As Budget 2020 turns out to be a non-event, and much focus remains on Kunal Kamra’s encounter with Arnab Goswami on an Indigo flight, I couldn’t help but think about how biases have overtaken professional etiquette, acceptable social behavior, and plain old common sense. This reflection naturally leads to exploring valuable marketing insights on patterns in consumer behavior that can help marketers design impactful campaigns. These insights reveal widely held beliefs or shifting mindsets, enabling brands to stay ahead of the curve.
Today’s brands are more “in your face” than “in your mind.” Aggressive behavior has become a norm. Think of personalities like Virat Kohli, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Kanye West, and even Greta Thunberg. Each has succeeded by turning assertiveness into a key strategy. While some marketers replicate this “shock and awe” technique, not all manage to achieve success.
Our diminishing ability to be discerning with opposing views has significant implications for brands. Elvis Presley’s quote—“Before you abuse, criticize, and accuse… walk a mile in my shoes”—resonates as a stark contrast to our modern swiping and tweeting culture. These marketing insights highlight how marketers must navigate online noise, celebrity endorsements, influencer strategies, and data-driven techniques like MarTech, Adtech, and AI while maintaining empathy and relevance.
The digital era floods us with data, leaving marketers with the choice to either ignore or process it quickly. With the rise of echo chambers and fake news, credibility has become a scarce commodity. For instance, Greta Thunberg’s association with corporate interests, though speculative, illustrates how perceptions can be shaped and challenged in this age.
Returning to my initial thought—brands today lean towards loud and aggressive tactics, often compromising on sophistication and subtlety. However, marketing insights suggest that staying in the customer’s mind doesn’t have to rely on aggression. By being considerate and purpose-driven, brands can foster deeper connections with their audience.
Things might look bad now but they in all probability will get worse from here on. As the digital era drowns us with yottabytes of data, we have a choice to either ignore or process it at a tectonic speed, albeit less carefully. The world is now dominated by echo chambers, look alikes, people trying to fit in and people trying to stand out. It’s the same for brands. Some more sympathy for the marketers?
We live in an era of fake news and deep fakes where credibility comes at a huge discount. I am sure you would find it very difficult to believe that Greta Thunberg represents certain corporate interests that had failed to communicate effectively to the world about the dangers of climate change and the need to move towards green energy. So, what do they do? Use a regular and angry student citizen as a symbol to wage their battle and give it credibility as a people’s movement. Is this accusation true? I hope not. Is it possible? Certainly yes.
Going back to my original thought—today’s brands are much more “in your face” and not so much “in your mind.” The response could very well be: if you aren’t in your face, you aren’t getting anywhere close to my mind. True that. But there is a subtle difference. What I mean by being “in your face” is being loud, uncouth, belligerent, and aggressive. A brand can be in its customers’ minds by being subtle, sophisticated, and considerate too.
Reflecting on the state of marketing, I often feel I’ve seen it all—from the era of rational advertising to campaigns tugging at the heartstrings, to brands embracing purpose-driven messaging. But what comes next? This is where marketing insights come into play. They reveal that we now live in a world of heightened biases and flawed thinking, where people are struggling to understand one another or lack the patience to even try.
Brands and marketers have a choice to make in this digital world. They can either be a mirror to society, riding the current trend of aggression and isolation, or be bold and take a knee—ironically, a softer but braver stance. The real question is: do we have the marketing leaders in India to do that? Based on marketing insights, I certainly think so.
