MARKETING : THEN vs. NOW

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Once upon a time, when I was a kid, I too, just like all other kids, depended on my parents for my material desires.

I wanted to own a bicycle once.

My father took me to the shop he knew through ???????? ???? ??????????; was best for it. We asked the shopkeeper for a model suiting best with the features I wanted, he showed me the 2-3 brand options he had(& we knew of), I chose one & we returned buying my chosen one.

Three decades have passed, the situation is same, but my father’s place has been taken by me & that of mine by my son.

Of course I fulfilled his demand; but with a contemporary twist!

I searched the internet for the bicycle with features my son wished for; let him select one from the wide range of brands we now knew (choosing- now that was the most difficult part though); selected the ???????????????? ??????????????, ???????????????????????? ?????????????????? & ???????? ?????????????? ???????????????? ?????????????????? one. We considered the brand’s star ratings & comments as well to reach to our final choice.

We were satisfied as consumers!

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But what point did I prove here? Let’s try to find out!

Back then, buying a TV would mean BPL or SONY; buying a car would mean Maruti or Suzuki.

And today?

Even the kids know of more than 10 brands of a particular product!

Ever wondered- what made this drastic change surface so quick?

Brands ruled the market back then, whereas customers are ruling the market today!

I’ll tell you how!

??????-????????-????????-?????? ????????????????: Least have the brands of that era been bothered of the diversity in their potential consumers. The market of today has been taken over by the ones adapting customization as their USP.

Look at clothing brands for instance! You just covey your imagination to the brand & the product will be ready. Business people are consciously taking risks these days.

?????????????????? ????. ????????????????: The brands alone used to speak in those days & consumer was at the listening end. Brands of today very skillfully have opened space for dialogues among their customers. And that is why they feel that they are taken care of. Realizing & acting on the concern area has been the biggest consumer centric strategy of all & a game changer!

???????????? ???? ??????????: TV & Newspaper summed up the whole of the marketing those days. Brands are getting creative today. They are approaching through every media that is available to the people. FB, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Google, you name it & that has already become a place to flaunt themselves. And the novelty in it follows with Blogs, Testimonials, star ratings, comments & what not!

??????????????????????????: The earlier times have seen rivalries, while the market of today likes to work in collaboration, implying all positives at one side which further implies drawing more attention, traffic & finally deal closures!

???????????????????? ??????????????????: Brand Ambassador was a thing back then. That space has now been taken over by “Influencers” of the young generation. These are the people who have exponentially huge fan following among their social media space sharers.

?????? ?????????? ????????; with all of this happening in front of our wide open eyes, no one in the rarest of their dreams would have thought that the position cinema halls & multiplexes enjoyed for decades together will be snatched by OTTs within a couple of years!

So you see, the ones who have not been able to keep up with the change have long been forgotten.

The competition is higher than never before. But I see it as an opportunity to outshine with the novel & smart ideas the young minds are already brimming with!

Now tell me, what your thoughts are on the changing marketing trends? How has it affected you as a businessman or a consumer?

Share with me in the comment section below.