The technological evolution of Marketing
New technologies help organizations create new ways to generate new leads, engage customers, delight them and strengthen everlasting relationships.
Technology is definitely a critical role in increasing your overall productivity and creating an edge over the competitors.
With just a button click, we can get meaningful insights into product, brand, and cost, read reviews and compare even further. We can share our views with other customers on product quality and satisfaction forums.
Through the web, consumers can gain access to the inside data from across the world, which plays a vital role in buying decisions.
These are all new ways of marketing. If we truly aim to give a fantastic marketing experience, we must realize that technology has a lot to do with marketing.
Marketing is a very dynamic concept, ever-changing and ever-evolving. Today I am explaining and sharing my thought on the evolution of technology in marketing.
There are 100s of articles and books available on the Internet that describe the same topic, but 80% of the content is overlapping. Something about the usages of voice, internet connectivity of 4 billion people, AI and CRM, E-commerce, video advertising, and all these same content.
I am here to take u back in history and explain the importance of marketing. Back in those days, marketing was not known as marketing.
Stone age – you must have seen many documentaries on discovery and sony earth that how humans make a sign in the caves by their bare hand in the stone age. These signs are still available in a few caves in South America and Australia as Unesco heritage sites.
Those humans who made those signs were the marketing managers, leads, and CMOS of that tribe and family. We must recognize and salute them to invent such technology of making a sign available after millions of years. This is an eye-opener for all signage makers, printing press, and ACP vendors these days. So the marketing started from those early days, and with the Evaluation of mankind, it evolved in different shapes and ways. Imagine how the caveman marketing manager has to ask the family members to gather simultaneously, then plan with the designer to post where and arrange the ladder for the kids. I guess he has to take the below steps.
- Inform the family to be assembled at a specific date and time.
- Before, he visited the cave with his designer, selected the wall, and finalized the design.
- Maybe he had to charge some money – fruits, and meat from the head of the family. But I guess, if he was a freelancer, then he must be demanding, but if he was appointed by the Sardar of that tribe, it was part of his duty. I assume he was also an honest man.
- Re-visit with his craftsman to that particular cave for the final posting on the wall.
Let’s come to the 18th and 19th centuries, around the 1st and 2nd world wars.
In the 40s, it was called propaganda; even each political party, including Adolf Hitler, had a propaganda minister, creating propaganda movies, video, and PR campaigns. Their main job was to position Hitler as a savior of the world, a kind-hearted man, and develop wrong impressions and rumors about the jews. Similarly, the side also presented themselves as brave and flagbearers of human values.
As per google search –
During World War II, German propaganda managers emphasized the gallantry of the German army. It tried to publish British and Allied armies in a bad light and projected them as cowards, butchers, and a misguided bunch of people. Russian troops were presented as dehumanized beasts and killers who attacked without fear of death.
https://wargaming.com/en/news/world_war_propaganda_posters/
after the world, as the world evolved towards more civilization, it was sophistically known as brand promotion, advertising, and marketing.
Therefore it is interesting to watch how it shifted from propaganda ministers to marketing managers.
Now let’s come to the present.
So far 2022, the Internet is a living entity having 4 billion interconnected devices, user-generated content, and social interactions happening over smartphones, computers, and tablets, which means 50.8% of the global population is connected.
It is not far when the Internet will evolve their own separate identity and dictate the world as they wish. ( side effect of too many science fictions)
Digital is the new BTL –
- In the late 90s, We have seen eras of auto announcements, Munadi, leaflet insertions, and other traditional ways of communication, and now it is webinars, online engagements, social media posts for mass communication.
- The beauty of digital is to reach out to their customer, earlier it was not generic, but now it is personalized with the help of digital and social media marketing.
Cookies – Always make your tea better.
A newspaper and a cup of tea are regular for all typical men in India. We all use cookies with tea and coffee, especially in the morning. Similarly, these cookies help us read our personalized news powered and supplied by google.
Google is our friend, cook, maid and confident too, his knows that we like to read filmy gossips and news about the recent breakup of a film star, so he will curtain and collect such info and present us in a different format to our mobile phones.
Technology evolvement in service –
Service is marketing
In customer services, earlier, the owner was the customer care agent, then it shifted to customer care executives, which created millions of jobs in the service sector. All western and US backend and service support moved to Indian call centers. Rajesh became jack, and Madhuri became Maddy and resolved issues of US customers but then came to CHATBOTS.
Now either in the banking or technology sector, we need to talk to these bots; earlier, they were confused about many applications, but now with more learning ( Machine learning, u know ), they become more intelligent every day.
Multi-channel marketing to omnichannel marketing
Companies now want to be there where customers are, so we have moved from Multichannel marketing to omnichannel marketing.
Situation –
5 years back – At the product launch, all companies tried to push a 360* communication approach in the communication campaign.
TV, Radio, Newspaper, Hoardings – which comes under ATL,
Signage, banner, Roadshow, leaflets, customer engagement activities – BTL
Till 2021 – Customer thinks to buy an LG Oled Tv, had used to search the model on mobile, and sometimes or same day a call landed on his mobile phone, with a beautiful sound – sir, would u like to have a home demo of this Tv. As soon as u drop the phone, a pop-up appears on Facebook – a Beautiful Tv image of that brand with a happy family.
Anyways, you are ready for the family dinner at Blue Nyle on MG road, and u just crossed the Bund Garden LG showroom; you will get a message on your mobile….sir, OLED is available in this showroom with an additional 5% discount with an assured gift. Wow, that’s amazing. You again, take your smartphone and search the pricing on mobile. But oops, that particular model is not available online.
That’s the omnichannel – more personalized, consistent, and following the customers like Vodafone dog. ( puppies, I guess, god is a derogatory word… isn’t it)
- It was always hungry – Earlier, it was food, power, and money; now, everyone is data-hungry. The more data u have, the more powerful u r. All those world wars were fought because nations were hungry for power, and other significant battles were fought because of geopolitics inclined towards fuel and petrol. Now corporations are fighting for the data.
Disney Vs. Netflix because of consumer data.
Alleged usages of Cambridge Analytica in politics. – An Investigation agency has filed a case against British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica for stealing and improperly accessing and misusing the personal data of 6 lakh nationals in a country. Facebook users and 87 million users altogether used in US elections and different elections worldwide.
E-Commerce companies use data to give a better customer experience.
- Usages of AI – u remember when we used to go to the Kirana store for a washing powder, and as soon as that shop keepers see you, he gives you a particular brand powder because he knows that we use that specific brand powder. This is again an example of data analytics. Our CRM system and machine are learning more every day and developing their own intelligence on how and what kind of detergent powder we are using and how more premium products can be pitched to us.
- Usages of voice – Bolne se Hoga – yes, this was the recent google campaign. Gone are those days when we have to write to search; now the voice is becoming more popular. Now machines are more robust to capture the voice. With each passing day, voice analytics will better capture the words and the feeling and emotions and give suggestions in the context of location, time, and circumstances.
· Visual evolution – technology evolution in capturing the image and motion, technical advancement, and people’s perception. Jo achcha hai wo bikta hai se jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai concept. Visibility became the most crucial thing in marketing, and it led to the technological development of the different cameras. We can now shoot underwater, night vision, long shot, and drone cameras thanks to canon, Nikon, Sony, and many Japanese organizations.
· Automation – The organization uses automation tools to communicate its message to the right people at the right time. The marketing department has more money than time; therefore, Marketo, Eloqua, hub soft, and many more tools are being used. Now one social media manager can handle all platforms from HuitSuit instead of posting and analyzing all platforms separately.
The role of technology has become critical over the years. The recent covid19 has pushed the overall technological evolution on a fast-track road. Therefore the entire economy is inclined towards technology. This is just a start, and this is just a tailor of the big movie of experiencing future the upcoming marketing technology and mark my word, it is not just the evolution but a revolution.