The power of human understanding in 21st century marketing

"In this omnichannel world, where consumer experiences are dispersed across an ecosystem of platforms and devices. brands are competing with other experiences for attention. At the same time, consumers are sharing (or generating) more and more data in exchange for more personalised experiences. Brand experiences are collapsing, customer journeys being compressed, and shorter pathways to purchase - capable of delivering consumers deeper into the sales funnel - emerging."

"In this world, the traditional marketing journey becomes problematic. The conventional barrier between front-end, brand-building creativity versus back-end performance optimisation is being undermined. In this new blended world, all media should drive performance. Many agencies fail to grasp the potential of this new world. Too many are obsessing about shiny technology or the new media formats when they should be focusing their attention - and clients' budgets - on something much more fundamental: the human."

"Although the technology changes, basic human beings don't. Being able to see this allows us to operate at a more fundamental, a more powerful level."

Digital technology and the Covid pandemic accelerated a shift to omnichannel, digitally-driven marketing where consumer experiences span platforms and devices and compete for attention. Consumers increasingly share data for more personalised experiences as brand experiences collapse and customer journeys compress into shorter purchase pathways. The traditional split between brand-building creativity and performance optimisation is breaking down, requiring all media to contribute to measurable outcomes. Agencies that focus on shiny technology or new formats risk missing the core requirement: strategies built around human needs, emotional relevance, authenticity, and genuine interaction to secure attention and action.

Read at The Drum