Marketing In The New Normal

Is marketing in the new normal easy?  In a word, no.

When I started my marketing career in 1981 at Y&R in nyc I remember what media planning was like.  In those days we had a “computer room” where we all had to go (b/c we did not have computers on our desks) and “run the numbers”.  That was, keep running reach and frequency reports till the cows came home and/or you finally discovered the optimal mix (theoretically) of media to maximize your reach, frequency and effective reach.

Remember effective reach?  How many times you clobbered your prospect over the head with your message till you thought it finally registered?  Well, 28 years later the customer somehow got control.  And they do not like getting interrupted very much. They like to learn about new products and services that might fit their needs, but they want those messages delivered to them when they are seeking answers…by people they trust and know.

As Seth Godin said in his blog recently, “Marketing online takes too much measurement, patience, creativity, technical knowledge, flexibility, speed and authenticity. It requires too much thinking and not enough going out for dinner with clients.” (I forgot to mention all the lunches and ski trips in between computer runs)

Marketing is transitioning to a new kind of profession that requires thinking, persistence, experimentation and interacting with customers.  You better get to know them and like them because you will need to spend lot’s of time with them.  It’s a new normal.

Here’s to our success in the new normal!