Vishal Maheshwari
At a recent digital advertising industry event in Bangalore, I discovered these rather unique sessions that were aiming to get a sneak peek into the minds of the newest generation of consumers ? the ones the industry refers to as ?connected consumers?. These are the online enthusiasts who are checking out reviews of products on a tablet, watching a movie on their mobile or opening a smartphone app to check if a store around the corner has what they are looking to buy.
It got me thinking how the internet has become the primary source of information, entertainment and, in fact, expression for many people. With the web practically in their palms, these connected consumers can consume content as well as services and voice their opinions with complete freedom and at the touch of a button. Never before has the consumer been as empowered as the present-day ?connected consumer?.
Growing connectivity and multiplicity of devices have heightened our awareness as a consumer. And what we see on the web has a considerable influence on brand choices we make. And that?s what makes brand marketing a completely different ball game today.
Meet Gen ?C?: On-the-go and in-the-know
Connected consumers seem to hold a brand to a higher expectation of engagement, responsibility, and transparency. Directly or indirectly, they are constantly asking questions of the brands they consume: Why should I like you?do you share my beliefs, my ideals, and my goals? Are you building a community that I?d like to belong to? How can I trust you if I think you have breached another consumer?s trust?
With the web swinging a gamut of information to their fingertips?anywhere, anytime they want?the power of these consumers to share their brand experiences is tremendous. In this rather pervasive environment, brands can no longer afford to ignore the digital medium and continue with a generic mass-media campaign. In an increasingly connected world, the target group is going to be an audience of one. Brands need to engage with consumers at an individual level, and carefully build a relationship with them?pulling out the right message for a consumer at just the right time.
What?s more, consumers themselves are paying less and less attention to all the advertising happening around them. So if marketers thought that the 10-second TV spot was a challenge, they now have to grapple with an attention span that is virtually down to nano-seconds!
Using Innovation to Engage with Gen ?C?
Internet marketing has always been rife with the newest and latest from Display to Search to Social, but, as brand marketers would agree, a robust brand-building requires more than the latest fad to creating real engagement with the audience segment. And innovative use of the media, be it in terms of creative advertising, targeting and social connections, can help deliver that engagement.
New ?immersive? ad formats are emerging that provide not just an advertising message, but make the experience more thrilling. For example, Yahoo! has launched a new format called Living Ads, which are immersive, interactive digital ads designed to grab users? attention and create a feedback to the advertiser on the interest level of the consumer.
Let?s take an example of how platforms are becoming more innovative and bringing together the online and offline aspects of a campaign. A recent ad by ITC for its Fiama Di Wills Men ?Face of the Year? campaign was built around a webcam integration wherein a click on the banner allowed users to capture their photo and upload it to enter into the online contest?instant gratification guaranteed!
Another thing brands need to look at is being device-agnostic or following the screens on which the users are consuming content. They need to have a multi-device strategy to be able to succeed in creating and holding audiences. Moving to digital is not just about shifting their ad spend from the newspaper to the internet. Reaching the digital consumer is more about impact and innovation. For instance, recently Samsung did a very good job of cutting through the clutter by vitalising the experience of its latest smartphone, Galaxy S3, across devices.
Going forward, brands need to make advertising almost ?organic? to the content the connected user demands. So, for instance, if a teenager is reading about a game console, a game publisher or console maker would like to inform them about a hot new release or version ?then and there?. Not just through ads, but also through links embedded within articles or through other creative means such as videos that users can click within the context of what they are reading.
To cater to the young, influential and fast-growing audience of connected consumers, brands need to constantly tweak their marketing strategies. For one, test the waters in media such as mobile or social sites. When Coke India released its ?Shadow? ads featuring actor Imran Khan, it did so on mobile and web first to connect with younger users, contrary to the usual trend of adapting offline or TV campaigns to online.
While some brands are getting bolder about their dive into digital, many brands in India are still at a dip-in-the-shallows stage. Marketers need to get their digital strategies more closely integrated with their overall brand marketing plans. Only when the offline and online truly complement and build on each other, can the brand cut through the clutter, and be recognised for its promise.
The writer is senior director and head of sales, Yahoo! India
