Is Your Communications Strategy More About Carpet Bomb or Spear?

We are witnessing the niche-ification of product marketing in America. Imagine delivering the right product to exactly the right consumer at the right time. This is not just some sort of marketer’s fantasy. This is rapidly becoming a real world necessity as the consumer market subdivides into a sea of narrower segments. This is the theory examined at great length in Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail.

In her illuminating treatment on the subject, AdAge contributor and brand strategist Marsha Lindsay says, “The evolution of our mature marketplace, along with the technology that allows consumers to be in control, has created a seismic shift from one-size-fits-all mass markets to millions of markets of self-interest.”

The full bore splintering of mass media channels and emergence of the Web as a vast collection of laser focused subject matter boutiques has ushered in a new era — founded almost entirely on self-guided tours of personal indulgence. With the ability to identify and select what they want to know, from whom and when, consumers are controlling the engagement joystick to interact with brands they determine are relevant. This behavior teaches millions to pursue more precisely what they want in the context of how they see themselves and their passions. Relevance rules, and so does consumer control.

The takeaway is a need for brand stewards and agencies to dial the communications aperture in to identify unique tribes of like-minded consumers — and for brands to slice markets into tighter corridors of relevance. Yet we still see the vestiges of mass market thinking in how communications plans are developed and implemented.

The Illusion of Massive Scale

A prevailing holdover from the TV Industrial revolution is a sense that massive scale is usually the barometer of business success. The consumer preference shift from consistency, reliability and predictability to authenticity, uniqueness and craft is an indicator that we’re nearing an end to the effectiveness of carpet bomb tactics.

By definition communications plans founded on distinction, specialization and experience requires a more human and conversational touch. Brands, especially larger ones, are often tempted to spend liberally across every possible communications gateway hoping literally to confront (as in trip over) a consumer with a selling message wherever they sit, stand, walk, run – and now mostly hide (from).

Going narrow shouldn’t be seen as relevant only to small businesses. Lindsay pointes out that niche doesn’t mean “small, low volume, erratic market opportunity” that isn’t sustainable. A niche can mean millions of potential customers. Narrow is about aligning brand behavior and communications with a defined group of passionate consumers who have a stake in what you’re delivering. Word of mouth and brand evangelism springs from those who care, not those who could care less.

Reaching these tribes is less not about carpet-bombing and more about a correctly aimed arrow. This puts a heavier burden on understanding the needs and interests of these like-minded consumers. We must work very hard to discover their points of passion and then move to build a two-way bridge of conversation that goes way beyond “buy me.”

How would you define media channel strategy in this context? Is it about confront or converse? Push style communication inherently favors the carpet bomb while honest engagement favors the rifle shot. It’s time to let go of old habits and start thinking of narrow as the path to rich niches.