Jack Blog
May 13th, 2016 By Jack Morton
Thanks to digital technology, consumers are now more empowered than ever to curate their lifestyles. Brands no longer control the conversation. Consumers are taking it upon themselves to share their opinions on products and services, and to influence their peers.
In this new age of democratized content and niche markets, it can sometimes feel like breaking through to a target audience is almost impossible. So how do brands stay relevant?
The answer, I discovered last week at The Experiential Marketing Summit, is one of Jack Morton’s core values—agility.
As experience marketers, our personal agility is what helps us survive in a landscape whose sands never stop shifting. However, as I learned this past week, this core value carries equal importance for brands.
In the B2C or B2B space, the brands that are going to be around in the future are the ones that are agile enough to adapt at the same speed that culture is changing.
How can brands remain agile?
1. Be open to change.
The unfortunate truth is that many brands rely on the same strategies and tactics because it’s what they’ve always done. And because brands don’t hear any major outcries from their customers, they assume that their traditional approach is working. Don’t be afraid to test those assumptions.
2. Know when you need to course-correct.
Sometimes experiences don’t go according to plan. For example, maybe your Gen Z target audience is not using Twitter in the same capacity that your week-old research predicted it would. Instead the audience has moved to Snapchat. Don’t immediately count that as a loss. Regroup, reevaluate, and make the necessary adjustments.
3. Experiment.
Because of the rapidly changing nature of today’s culture and technology, brands should look into new channels and platforms, as their audiences may have shifted to new spaces. But remain strategic about it: Not every new channel will resonate with your audience. Not everyone needs to explore VR; depending on whom you’re trying to reach, perhaps Snapchat and Instagram will suffice.
Complacency can be a silent killer. Brands must regularly evaluate the way they strategize and connect with their target audiences. Never settle, and always find ways to improve and innovate.