Mad Men Meet the Digital Revolution

Imagine coming into Don Draper's office today and asking him about the key metrics you need to track for your upcoming online campaign.?

Back in his day, marketing was about sleek suits, polished pitches, and prime-time TV slots. The world was smaller, attention spans longer, and ads had the power to shape cultural norms.??

Fast forward to today, and marketing has undergone a seismic shift, transcending the confines of boardrooms and finding its voice in the vast space that is the internet.?

Now, marketing is no longer about capturing attention, hearts or minds.

It’s about making sure your audience is an active participant of your brand’s narrative, personalising and tailoring their experience through vast amounts of data touch points.

And to be honest, I’d like to think that he would’ve still poured himself a glass of old-fashioned before commenting on those metrics.?

The Era of Mad Men

Mad Men, the American TV series inspired by the real-life ad agencies of the 60s, painted a glamorous picture of the marketing world. This was a time in advertising when clever taglines, catchy jingles, and captivating TV commercials won people’s hearts.?

Iconic brands were literally built on billboards and commercial breaks, and the art of persuasion was the marketer’s greatest asset.

Brands like Marlboro and Coca-Cola were not merely products; they emerged as lifestyle symbols.

Coca-cola was no longer a sugary, bubbly drink, it was about bringing people together.

Marlboro was no longer a cigarette, it became a symbol of strength and masculinity.?

Of course, you still needed copious amounts of budget to reach this glorious success and outstanding amounts of networking to make this happen.

But there is no denying that a lot of the budget went into creating unique and creative narratives.

The history of the? world wide web of 24/7 selling

Another key event was taking place in the 60s that would define marketing later on.?

It was during the Cold War era, when the United States Department of Defense created ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in 1969, the precursor to what we know today as the?internet.

The concept of the World Wide Web came into existence by the late 80s. British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee proposed a decentralised information system and by1991, he introduced the first-ever website and web browser. This revolutionised how information was accessed and shared.?

But it was until the 90s, when we really witnessed the internet's rapid expansion beyond academic and military circles.

The development of user-friendly interfaces and browsers allowed the internet to finally become accessible to the general public.

This?transformed the game.

The internet now became a global platform for communication, commerce, and collaboration.?

Today, to say that the internet is an integral part of our daily life would be the understatement of the century.?

Websites are now storefronts where businesses showcase their brand to a global audience 24/7.

Companies exist in the pockets of anyone with a phone and a connection.

You got (e)mail! And spam!

Gary Thuerk, working for Digital Equipment Corp, sent the first email blast in history. He fired it off to 400 recipients to promote his company's computers. It generated a staggering $13 million in sales, equivalent to around $78.8 million today when considering inflation.

If you're hesitant about diving into email marketing, Gary's success story is proof that this has been a powerful tool since the start. I would argue that it is the most powerful tool in marketing today.?

Unfortunately, this email blast is also often labelled as the first spam ever.

It makes sense that in today's email-saturated landscape, mastering the art of crafting attention-grabbing emails is crucial.?

Brands can’t afford to go straight to the spam folder.?

Tailoring, timing, and targeting are the keys to success when it comes to email marketing.?

• Personalisation is the key.?
• Imagine what a day looks like for your customer - when it would be best to say hello?
• Craft your emails with content that speaks directly to their needs and desires. What keeps them awake at night? Help them with that.?

Social Media: where brands became friends

Then came social media, transforming the way brands interacted with their audience.

No longer distant entities, brands became friends, mentors, and companions.

Likes, shares, and retweets replaced traditional metrics, shifting the paradigm from monologue to dialogue.

The history of social media is a fascinating journey to me, having grownup with it.

Here is a brief timeline:

In 1997, SixDegrees.com emerged as one of the pioneering social media platforms, allowing users to create profiles, connect, and exchange messages within networks.

The early 2000s saw the rise of platforms like Hot or Not, influencing the creators of Facebook and YouTube.?

Between 2003 and 2005, a wave of diverse social media platforms emerged.?

LinkedIn targeted the business community, while YouTube transformed video sharing.?

WordPress revolutionised content creation, and sites like Tumblr popularised micro-blogging.?

Twitter took flight in 2006, introducing the unique 140-character limit and the infamous hashtags, becoming a platform for real-time updates. In 2011, Twitter broke the news of Osama bin Laden’s death.

This became a turning point on how we consumed media.

But it hasn't all been butterflies and roses. Social media has also faced challenges, notably during the 2016 U.S. election, where disinformation spread through platforms like Facebook, sparking concerns about data privacy and fake news.

In 2018, Facebook’s data privacy controversies led to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings.?

Most recently last year, billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter, leading to significant changes in the platform, and causing a lot of turmoil with its user base.?

This ongoing evolution shows how social media shapes global communication, commerce, and culture, reflecting the ever-changing digital landscape.

This is why, being a social media manager in 2023 is not for the faint-hearted.?

Their role demands resilience and versatility.?

It’s not merely about crafting tweets or creating TikTok dances.

It involves strategic planning, content creation, seamless promotion, community engagement, insightful reporting, and, unfortunately in some cases, bearing the weight of growing the business revenue.?

If you have a friend or family member in this field, never underestimate the complexity of their responsibilities.?

They are the architects behind online presence, constantly navigating the dynamic digital landscape to drive results and foster meaningful connections.

Go hug them right now.

Marketing AI or how how machines are doing your job

As if this digital revolution wasn’t enough, artificial intelligence stepped into the marketing arena.?

Machines, armed with data and algorithms, predict, personalise, and perform tasks at speeds unfathomable to humans.?

AI isn’t just optimising campaigns. It redefines the very essence of marketing strategy.?

I believe the fusion of human creativity and machine intelligence will lead to campaigns that aren’t just targeted but empathetic.

As the wise Seth Godin said in his book This is Marketing: marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem, their problem.?

A marketer that has the human touch with the support of AI, will be unstoppable.

The machines are already out there, we just need to tell them what to do and become the best at that.

AI will soon become the backbone of modern marketing, offering a level of insight and efficiency that was previously unimaginable.

As a result, the marketing landscape may ironically become more human.

It will forge deeper, more genuine connections between brands and their audiences.

From glamour to genuine connections

All of this to say that the marketing we know today is more than just selling; it’s about storytelling, community, and building genuine connections.?

It is no longer a glossy ad in a magazine, but about a heartfelt post on Instagram.?

It’s not the rehearsed sales pitch, but an authentic conversation on Twitter (R.I.P).?

I’d like to believe that in this day and age, marketing isn’t just a profession.

It’s about delivering an experience - a shared story written by brands and consumers alike.

_______

This is the end of chapter 1 of Everything I know about Marketing. What are your thoughts?

In the next chapter, I plan to get more technical and talk about data-driven decision making for marketing. Is there something that you’d like me to cover?

Happy to hear your thoughts!