The truth is that pretty much every marketing tactic ever devised started out as breakthrough. It’s just that after decades—and in some cases centuries—of repeated deployment, we take them for granted. Things as mundane as space ads, electric billboards, direct marketing, giveaways, sports endorsements, jingles—all of these were considered innovations when they first came to market. It can be said that the history of marketing is a history of tactical breakthroughs designed to do exactly what the word suggests: break through the noise and clutter of competition.
Today, in the age of experience, breakthroughs require me as a marketer to think beyond messaging. At a time when my potential customers are more connected and empowered by technology, my marketing has become more collaborative. Rather than spend more money on media, I like to enable engagement and raise awareness of my humanity, helping those who want what I truly am, find me. Deployment is inspired by connection, rather than branding…it needs to be more astute and subtle.
While no one knows what can be expected in future marketing, it seems inevitable that without breakthrough, there’ll be no marketing worth remembering.