By Bruce D. Murdy

It’s hard to fathom just how frantic the pace of change is in our lives.

Consider this:

– Only 14 short years ago the first commercial Internet service was launched. Yet by 2002, there were 840 million Internet users, and experts indicate that about 80% of the planet will be connected in the next six years.

– Just 20 years ago, our market had just four local TV stations. Now with digital cable and satellite TV, we have access to 300 stations.

– Primetime network TV viewership has become anorexic. A decade ago, 52% of viewers tuned into network programming; today, “the big three” draw less than one-third (31%) of viewers.

– Sirius and XM satellite radios are being installed as standard equipment in many new cars. Over 30 new, 2004-model GM cars already connect you for free (for a limited time) when you buy upscale cars.

These are dizzying changes, to be sure. But you better buckle up, because that’s just the start of fundamental—and increasingly fast paced—changes in marketing and media. 

Consider this your wake-up call. While mass market products and mass market communications will continue to be ever-present, the changing interests of the masses—and the countless new ways to communicate your message to them—will demand more attention to marketing than ever before.

Listen for the buzz

Here’s a concept we must all get our arms around: “Masculinity.” This buzzword relates primarily to the 20-somethings whose earnings you want to tap into for years to come.

What does it mean? Today’s young adults want mass-marketed products to be exclusive to them.

Examples include hotel chains offering multiple types of pillows, insurance companies allowing clients to customize coverage online, limited edition cars, shoes, eco tours…all customized. This is a generation that has grown up embracing change and everything new—and they want stuff that uniquely fits their interests.

Meanwhile, aging baby boomers are also looking for something different. They have more time than ever before, they have more money than their parents did at their age and they are looking for higher quality. That translates into Viking ranges (not Kenmore); GMC “Professional Grade” trucks (not Chevy), Milwaukee brand power tools (previously sold only to professional builders), and the like.

Recognizing these trends, and recognizing that different trends affect different generations, is step one in today’s marketing equation.

The next step is to recognize that the way to get marketing messages to your targets also needs to change. For example, 20 years ago, a strong mass media vehicle would have been advertising on the evening news with Dan Rather. But the average age of a CBS Evening News viewer is now 65.

So choose media wisely. A lot of alternative message delivery vehicles exist today, and there will be many more as we continue moving forward into the information age. From the ubiquitous opt-in e-mails to products imbedded in programming and therefore protected from the TIVO “zap,” there are all sorts of “new traditional” marketing techniques available.

Re-think your message and delivery

Branded tie-ins, like Goodyear rubber soles on Adidas shoes or Folger’s coffee sold with Krupps coffee makers, create interesting synergies. Students renting their faces for temporary tattoos of various products now share “media” airtime with chalk messages on sidewalks; pizza delivery boxes advertising new television shows and other ideas just begin to scratch the surface.

The list of new messaging opportunities is as limitless as advertiser’s imaginations. Measurement of the effectiveness of these new techniques lags behind the ideas, however. Huge marketers like Coke have the resources to try all sorts of ideas (like “Brand Spaces”—pop-up entertainment cubicles that provide games, seating and Coke vending machines). The challenge for most of us will continue to be how to target smartly and cost effectively.

Of course, the message of this column is simple: embrace change. If you are thinking about your product or service in the same way you did three years ago—and if you’re also marketing it the same way—think again. The rules have changed and the playing field is awfully muddy.

Bruce D. Murdy (bmurdy@rawle-murdy.com) is president of Rawle-Murdy Associates, Inc., a Charleston-based marketing, advertising and public relations firm.

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