Mele’s Musings

Reaching Today’s Multimedia, Multitasking Consumers

Several recent studies have shown what we already know – that consumers multi-task and use multiple media.  Given this fact, what is the best way to reach consumers today? 

photo: flickr

Article excerpt:  There’s no question that the explosion of new media has disrupted media buying and left many consumer brand marketers scratching their heads as to how to best reach consumers. Many articles and white papers have been written, with many more to come, about the increasing complexity of the marketing mix brand managers must navigate in order to execute successful campaigns.  Interestingly, not a great deal has been written about how the consumer experience has changed. Think about what you do at home during your down time. Chances are you’re watching your favorite television programs and fast-forwarding through the commercials (you recorded the shows with your DVR), checking multiple email accounts on your laptop (your personal Yahoo account and your work email), sporadically surfing the Web, answering an IM or two, and fielding messages from friends and work associates on your mobile device.
the rest: blogs.mediapost.com

Musing:  The article makes some very good points: that marketers need to create direct relationships with consumers to in some ways get past the fact that consumers are harder to reach.  The angle that it takes I am not totally sure I agree with, as the article writer spends a great deal of time focusing on lead generation.  The final objective is correct: find ways to connect directly with consumers, and don’t be afraid to use email.  A few tricky things about email that we need to consider: 1) younger people are less likely to use it, and 2) it needs to be both invited and valuable for consumers to respond to it.  Lead generation can be a useful tactic, but it really depends on what the end goals are.  Just as important, or perhaps more important, is understanding how our customers use different media, and to make sure we are sending consistent messages no matter when we talk to them, and using each media for its best purpose.