As I mentioned in my last post, there’s an ongoing shift toward giving readers a more relevant, adaptive web experience. This trend’s power starts with the fact that it’s beneficial for consumers–and soon this relevancy will be a requirement. For those marketers who embrace the trend, it will also be hugely profitable.
The experiences that a growing Web population expects—on-demand access to content of particular interest to them–will largely shape how people come to accept advertising directed their way. Today, I can set up and read personalized news feeds, follow the musings and links of my friends and colleagues on Facebook and Twitter, and access videos of my choice on Netflix and Hulu. Soon, I’ll enjoy a web experience that doesn’t require me to download or interact with separate sites or applications, each with their own notion of relevancy.
But even in the here and now, companies are learning how to speak (and, more important, be spoken to) in a one-to-one way with customers via social media and other tools. Many companies have someone whose job includes following Twitter feeds that involve their company in order to get real-time feedback. I’d argue that the lessons learned over the next few years will lead to a profound change in the way companies market to their customers–ads will have to become more relevant, conversational, and engaging in order to generate attention and drive action.
We’ve already moved to an environment of instant reviews, “likes,” coupons, and the nearly instantaneous tracking and rewarding of customer loyalty. Successful advertising will have to take into account much, if not all, of this; ads that don’t succeed in informing me in a relevant way will eventually cease to be effective.
As the online ecosystem evolves to provide a more relevant experience, brands will have to speak to people online in this new and timely way. This dialogue with consumers is part of what a brand will stand for even more now. Consumers will eventually reject web experiences that aren’t relevant to them in some way–and similarly they’ll pass over online ads that are not relevant to them either.
[Photo: Blaj Gabriel/Shutterstock]
