Ok, so marketing's dead. At least we don't have to be quiet about it. But has someone told the CEOs? CMOs? Agencies? Many are refusing to see the light, or hopelessly choosing not to act accordingly. Denial's no longer an option.
Brand loyalty is an ancient myth passed down from generation to generation of ad execs. If it weren't long lost folklore, Starbucks would not currently be losing market share with such a large fan following. Starbucks customers aren't turning their nose up at the Italianese names of their favorite coffee drink, as some donut and burger shops would have you believe. (Kobe beef connoisseurs are not putting their honed palates on the shelf and heading to McDonald's because 'hamburger' is so easy to read.) Those competitor coffee joints may have the spotlight now because of convenience and cost, but give Starbucks the tools to inspire purchases™, and give that fad another week... Is this a talent contest? No buts about it. Finally we're realizing that even coffee drinkers are pretty brand-promiscuous? Polygamy of this sort wouldn't happen in a brand-centric world, you say?
What about the experiences associated with products? Loyalty doesn't live there either. Consumers are only inspired to make a purchase if there is instant gratification involved. Does your product fly off the shelf with attractive packaging? Does it offer that adrenaline rush? That hormonal instinct is constantly taking new shape, personality, form...shifting, changing, molding, maneuvering-it's unpredictable. It's the pleasure-seeking energy inside of us that prevails regardless of our rational, or logical, cognizance. It's what we falsely label as our needs, but actually are our desires disguised as needs. It's what justifies altering purchase plans years in the making. It is the force behind our inability to control our own irrational, illogical actions. Ah, hormones.
What marketers should be comprehending now is, simply put, that our purchases are inspired primarily by our hormones. How do you influence hormones? Thanks to the movement toward a more liberal society, it's acceptable to 'do whatever the hell you want' and not have to answer to anyone for it. Increasingly, society allows this and caters to that rebellious, free spirit. Now, with hormones out of captivity, free to rage-no more pretending to be something they're not--consumers have allied with their hormones and triumphed in their irreverent, inconsistent ways.
Impotence in the Boardroom
The main point in the matter is: do NOT trust consumer habits. Habits are deceptive and will lead you astray. Any and all purchase decisions are inspired by desires, birthed from indulgence and the caving to self-gratification, AT ANY MOMENT.
Chaos is a given. The typical goes unnoticed. Distractions are not only everywhere they're portable-in our ears, in our eyes, and in our hands. Products need talent agencies. Oh, and, where's my ROI? We know what you're thinking, CEOs of the world. You want to know how to combat this hedonistic and hormonal decision-making and come out on top of all the ruckus.
Well, first of all, companies have to be up for anything--product enhancements, image-altering creative, packaging overhaul, a major re-positioning message at any time, re-branding, or even a complete halt to any campaign at all. Investigate your consumer. Don't get bogged down in behavioral targeting, get savvy with their hormones and what entices that biological reckoning to action.
In their new book, 'Impotence in the Boardroom: MySpace Caught an STD,' authors, Yvette Bowlin and Sonni Carr, unveil new concepts about consumer behavior with their Desire Forensics® and they use MySpace as the prime example of how thinking inside the box will get you nowhere fast. In fact, they call this stigma an S.T.D.-strategically transmitted disease. Not strategically aligning with the consumer's hormones will age and kill your product or service quicker than any consumer review could. MySpace chose the gray hair. The disease is pervading every aspect of Madison Avenue, Silicon Valley, Wall Street, Hollywood...no one is immune. The culprit: mental impotence-in the boardroom, in the office, on the golf course, in the benz, on the phone...everywhere. Fatigue, inertia, and inaction lead to boring, irrelevant, and deadly. Exercise your mind, and your company offerings, to stay ahead of those stuck in the past, stuck in their role, stuck in their ways, basking in old glory. This is mental impotence at its finest: stuck.
Believe it or not, CEOs, CMOs, and Agencies, consumers think with their hormones. Their hormones drive them to meet their desires. Your product or service has to become that desire. In the midst of chaos, recession and distraction, we all need to focus on attracting hormones, sparking instant gratification. Don't be the abyss in the boardroom, cold and immovable amidst the real-time marketplace and genuine consumer concern. It's all about satisfying desire-always has been.
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