The fundamentals of marketing are always going to be the same, but with the landscape changing at the speed of technology, what matters most now is how one activates the fundamentals. Smart marketers know that they need to get ahead of the trends and anticipate the next big things, or else be devoured by their competitors. Here is what I believe could be some of the most interesting developments next year: Transparency will become the most important tool of marketing. Consumers are going to continue to exert power and influence. The idea of radical transparency is something that few brands are taking advantage of now, and most brands fight it. Next year the best brands won’t be those with the best stories, or sort of made up fictional stories, but those that will give an accurate and real time picture of what they are doing in the interest of the…
In a time when the millennial generation is embracing living life to the fullest over gathering as many objects around them as possible, the builders at SEMA have found subtle ways to enhance experiences through emotionally-relevant materialism. A mobile Kia beer mobile with Ballast Point taps, a vintage Harley board track race tribute with bikes built before WWI and BMW video simulators. A Sedona tricked out for racing with go karts above and behind the race bay, a Mercedes Metris party/DJ van, and award ceremonies for a first-of-its-kind televised custom car competition by battery maker Optima, The Ultimate Street Car. These were the elements that drew young people and stood out from the crowd at SEMA 2014. And for good reason: as a recent study showed, “A retailer’s ability to make a millennial smile is 33% more important than it is to a baby boomer.” (source: ) The Specialty Equipment…
