with the constraints on unregulated data-collection practices, marketers will have to find newer ways to target digital ads, independent of accumulating large quantities of behavioral data. And this would mean bigger changes for the digital ecosystem in the years to come.

Look at the recent marketing faux pas. Some of the best brands came across as ethnically and culturally insensitive, hurting customer emotions along the way. Most of these ads lacked self-awareness and an understanding of the market and its people. Doing so often make you misjudge the purpose of your brand in the eyes of the larger community – in the process, you end up losing both customers and money. 

To be effective, brands must tap into the emotions of the consumer and do it with honesty. Go beyond showcasing products or services, to tell stories that make your brand more human. It doesn’t have to be an exorbitant tale - just a simple thought or story is enough. Start with the ‘why’ and work back through the ‘How’ and ‘What’.

Use technology to your advantage and try to make it interactive, immersive experience that connects them with the history, purpose, and vision of a brand. Make consumers eager to become part of your success story.

The foundation of any good marketing, content, or communication plan is to be in relevant places, with relevant content and strategy to usher new waves of innovation. In situations like these, it is best to then learn the art of branding and digital marketing from the best institutes of the learning industry.