The 5 spookiest phenomena of the marketing industry over time

As modern business landscape continues to transform, the field of marketing is in a constant state of flux. Overall, the strategies and practices that worked decades ago may be rendered obsolete today.

While marketing industry continually evolves to meet the changing needs and expectations of people, consumers or decision makers, there are still businesses that grasp outdated marketing practices or tactical ones that became even more abusive powered by new tools.

Technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviours, globalization, cultural diversity, regulatory changes, and major geopolitical challenges are shaping marketing into a dynamic field that demands continuous adaptation and a complete new face of responsability.

Crossing the boundaries of respect and holding onto outdated strategies, tactics and practices can result not only in an eroded market share and business value, but mostly to an industry with low reputation used as an illustration of unethical or undesirable behaviour that raise concerns or controversies in the eyes of consumers and general opinion.

These are the scariest phenomena: ??

Advertising interruption model

The jurassic interruption on marketing advertising has lead to the creation of one of the most popular buttons ever on digital world – "skip ad" – as well the ad blocking concept, which is a complete paradox, for an activity whose rationale should have allowed the creation of seamless and involving benefits for consumers and not specific solutions to avoid it.

In an era where so many digital tools have enhanced the power to innovate and create something compelling, the industry is merely observing the rise of the ad blockings. According to a study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), ad blocking usage is highest among 18-34 years old; precisely the digital native generation more prepared for any future-proof digital-driven, with whom the industry should have learned non disruptive models of relationship through advertising.

Overreliance on Demographics and Stereotyping

Marketing as been studying audiences by age and generation as a pattern since the very first beginning, but today new data-driven methods are pushing for other perspectives more consistent with the behaviour that every single person have within a group or a generation.

Brands has often relied on stereotypes based on demographics, which can be problematic and outdated when we look in particular for the younger people that born under the most recent and impactful transformations of the society – like the so-called “Millennials” and “Gen Z” – that have been "labelled" them as early adopters for everything new, putting a lot of pressure on their shoulders, since the entire world are expecting they will be in the frontline to create the next big thing to solve many problems of the planet.

A study conducted by BBH Labs has already pointed out this case according some insights: “The data is clear: passions, habits and temperaments unite us, not generational groupings".

In May this year, the Pew Research Center , one of the most respectable fact tanks about trends that are shaping the world, officially stopped to embarking on these concepts: "Generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology" (Kim Parker, director of social trends research at Pew)

"We decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue"

This scary topic was one of the recent Marketing Future Cases analysed in depth (look in particular the stereotype for TikTok usage).

Bias inside the marketing industry

Related with the previous one, this is a creepy problem for several reasons, as it can have a range of negative consequences, both for businesses and society as a whole since marketing professionals are themselves affected by unconscious bias .

Using stereotypes can perpetuate existing biases and discrimination in society and it may also lead to reinforcing harmful gender, racial, or cultural misconception. Stereotypes often do not accurately represent the diversity of individuals within a group. People within the same demographic can have vastly different preferences and behaviours that can lead to the inaccuracy on the assumed profile.

It's crucial for marketers to recognize the impact of their messaging and the potential harm of relying on outdated stereotypes and to continually reassess and adapt their practices to reflect the real world.

Having a siloed or fragmented marketing department

Despite the relationship between the whole marketing function and other departments of the organization being itself spooky, the internal reality can be even more hideous: on 21st century still exists marketing teams from brand, digital, traditional working in separate structures, struggling to coordinate and integrate their efforts effectively.

Apart the several significant costs and drawbacks, this can result in fragmented or inconsistent messaging across various marketing channels affecting negatively the customer experience. Customers may receive mixed or conflicting information from different touch points, leading to frustration and low satisfaction.

Team members may become specialized in their specific areas but lack an alignment with the company's overall mission and vision for a broader understanding of the entire marketing landscape.

The lack of integration also misses opportunities to leverage synergies between different channels forcing teams to use distinct metrics for their specific objectives, making it challenging to measure the overall impact of marketing initiatives on the business strategy that hinder flexibility and innovation.

As I have been sharing publicly , the marketing function is one of the management areas that bring today a lot of technology into the organizations for the most diverse activities: creative, operational and analytical (more than IT) and have data as never before about the market and customers.

The symbiosis between tech & data should position marketing as an internal innovation agency working for the entire organization.

Marketing perceived as a perverse activity

There is a historical perception of manipulation around marketing activities that created over time a bad reputation and a very suspicious image connected with the “marketing” expression, often used as an example with negative connotations for perverse practices in any everyday situation between people and institutions.

Deceptive advertising, perceived superficiality, misleading claims, intrusive and aggressive practices, invasive and annoying content, data privacy concerns or even exploiting consumers' vulnerabilities or insecurities have been leading to scepticism and mistrust.

Responsible and ethical marketing practices aim to build trust and positive relationships between businesses and their customers, focuses on delivering value, being transparent and honest, striving to create marketing initiatives that benefit both consumers and society as a whole.

The most frightening practices elected for the Halloween Eve: ??

• Dark patterns: User interface design techniques that manipulate or deceive users into taking actions they may not want, like making it difficult to unsubscribe from emails, adding unauthorized items to shopping carts, or using misleading opt-out checkboxes;
• Astroturfing: Creating fake reviews, comments, or social media accounts to make it appear as if genuine customers are endorsing a product or service. This misleading tactic undermines trust and transparency;
• Influencer deception: Engaging in deceptive practices, such as promoting products without disclosing their sponsorship or fabricating testimonials;
• Deepfakes: Create realistic, yet entirely fabricated, content can be used for deceptive marketing purposes, like manipulating videos or audio to mislead consumers;
• Deceptive pricing: Presenting prices in a way that obscures the true cost, such as hidden fees or charges that only become apparent during the checkout process;
• Intrusive data collection: Invasive tracking of online behaviour, location data without consent, or collecting sensitive information without a legitimate need;
• Behavioural retargeting: While retargeting can be an effective marketing technique, it can also become spooky when it's too aggressive or leads to excessive ad stalking. This can create a feeling of surveillance and intrusion

It's important to emphasize that this is not a reflection of all marketing professionals. Many businesses and marketers prioritize ethical, transparent, and consumer-centric marketing, and they contribute positively to the industry. However, public opinion tends to be influenced by high-profile cases or practices that raise ethical and moral concerns, leading to discussions about responsible marketing and the need for more respectful practices within the industry.

Change is not an option: It's a way to keep "death" away ??

Between perverse and outdated is nothing to choose. It’s better to change... for better.

Some businesses are complacent and resistant to change for specific reasons, like the ones that have invested in legacy systems and processes where they may find it challenging to switch to new methods, as it would require significant new investment to their infrastructure. In other cases, industry norms or regulatory constraints may lead decision makers to use practices they know to be outdated and influence the best marketing adoption.

But while they continue to use outdated practices, these organizations recognize the need for innovation and adaptation. In the constantly evolving world of marketing, change is not an option; it's a survival imperative.

Brands and organizations that embrace change in a respecful way are better positioned to build resilient businesses, engage with customers effectively and remain highly competitive.

Happy Halloween ??