Marketing in the 21st century can be defined by one word: engagement. We live in an era where people have more disposable incomes, less time, and a multitude of choices. Marketing to the modern audience means grabbing hold of their attention.
The constant wave of digital information today makes it hard for people to give their full attention to a message. Past marketing strategies can’t keep up. So, advertising teams today have found new ways to communicate with their consumers.
In this blog, we will be talking about:
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The Modern Marketing Problem
Marketing in the 21st century faces challenges unique to the digital era. Today, most consumers get their information from smartphones and computer screens. Content can come and go with the swipe of a finger, and overall engagement with media has dropped as a result.
Rapid news cycles, instant messaging, and the globalized market all contribute to the shortening attention spans of the general public. In today’s Information Age, people must either consume content on a dime or get left in the dust.
For marketers, this fast consumption of media poses a huge threat to the advertisement industry. Between 2000 and 2015, studies found that consumer attention spans dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. Meanwhile, younger audiences proved to be more forgetful and less attentive.
Today, traditional media strategies are either less impactful or too information-heavy to engage the audience. Luckily, new digital marketing techniques have emerged to regain the attention of potential customers.
LG XBOOM advertised with 3D visuals
Direct Marketing in the 21st Century
Direct marketing is the practice of directly advertising a brand or product to potential customers. In the past, that used to mean employing door-to-door salesmen or showcasing infomercials. However, people no longer have the time or patience to process a lengthy sales pitch. Instead, direct marketing today means creating an immediate brand and product awareness.
To create immediate brand awareness, advertisers reach their audience in the most efficient, non-intrusive ways possible. It’s a delicate balance between getting a name out and not driving away potential customers. Therefore, marketing today hinges on targeting the right audience with the right message in an as short amount of time as possible.
Social Media Advertising
The primary way to market in the 21st century is through social media platforms. Placing advertisements alongside content feeds ensures a spot in the potential consumers’ vision. More importantly, it ensures that marketing teams are reaching their intended audience.
To promote engagement, social media platforms use algorithms to give users content that they are more likely to enjoy. Similarly, platforms provide users with advertisements that they are more likely to consider. All advertising teams have to do then is create an easily understood message which targets their intended demographic. Content such as videos, 3D marketing campaigns, and interactive advertisements all produce high engagement rates.
Personalized Online Outreach
Between email newsletters, SMS marketing, and push notifications, there are multiple ways to reach an audience directly through their messaging application. The process starts with collecting contact information from people who visit a company’s website or show interest in the product. After collecting users’ information, getting directly messaging them becomes the best way to establish a company-consumer relationship.
However, directly reaching someone’s inbox can come off as annoying. That is why brands make sure the promotional material is something that the consumer would enjoy. Offering sales, limited-time offers, or captivating visuals are good ways to directly message potential consumers without seeming intrusive or annoying.
Digital Catalogues
Finally, digital catalogs offer potential customers the freedom to browse a variety of products at their own pace. Digital catalogs market directly to the consumer with as much or as little detail wanted.
Similar to printed catalogs, viewers can choose specifically what they find interesting to make an informed purchase. However, with digital catalogs companies can add more interactive features such as 3D marketing and AR product models. Additionally, having the product list in the palm of their hands means consumers are more likely to access a brand’s catalog.
Virtual influencers are being implemented to promote luxury brands.
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Indirect Marketing in the 21st Century
Indirect marketing is the process of gaining recognition for a brand through outside sources. After establishing good relations through direct marketing and quality products, companies can market themselves much more effectively through their reputation. Otherwise, they can also indirectly market products through content outside of advertisements.
Influencer Marketing
Word-of-mouth marketing has always been a valuable asset to companies. Once a trusted source close to the potential customer promotes a brand, they are much more likely to consider that brand. Luckily, today’s interactive media platforms allow online personalities to form trusted relationships between themselves and a wide audience.
With the rise of independent influencer content across social media, audiences can find personalities to who they relate. People rely on these personalities for engaging content and advice. This means any product that influencers promote automatically attracts a new wave of consumers. Because of this, many brands have reached out to online personalities for sponsorships and seen notable returns as a result.
Recent influencer marketing campaigns have taken people out of the equation completely. Instead, brands applied 3D marketing to create virtual personas, making the rise of virtual influencers an emerging trend in 2022.
Digital Content Creation
If going through an online celebrity is not feasible, many companies have also found success in producing their own content. Not necessarily an ad, these digital creations can include anything from informative blog posts to amusing videos.
With the proper production schedules and engaging content in place, companies can develop their own online presence. From there, promoting their product through different forms of content allows a wide range of audiences to learn about the brand.
Product Placement
Lastly, subtle product placement can draw attention to a product through the audience’s periphery. Another traditional marketing technique with a digital twist, marketing in the 21st century gives product placement new avenues to explore.
Beyond movies or TV shows, brands began placing their products in digital media such as Youtube videos and social media content. Having influencers directly promote a product is one way of garnering trust around a brand’s image. Allowing them to naturally enjoy it in front of their audience can potentially be more impactful.
From 3D models to entirely virtual backdrops, 3D marketing is taking over modern advertising.
3D Marketing: The Future of Advertising
Even with the innovations of digital marketing, shortened attention spans continue to hinder marketing teams from reaching their full potential. Direct or indirect, methods of engaging an audience in a company’s message are becoming increasingly harder.
3D marketing campaigns offer a solution to the growing engagement problem. In a world where people have become accustomed to 2D media, 3D imagery alternatives offer an entirely new experience. From interactive screen displays of digital signage to fully immersive VR to AR, consumers show more interest in a product which they can virtually interact with.
3D marketing can be applied to multiple methods listed above. For example, applying 3D visuals to a direct marketing campaign can reengage the target demographic. Furthermore, applying it to indirect methods can offer viewers a unique 3D experience alongside product placement.
The general public’s attention span continues to decline with every passing year. If you don’t want your product to get scrolled past, consider contacting us today for your own personalized 3D marketing campaign. Read more about 3D marketing and its benefits in our blog post here.
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