5. January 2009 11:41
There's a fascinating viewpoint by the FT's columnist Stefan Stern today on the battle by corporations to get our attention and win some 'mind share'.
Everyone is so busy, so surrounded by the sheer noise of too much information, so bombarded by messages and images in the competition to communicate, that in fact it's getting much harder for businesses and brands to be heard.
"Does better marketing hold the answer to this attention deficit problem? Unlikely. More of the same, only a bit cleverer (Twittering corporations, anyone?) is not really going to alter the basic situation..." says Stern.
He has a good point about gimmickry. But this is not just an issue of 'traditional business' v. 'the internet age'. Nor is it relevant only to Business-to-Consumer (B2C) activities.
The problem of getting noticed in the construction sector can be just as tricky. Want to communicate how well you understand clients' needs to design and build low carbon buildings? Join the queue mate.
But actually better marketing can help. By that, I mean better market research and more intelligent communications planning as part of your Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing strategy. Because to get someone's attention requires us first to understand what is meaningful to them. To be heard, first we must listen.
This is the rationale behind the opinion former research work we do. The details of these research projects always pinpoint something new that our clients' target audiences really want or need. Armed with this relevant information delivered in a timely and appropriate way, there is no problem in getting the right peoples' attention.
This is good news, particularly in a recession when we all need to cut out waste: a well-timed whisper in the right ears can achieve more than a shouting match.