The tipping point in time calls for new marketing.
We live in an interesting time. Not only does the corona crisis make clear what life is really about, we are currently at a particular tipping point in time. We are now a year and a half into a decade that is very different from the decades behind us.
For Adformatie, Matt van der Poel, Chief eXperience Officer at Fresh Forward wrote an article about this past period that can be well described with words like optimistic, open, free and adventurous. A period when marketing had to inspire and entice people to live well. In this new decade, fear and uncertainty are growing in society and people are looking for control and grip. This implies a new role for marketing.
Welcome to the new 1970s
We research, track, interpret and predict social developments using our Futurise®-trend model, based on more than 40 years of scientific research. This model teaches us that a similar shift is taking place now as it did then from the 1960s to the 1970s. An open society with characteristics such as optimism, creativity and exuberance turned into a society that became more subdued and less free and non-committal.
From perception to transformation
Looking back, in the late 1990s we also saw a shift from an economy focused on providing services to an economy that is all about staging experiences. From paying for the activity someone performs for you to paying for the time you get to experience something. Parallel to the social tipping point, we see another shift. From an economy centered on experiences to an economy centered on guiding transformations, the transformation economy. From paying for the time you can experience something to paying for positive change. On the one hand, this involves positive change for people; think of contributing to a healthier lifestyle or to people's happiness. On the other hand, it concerns positive change for society; both socially and ecologically we are facing great challenges.
Transformation Marketing
These challenges require us as marketers to take responsibility for creating lasting positive impact, not only financially, but also environmentally and socially. Transformational marketing is what this decade is all about.
Marketing can play an essential role in the ecological field. In the 1970s, people protested acid rain and mortality of certain animal species. Now it's about climate strikes, flight shaming and meat consumption, among other things. To keep the earth livable, we as marketers can also look at residual streams differently: from waste to raw material. The circular or blue economy is becoming more and more commonplace. More and more organizations and brands are getting to grips with it. And not as the most important side issue in a CSR statement, but as a "license to operate.
There are also quite a few social issues going on in society. Think of loneliness, intolerance and the uncertainties caused by the pandemic. This calls for marketing with empathy. To be meaningful to people and society, there is a need for genuine involvement, attention and the depth of real conversation. It is about humanizing marketing and brands from trust and connection.
Future
The tipping point in time underscores the need and creates the opportunity for marketing to take a meaningful step. A step that involves positive impact for people and society, now and into the future. The future of marketing is marketing for the future.
Matt van der Poel RM is a marketer and experience economist at heart. As Partner and Chief eXperience Officer at Fresh Forward, he engages in vision and strategy development for private and public organizations.
Hilversum, July 2, 2021, Matt van der Poel, CXO
