The Evolution of Modern Marketing

The world of marketing has evolved significantly since the early 1990s, primarily executed through traditional mediums such as print, radio, and television. After the dotcom boom and the arrival of the internet in the mid-90s, there was a seismic shift in marketing strategies, and new digital marketing techniques emerged that continue to dominate the landscape even today.

The most significant development in digital marketing was the introduction of Web 2.0 in the early 2000s. This term referred to a shift in internet usage, where users were no longer passive consumers of information, but instead active participants. The rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube enabled users to share content, connect with others, and engage with brands in new ways. This gave rise to new marketing strategies such as influencer marketing and paid media, now a longstanding method in contemporary marketing.

New medium, new styles

Influencer marketing has become an important component of many modern marketing campaigns, as brands leverage the reach and influence of social media personalities, connecting with younger audiences who trust recommendations from peers and social media influencers.

Additionally, with the rise and sustained popularity of social media platforms, paid media has become an integral part of brands’ marketing campaigns. Leveraging a set of technologies used for managing advertisements across channels, including search, display, video, mobile and social, brands can now automate a large proportion of their marketing spend with ROI in the form of reach and impressions.

A cookie-less future

However, the future of marketing – and once successful practices like paid online media – are under threat with a decentralised online future. As the likes of Google and Firefox begin to move away from third-party cookies and user privacy becomes increasingly important, brands will need to find an alternative way to deliver targeted ads and personalised experiences for potential consumers.

The industry is also witnessing a rapid expansion of content types and audience appetites that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ marketing approach no longer satisfies. Micro-form content through to longer-form think pieces co-exist in this new landscape and both have effective applications for a brand’s marketing. Instead, they need to think about whom they want to reach, design their ideal audience, and tailor the content accordingly. Short or long-form, audiences will rarely engage if the content is blasted out from a brand’s official channels, preferring delivery from a trusted source.

Our approach to decentralised marketing brings fans back into focus, taking centre stage of all creative output. We work with brands to identify who they want to reach and the platform they can be found on. After this, high quality branded content of reciprocal value is distributed to trusted members of these communities. This allows brands to be on the front foot, as their product or message is received with an initial level of acceptance through the established trust between the creator and their audience. A personalised approach that delivers meaningful CPV for brands and entertaining content for fans.

Audiences are taking a longer, exploratory approach to content, favouring deeper dives into communities and their own independent search for knowledge and meaning. People want to belong within their niche communities, validated by their favourite brands through recognition and reward – translated into purchase intent. If crafted carefully, with audience consideration from inception, this has lasting implications for audiences engages and amplifies branded content.