The main message of the McKinsey report is to make marketers aware of the changes in consumer’s decision process. The traditional form of the consumer decision journey is portrayed using the funnel. With the funnel consumers start out with a whole bunch of choice and narrow them down as the process goes on. The consumer decision journey that McKinsey proposes is more complicated.

One difference between the consumer decision processes would be the different types of marketing. Consumers used to not be as active in finding out information and marketers would “push” there products on potential consumers through advertisements. Today more and more potential consumers want to find out as much information on a product before they buy it. They are asking for or “pulling” information from marketers about products.

Another difference between the two would be the adding of potential products as the process goes on. The funnel suggests that the number of potential products gets smaller as the funnel progresses; instead because consumers are becoming more active and pulling for more information during the information search process the number of potential products that a consumer may buy can and most likely will get bigger. During the information search consumers find more products that appeal to them instead of finding more products that don’t appeal to them. Information search is becoming a more powerful thing and in the McKinsey report it says that marketers need to “learn to influence consumer-driven touch points, such as word-of-mouth and Internet information sites.” Consumers need to have more positive experiences with the company and the products that would generate positive word-of-mouth. The article gives many examples of how some American automobile companies have a hard time doing this while foreign automobile companies are way ahead of the US companies. The US companies need to become more aware of the consumers wants and needs and stop pushing and start having the “two-way conversations” with their consumers.

The new consumer decision journey shows two types of loyalty: passive loyalist and active loyalist. Passive loyalists do not really have a reason to stay or not to stay with a product or brand they just do. The active loyalist is very dedicated to the product or brand and generates positive word-of-mouth about the product or brand. Companies with social media marketing have a better chance of turning passive loyalists into active ones. They can either be persuaded to switch products or brands or have an opportunity to become more involved in the brand they already buy. It also allows companies to keep their active loyalists involved and keep them informed.

The McKinsey report suggests that marketers need to catch up with the times. The traditional funnel still has a good foundation to it, but marketers need to be aware that push marketing isn’t going to work anymore. Marketers need to stop pushing products and brands on potential consumers and start getting involved and including their potential consumers in the information search process. Start listening to what the consumer wants and gives it to them, by doing this the company is more likely to give the customer a positive experience and then receive loyalty and positive WOM.

McKinsey Quarterly: The Consumer Decision Journey; http://www.box.net/shared/67yrhfm1kj5lje3jycls