She talks. And she shops for sure.
I was talking to a colleague of mine who stressed on Consumers being digitally savvy for mobile marketing the other day and it made me think really hard on whether the consumer needs to be digitally savvy at all? I still remember about this aunt of mine who thought that cell phone is way too complicated to dial and handle 4 years back, but now she is actively using one and happily clicking photos of friends and family and sharing them without booting up a desktop computer.
On the other hand, while we all, world over, are heaving and waiting for the economy to show something positive so that we can shop happily, I see no news of things getting better; and this often makes me wonder - what would a retailer do to attract more shoppers? And how would a brand, in such a downturn, influence a value conscious shopper? A swanky marketing advertisement from a brand promoting their products may not draw Gina’s attention as much; but she may have all the ears for Jane’s tip on that product.
And I thought...If I want to market a product, the best way to do so is to become a part of the shopper conversation, and her cell phone comes handy for this. Fortunately, the era of mobility has turned out as an opportunity for brands to create awareness without spending a lot of time and energy on letting the consumer know what to buy; the conversations taking place in the socially connected world represent a profound opportunity to create awareness of a magnitude that never existed before.
So, how do we become a part of those conversations, provide her more value & influence her decisions? Can we also try & make her influence decisions of her friends in buying a product? Can social networking become pervasive and viable, turning this economic calamity into a 'never like before' opportunity?
