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Today’s business conditions are a sea of constant change, innovation and reinvention. Businesses have been forced to pivot, thinking differently about their people, customers and suppliers. Certain industries are also forever changed.

“While 2020 was the most volatile year in modern history, we would be mistaken to think that the disruption is over. Rather, as we move into 2021 and beyond, the rate of disruption will potentially accelerate as the implications from 2020 play out across the next several years,” — Harvard Business Review January, 2021.

In order for marketers to be successful, they have to be relentless in keeping current during a constant state-of-change with market shifts, business model changes, existing customer behaviors and new customer targets buying requirements. Marketers will also have to understand the accelerated moves happening in buyer journey cycles. The great marketers will be the ones that can do so with speed and agility. Here are some of the marketing trends we are following:

  • Embrace the Future: Enjoy and embrace the changes that are in front of you today and into the future. Change can foster growth and fulfillment, and we can’t think of a better business role than marketing to help companies and individuals achieve it.
  • Role and Title Changes: Companies are behaving differently, and so are their employees. This article prioritizes what is expected of today’s companies from their customers and employees. It covers the importance of helping employees manage life experiences that go beyond just careers. Also, customers and staff will require that companies demonstrate actions regarding political and societal issues. It is not enough to issue position statements on social media platforms or emails to customers and employees. Flexibility in business processes and WFH will be foundational, and inclusivity will be demanded by all company stakeholders.
  • Change in Habits: Big and little shifts in business are redefining the title that leads the marketing department. This article based on interviews with a team of marketing executives, speaking to the changing “Chief Marketing Officer” title and the emergence of the “Chief Market Officer” title. It is a subtle evolution, but it reinforces the needed shift from marketing-only tactics centered on features and functions to identifying what a company provides to attract (and keep) more strategic buyers. Additionally, the article highlights how marketing leadership looks to the future and asks the questions of what market we want to be in? and what customer value do we want to create? 

Great marketers will understand that people they are marketing to are very different and ever changing.  They are working hard to find balance in their lives including work, spending time with loved ones and nurturing their interests and hobbies. People are leading non-linear lives and marketers have to adjust their campaigns/channels to reach them, and then find new ways to create connections with them. 

Recognizing that there are many changes today’s marketers have to consider that they never had to do before in performing their roles, the way to thrive is to embrace those changes. Successful marketers will understand what change means for your customers/targets/employees/stakeholders, and ultimately drive the ability to be nimble in the continuous delivery of effective marketing programs.  

How has your game changed as a marketer? And what are you doing as a lead player to win the game?

Reach-out and let us know via TwitterFacebook and LinkedIn! For other marketing insights, check out our blog.

Jeff Rappaport
By: Jeff Rappaport, CEO, Outlook Marketing

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