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Luckily, a transformative shift is happening. Products and service providers have found creative ways to empower customers to steer their own experiences, on their own time, with their preferred technologies. Let’s take winning content curators like Thrillist, where subscribers trust and thirst for the content so much, ‘Allied Content’, or sponsored stories, aren’t shunned -- they might even be welcomed if it means readers will uncover the latest trend they must know about. Or, Spotify, Hulu, Netflix - the media streaming services that inhabit most of our smart devices.
Consumers are willing to endure short-stint (albeit super hip and relevant, I might add) commercials, if that means they can watch their favorite shows at their own convenience. Maybe the “chill” part of “Netflix and chill” is taking place during commercials breaks...but I digress.
So, what’s the moral of the story? After attending four Chicago Ideas Week 2015 events over the past seven days and witnessing one avante garde train platform performance, the following 5 trends are apparent and warranted as we approach marketing in 2016. And, they all point to customers just wanting brands to be their friend....
They want to feel like you know them, hear them, and you’re their trusted friend -- you’re there when they need you, and sometimes when they don’t, but you’re helpful and fun, and enhance their life by being you.