A new breed of consumer challenges marketers
Captivating the consumer with engaging ads has always been a challenge for marketers. As consumers engage with multiple channels reaching the right audience, at the right time, in the right way is getting even harder.
The emergence of a “high-definition ready” consumer is changing the way marketers need to target their audiences, according to research carried out by insight specialist, Experian.
This new breed of consumer is not just the techno-savvy kids but anyone that is “multitasking with the latest digital channels available to them” according to Jim Hodgkins, managing director of Experian Marketing Services.
Worryingly, the research reveals that 30% of consumers say they don’t like advertising and actively tune in and out of campaigns. Consumers are priding themselves on doing independent research about products and services they are looking to buy. Consumers are also becoming more patient and willing to delay purchases until they are on special offer with 55% of all consumers willing to wait it out. Professionals and managers are even more stubborn, with 68% willing to hold on for a bargain.
So how are marketers supposed to target consumers who just don’t want to listen to the plethora of marketing messages being thrown their way?
Unfortunately there’s no simple answer. Hodgkins argues that every single marketing message from any medium should have a personal touch. The high-definition ready consumer wants “highly defined, individualised concepts that are high resolution and meet the desired coverage levels”, he adds.
With the pressure of budgets though that’s not an easy task. But technology is apparently a marketer’s friend when it comes to creating these highly personalised campaigns.
Paul Dickinson, sales and marketing director for Virgin Atlantic says they’ve been aware of the “HD-ready consumer” for a while and are tapping into a variety of channels in a personalised way by anticipating when particular customers have “flying…on their mind” rather than hoping that one big TV ad is going to attract a flurry of business.
Behind all this targeting is data, and that means more research. Collecting and understanding data from the right audience is going to be crucial to tempt the HD-ready consumer to even consider a particular brand or service.
