Call Me Old Fashioned But….

I remember a time when holding open a door for a woman was an act of courtesy – not a form of sexism, when history was something to learn from, not cancel, when politicians served people – not themselves (ha – who am I kidding) and England never ever made it to the final of a major football tournament!

I also remember a time when the role of marketing was to primarily to inform, educate and sell – but also importantly to entertain. I know the world has changed, but seriously when did it all go mad!

The fundamentals of marketing haven’t changed. The 4Ps (Price, Product, Promotion and Placement) are as relevant today as ever, as is the Pareto 80/20 principle. Some argue that while the 4Ps are still important – they’re no longer enough. And on this point, I do agree. I would add two additional Ps – Pain and People.  As marketers we need to be addressing our consumers Pain Points – and we need to put the customer (i.e. People) at the centre of everything we do.

What has changed however is the technology behind marketing – and I believe this has made us lazy.

When I first embarked on my marketing career, direct mail was the go-to form of communication and distribution of our marketing messages. Antiquated as this might now seem, the channel did at least require the marketer to demonstrate judgement. The simple cost involved in printing, fulfilling and posting direct mail packs meant that campaign owners (and agencies) needed to give serious consideration not only to which messages were distributed, but more importantly who was going to receive them.

Many of the technologies available to marketers today such as email, web-based content and social media are in essence free. As a result, there is little need for debate or restraint in determining what messages are being communicated and to who. We used to talk about cutting through the clutter, now we seem to be creating the clutter. In a previous role, my team and I were each tasked, in our annual goals, to create 96 pieces of content! Allowing for holidays and such – that’s about 2 pieces of content a week each. With the best will in the world and the most creative of minds – that’s a lot of clutter.

Last Updated on November 17, 2021 by MEA Aviation