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‘Selling is preoccupied with the seller’s need to convert his product into cash; marketing with the idea of satisfying the needs of the consumer’.
However, marketing has now evolved and has become more than just satisfying the needs of a consumer but also alluring to the consumer’s needs. Marketing evolution consists of the growing sophistication of the ‘dialogue’ between marketer and consumer, in other words ‘consumerisation’ (Goodyear 1999). The assumption underlying consumerisation is that markets are dynamic, and that marketing is driven in a consistent and predictable way by the principles of evolution. It is said that the factors that drive consumerisation is a growing choice/competition in the market place, and growing power and discrimination on the part of the consumer. The marketer’s job is to develop winning strategies that deal with both (Goodyear 1999). By way of explanation, the more consumerised the environment, the more evolved the marketing. Yet to what degree can a marketer ‘consumerise’ to ensure effective marketing?
This then leads to one of the most important implications of the evolutionary concept that marketers must understand: brand management. Brand management is essentially a dynamic process to improving the future of digital marketing communication. The relationship between the brand and the consumer requires constant attentiveness and occasional ‘refreshment’, even if there is no perceptible threat to the brand from competitors. Consumers’ awareness of themselves as consumers is constantly being reassessed as well as the fact that within the specific product area their needs may be changing.
However, in terms of brand relationships with the consumer, while the idea has enriched understanding for the role of brands in the life of the consumer, brands that get increasingly personal with the consumer based on all manner of information it holds can be a flaw. As this goes back to the question raised above, do consumers approve of this? The consumer is unable to generate the same amount of intimacy that a brand holds on the consumer with the brand which can lead to a lack of trust and suspicion. This is because; the central premise on which the framework of consumer brand relationship is founded is the assumption that consumers translate a brand’s behaviour into trait language from which the brand’s personality is interpreted.
Although big data has its perks it also has its flaws, in terms of declining customers due to privacy invasion. Big data is the marketing buzzword of this era and is defined as a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications (OpenMethodology.org 2014). Instead, consumers describe their ideal relationship with brands to be much more transparent, reciprocal and respectful rather than what they experience today (Lerman 2014). Tools that will enable companies to track, manage and selectively share their personal data are in rapid development, however, companies that begin to resolve this concern by moving away from targeted advertising will earn loyalty and build relationships when consumers start to take control of their own privacy (Lerman 2014).
Communispace (2013), a consumer collaboration organisation that collaborate partnerships built around an online community of consumers, conducted research with 8, 343 participants across 52 of communispace’s private online communities and found that 86% of its consumers feel invaded and fatigued by targeted marketing and the tracking that fuels it. In fact, the majority of participants suggested that they would click a “do not track” button if applicable and 30% of participants would actually pay a surcharge for a guarantee of no data capture (Communispace 2013). An essential detail to notice is that consumers would willingly pay to not be tracked indicates that they are truly concerned about their data privacy.
The most common addressed issues were that of privacy and communication. This illustrated just how besieged consumers feel by today’s change of marketing. Consumers repeatedly demanded increased transparency, reciprocity and respect in the interactions with vendors (Lerman 2014). However, on the other hand, consumers are also not shy about sharing information when they are ready to buy. They are eager to be known, and wish that brands were as creative about using their data to improve their shopping experience (Lerman 2014). Surprisingly, the depth and breadth of information consumers would volunteer to vendors if they had the means is high, giving more nuance and texture from behavioural or demographic data.
Is there a solution in the post privacy era?
A more significant question to be raised is, has the post privacy era already begun? Unfortunately it appears like it has with 80% of consumers believing total data privacy does not exist (Dawson 2014). Nevertheless, there is a way to minimise privacy invasion but it is hard for companies to build trust after the personal data has already been exposed. Brands are built on trust, and the misuse or abuse of personal data has the potential to destroy trust. Therefore their brands must balance the effective use of data with the need to behave ethically, respect privacy and sustain a positive relationship with consumers.
Most importantly, companies need to be clear that they do not own customer data. There is a dangerous but natural tendency for companies to think that customer data is theirs (Dawson 2014). This leads to a mind-set that treats consumers as targets or users, not a unique individual, which may hinder the trust and customer value. Another issue companies face is that they dehumanise consumers due to the amount of personal data consumed (Dawson 2014). According to Walker (2014), in the article ‘the Pivot to passive’, it stated that the approach taken by companies must start and end with the individual, with the relationship based on transparency of action and intent. This means focusing on the quality of the data as opposed to its quantity. Although brands spend a lot of time understanding their customers and tailoring their products to their customers’ needs, one vital factor companies disregard, is how their customers feel in terms of data and privacy issues and tailor what they do to how they want to engage them (Dawson 2014). Companies should be aware that their consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their personal data (GFK Global 2014) to prevent data loss where neither the companies nor the individual gains any value from the data, companies should aim to give their consumers control of their personal data. Through empowering the consumer with their own data, companies can expect a deeper level of trust and engagement with their customer base (GFK Global 2014). Companies should have a thorough understanding on how data related behaviours impact on their customers’ lives and emotions, not just general concerns but concerns that are specific to the product or service. How a brand approaches personal data needs to be explicit and at the heart of the brand strategy as it becomes integral to each customer experience.