Who Really Cares?

NOT CONSUMERS. They are drowning in sea of ad clutter. 300 to 5000 messages per day. Media channels are expanding and becoming more fragmented. Consumer segments are getting more niche and becoming more fragmented. Fragmented media plus fragmented consumer segments equals a big fragmented mess. It's amazing that we can cut through it at all enough to connect with even one person much less persuade any person to actually give a damn. 

But here's a thought... maybe it's easier than ever. Maybe with the right messaging and the right target, this digital wave is crashing to shore during the perfect storm. As consumers rid themselvesof as much traditional advertising as possible, they are still engaging in the things they love and are finding new ways to interact with information. They Internet, previously thought of as the eye of the storm, the thing causing the shifts and disruptions in the advertising world might actually be the floatation device we should be giving our consumers instead. They have shown us they want a voice, they want to co-create, they love ideas, inspiration, experiences, culture, and motivation. And they are A-ok if brands are the people who are bringing those opportunities to them.

As it stands now, traditional advertising isn't dead... yet. Perhaps it never will die completely. Our industry is changing though. Like it or lump it. Media is changing, the way consumers interact with each other is changing, the way they interact with brands is changing and the way they consume culture is changing. That means our role as planner is changing too. It's not enough to understand how consumers act today. It's not enough to understand what they want today. We need to be actively forecasting, anticipating and understanding how they will act and what they will want tomorrow.

It's an exciting time to be a planner. It's a challenging time as well. It's calling for bold, creative planning. I'm bracing myself. I'm getting ready. Are you?