The Matrix of Modern Day Advertising

Not unlike the Matrix, I sometimes experience different realities, moving parallel to one another, evolving at different speeds and with their own language. Here’s why:

Reality One
We live in a reality where we are constantly bombarded by advertisements. Yet when I discuss with friends and family our experiences with ads, we feel that the majority fails to have the intended impact. Why? To a large extent it has to do with the fact that 21^st century consumers are more marketing savvy than any generation prior. Nowadays, consumers expect marketers to get to the heart of why their brands or products are meaningfully unique and “why” they exist in consumers’ lives at all.

Furthermore, we feel that the campaigns which leave a lasting impression are the ones with some degree of interactivity, where consumers have the ability to express themselves while brands demonstrate that they listen and, whenever appropriate, respond with a level of candidness.

Reality Two
Most of the above observations haven’t gone unnoticed by my fellow marketers – whether  it be on the brand or agency side. When working with them, the vast majority agree that successful campaigns hinge on their ability to deploy context, interaction, and social dynamics to deliver truly engaging campaigns –at least at some theoretical level. And most agree to say that the mobile medium is pivotal to this endeavour. In fact, many of the conferences I attend discuss the shift towards “SoLoMo” marketing –short for “Social Local Mobile” marketing.

Reality Three
Evidently, the challenge lies in turning these concepts into reality. Short-term imperatives, conflicts of interests, trade-offs and constraints all conspire to undermine the execution of great campaigns. It’s not an easy ride however, and there are plenty of bullets to dodge in slow motion─matrix style. But when marketers rise to the challenge, something magical happens: the different realities converge to create a coherent and powerful movement, which allows brands to build value-adding relationships with their audience.

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