The Journey Has Just Begun… Team Obey

For many years the overall decision making process focused on touch points was considered as a funneling process but recent research has shown a shift from this traditional method to a decision journey. Marketers have to adapt to these changes and focus on new touch points such as managing word-of-mouth. Not only do markets need to develop new touch point but also align their marketing campaign such as strategy, spending, and channel management. Once everyone is on the same page it should be integrated across the organization.

One feature would be the two-way conversation as opposed to the traditional format was just a one-way conversation. Previously marketers just pushed their products through traditional advertisement channels. The two way conversation has allowed interaction and has given marketers an opportunity to engage the consumer in new ways. This would reduce the cost of traditional market research because consumers actively volunteer their critique.

Additionally, marketers are now tailoring their message to specific demographics rather than deploying one size fits all push ads. This would help companies in the initial consideration stage if they were able to tailor their message to the needs of the consumer. It is more efficient approach to tailor marketing to the specific target demographic rather than trying to do so on a broader push scale such as a billboard.

Content management is a focal point of this new marketing theory. Where as previously consumers depended on interpersonal word of mouth or a company’s ads for information they can now interact online with each other. For this reason content management is important. As such employees throughout an organization must embrace the culture of the organization so as to limit negative buzz among consumers.

Brand loyalty is considered to be a main purchasing factor and is usually gained in the postpurchase stage. There are two types of loyalties: active and passive. An active loyalist is one who is not only loyal to one brand but also recommend it to their peers. A passive loyalist is one who is loyal to the brand for no particular reason, but typically out of convenience. These consumers are susceptible to competitors’ messages and therefore should be targeted by marketers in a two way conversation. The goal of marketers should be to move passive loyalist to active loyalist and to maintain the loyalty of active loyalist.

Advancing technology and changing consumer behavior necessitate a move from traditional marketing methods to those for the 21^st century. This includes engaging consumers in two way conversation in using this technology, encouraging brand loyalty by involving the consumer and tailoring marketing messages to very specific demographics.