Consumers are fatigued by the growing use of marketing automation, an industry study reveals.
Beyond the algorithm whitepaper by information, data and market measurement firm Nielsen and independent agency Archibald Williams states that while today’s ads may be timelier, and more targeted and tailored than ever before (thanks to investment into CRM systems), that’s not enough to stand out since every brand is making use of the same data and targeting approach – anyone can pop a variable field into an EDM.
Automation, as it stands, is unable to truly take the human within our consumers into consideration, and that means, by relying on a pre-planned communications matrix, we’re missing valuable opportunities to understand why our consumers are disengaging.
For example, social media marketing and personalised emails used to be the clever way to communicate with your consumers, but these platforms have fallen completely flat.
Consumers are uninspired by today’s marketing communications, with 13% of people finding social media ads inspiring and 29% going as far as calling them flat out boring.
The fate is even worse for EDMs, with 13% of people are inspired by them and 48% are completely dismissing them.
Yet the appetite is there as 53% of us want more inspiring content in brand emails. And almost half are looking for content that introduces them to products they’ve never seen before.
The brands who acknowledge growing consumer fatigue and act on this shift in consumer appetite before others are the brands who will experience far greater ROI.
Consumers favour brands that provide value, and entertainment is one of those values. Brands must prove that their products will better consumers’ lives, and that requires building rapport first.
Side-stepping these details impacts the bottom line for brands, as 45% of respondents implied they weren’t at all likely to act based on what they’re currently seeing from brands.
Users are aware of the algorithms, and initially had (to a certain degree) started appreciating and welcoming the use of their data to offer targeted and efficient communications. But the concern has now become less about data sharing and more about the value exchange.
This means we’re now seeing a shift in how many consumers are willing to have their online behaviour tracked.
People are past the initial excitement of receiving tailored content and have become sceptical of the impact their data being collected is having on their lives and the way they are living it.
The solution is not to throw out the algorithm, but to enhance the bigger marketing picture. Because, as we’ve already made clear, we’re far past personalisation, and the case for relevance and connection is urgent. There is more space for human-led and human-centred creativity than ever before.
Creative matters
It inspires and connects in a way that has been lost in the automation process. And the timing is right - against the current financial and emotional consumer context, a reignition of a sense of discovery fills a great human need for consumers to keep them going.
The study suggests the old 80/20 rule – where 80% of comms can remain the same with the existing model, but roughly 20% must be enhanced by injecting what we’re calling ‘selective serendipity’ – the key moments in the customer journey where human-centred creative can enhance the otherwise automated comms. Because while it’s simple, there’s a delicate balance and science to it.
If we’re identifying a need to slow things down and to provide emotional benefit through discovery, we must recognise that the current user experience has been designed in response to an appetite for ease and efficiency.
So, the balance is to find those ‘pause moments’ where discovery has a role to play and the potential to broaden or deepen the relationship, all while not adding friction to the experience.
You can either be exhausting or energising, and you want to make sure you get it right.
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