Seven Marketing Trends for 2007

Posted by Insight Marketing Group on October 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By: Jennifer Thompson, Insight Marketing Group

Green is Good

2006 was the year that Americans raised their environmental eyebrows. It was also the year that Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth made its way to television sets. The success of such retailers as Whole Foods over the past few years and the forthcoming commitment by Wal-Mart to offer more organic food products shows that green is good and on its way to mainstream consumers.

Across America, there is a movement against obesity and towards vitality and we are starting to see the banning of trans fat from menus and in our public schools. Auto manufacturers are scrambling to catch up with Toyota, who essentially created a mainstream niche market with the successful launch of the world’s most popular hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius. Even the shoe manufacturer, Timberland, has gotten into the game by putting labels on its shoes for consumers to track resources and materials used in making their products.

Implications / Opportunities:

- As more and more mainstream retailers get with the program, consumers will demand environmental and social strategies by more and more businesses.

- Communicating your social/environmental strategy to consumers will be key. The sooner that you establish and implement your ‘green’ plan, the more likelihood you will have to gain early market share.

- Brands that take a proactive role in environmental stewardship align with consumer values – to self, to family, to community.

Going Gray – Marketing to the Baby Boomer Generation

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, a baby boomer turns 50 every seven seconds—joining a population segment that will grow by 25% in the next decade. There is something to be said to the fact that AARP is the number one magazine in the United States with over 23 million paid subscribers.

Matt Thornhill, founder of The Boomer Project, tells us that baby boomers are highly responsive to direct mail and tend to have extended social networks; travel in groups; have higher than average discretionary income; and often focus on improved vitality and overall life experiences.

Implications / Opportunities:

- When planning your marketing materials, focus on quality of life rather than age.

- Remember that this is the generation that went to Woodstock – don’t treat them like they are senile.

Consumers in Control

Advertising Age says that 2007 will be the year that consumers are in control and that traditional marketers will abandon ‘command and control’ models of brand building in exchange for a truly interactive dialogue with consumers. The Hartman Group says that this trend is grounded in the transition from a traditional culture to a consumer culture and that by looking back, we will see just how markets have changed and evolved within the ebb and flow of consumer lifestyles.

Implications / Opportunities:

- More technologies and media channels are available to reach your customers.

- Changes in research technologies and methodologies are giving rise to more co-creation (incorporating what your customers are telling you into your marketing message and product design) and customer generated advertising (word of mouth).

- Consider what the customer feedback option at online retailers like Amazon.com has done for product sales. A one star review versus a five star review certainly has an effect on the sale of one product over another.

Emerging Technologies

Technology changes on a daily basis and provides us with fresh options for delivering marketing messages to consumers, both on a mass scale and in highly targeted segment niches. Brand engagement is becoming the goal in which marketers try to create a dialog and interact with the people they are trying to reach. America Online recently launched a traditional television campaign promoting its online videos. While online videos remain only a small segment of the content accessed via the Internet, expect them to be one of the fastest growing segments in 2007. Also, expect mobile (cell phone) marketing to make strides in 2007.

Implications / Opportunities:

- Blogs, podcasts, mobile phone based programming, social networking, RSS feeds, etc. will provide marketers new and exciting opportunities for getting messages to the consumer.

- Content-casting and RSS feeds will provide B2B companies with opportunities for creating and distributing content to their customers.

Vitality & Sustainability

Led by the baby boomer generation, the trend towards vitality spans the physical, emotional, mental and social domains. A recent focus on the obesity issue has led to an increased focus on energy and exercise. Whether its an over taxed workforce or time starved parents, consumers are looking toward vitality and sustainability in 2007. The Hartman Group tells us that the next significant long-term trend in the health and wellness arena is intrinsically linked to sustainability.

Implications / Opportunities:

- You can no longer differentiate yourself on benefits alone, but rather need to provide consumers with a connection to who they envision themselves to be. Empowerment, ownership and investment breed brand loyalty.

- Expect men and male-targeted products to make up a larger segment of the health and beauty market in 2007.

Simplicity

We see it every time we step into a Target store – simplicity is on the rise. There has been explosive interest in the design aspect of consumer culture–everything from housewares and furnishings to personal electronics and clothing. As a general rule of thumb, the less decorated or decked out an object is, the more real or authentic it seems. Hence, the push towards simplicity.

Implications / Opportunities:

- In an age where multitasking and 70 hour workweeks are the norm, simplicity is the escape.

- Today’s consumer is purchasing an overall experience and not simply an item. Target your product and/or services towards the experience and help keep life simple.

Social Marketing

In recent years there has been much talk about the declining state of the civic organization in communities across America. However, take a look at the membership levels of your local Chamber of Commerce or the daily traffic of social networking websites like myspace.com and one might conclude that there has simply been a shift in the way consumers are interacting with one another. Look to social marketing to reach new heights in 2007.

Implications / Opportunities:

- Customer generated advertising reaches an entirely new level of importance as consumers are turning away from traditional advertising and more towards referrals from friends and family.

- Lead generation and referrals are the keys to cracking the social marketing code. Business owners must have a plan to integrate the customer into their marketing strategies.

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