Today we have Apple Watches, prototypes of driverless cars on UK roads and Twitter. In 1995, we had cassette walkmans, neon shell-suits and Bamboozle on C4 teletext.
What we are saying is a lot has changed, but what has really evolved is B2B and B2C marketing...?
- In 1995, what really mattered is money. Having plenty of it, that is.
- In 2015, we now focus on having brainpower, over money.
If we delve past the technology that has since allowed us to do so much more, even marketers - and their customers - thought processes have developed. We don't respond to the methods of the 80s and 90s, technology has just made it easier to ignore it.
Who can imagine life with these two gadgets (once thought of as state-of-the-art)?
Marketing isn't about pushing messages into people's faces anymore, but it's about providing quality content and services that people can find and engage with themselves.
However, lets really look at the key developments in the field of marketing..
20 Years of Marketing: 1995 vs 2015
1. Verbal communications
We no longer have those clunky cell phones that Zack Morris (Saved By The Bell) enjoyed so much, but we now have sleek smart phones capable of more than just phone calls.
Instead of focusing on buying data and cold calling, we can target SMS campaigns, develop apps and send instant notifications to people's smart phones. We're in their pocket or hand 24/7 if we want to be, rather than stood on the side cabinet in their living room.
2. Computer technologies
Twenty years ago, marketing was offline. To be seen you had to heavily invest in print advertising methods - for instance, if you weren't listed in the Yellow Pages, you didn't exist. If you had the money - which was key - you had a billboard and flyers posted through letterboxes.
Today, we focus on using, "This uh, 'Internet' thing", to send email marketing to warm leads, share social media statuses and adopt ever-changing platforms and methodologies.
3. Personalisation
In 1995, you had cold calls, TV adverts you couldn't skip and print advertising everywhere. There was nothing inviting, warm and relevant about it.
Using 2015 marketing techniques we can centre campaigns on the right kind of people and distribute them at the right time in their relationships with us. Yes, we actually build relationships that are effective and very much about both parties. Although sales are still key, we have a much more effective approach to doing so.
4. Filters
Today we have to be much cleverer with our marketing, ensuring that it actually reaches people that want our services or products. After all, most cold marketing messaging can be blocked out with caller ID, Sky+ and spam filters.
In 1995, marketers would spend a ton of money on advertising that didn't necessarily have any definitive return. Instead thousands would be put behind print advertising with no metrics, other than if the call handler remembered to ask, "Where did you hear about us?".
In 2015, there are metrics on all of our online marketing platforms, including social media, CRM systems and email marketing reports.
Plus, all of these ultimately have a better ROI - you know exactly how much you've invested and what you got in return, rather than not being 100% on those figures in 1995.
5. People
The public themselves have changed!
We're a cleverer, more needy people than we were in 1995. We're used to fast food, high speed broadband and everything at our fingertips through our smart phones.
Our expectations are getting exceedingly higher with every year, new product and updated service. Marketers now have to do so much more to impress - think viral advertising.
You can't just put out a flyer and expect people to be wowed, there is real strategy and analysis going on now more than ever.
To sum up...
Our Strategic Director, Rachel Townsend Green, says it well in our seminars, "It's not about the size of your wallet, but the size of your brain", in 2015.
It's true that traditional marketing and PR methods hold some clout, but they have to be operated in a much more strategical and personal way. If you still think you can buy lists of data in 2015 and cold sell to strangers, then you really should rethink how you yourself react to the changes and developments on the marketing landscape.
We want to encourage a new way of thinking when it comes to implementing marketing strategies, which is why we don't want to see you putting a 1995 strategy in place, but one that suits 2025 instead (hey, we're forward thinking...).
Call 01325 778 786 for more information about the topics in this blog post.
