Alan Mitchell has written a thought-provoking piece in this weeks Marketing Magazine where he asks whether the Marketers role of influencing the consumers decision making process has actually corrupted the marketing landscape we see today. He quotes research showing that consumers trust independent online sources of information (such as search, peer review or comparisons) far more than retailers or brands. More than three-quarters of consumers (77%) say their online research has changed what they have bought; 88% say it has changed where they bought from.
He is obviously right, it has. We trust other people far more than commercial messages today and the digital world has made this first hand experience accessible to all of us. But the changes go beyond the influence of the buyer. The power and influence of independent media reviews has also been transformed in recent years. If you are thinking of buying a phone, car, holiday or even visit a restaurant, the chances are you will search out the review section in your favourite paper or magazine before you go in store (there is a reason why ”product of the year awards” are becoming such money spinners for magazines).
Some sectors, such as FMCG products, have been somewhat insulated from this revolution, but this also will soon change. As mobiles are transformed into barcode readers and new mobile review sites are created, it will only be a matter of time before even the birth place of modern marketing will have to reinvent it’s approach to market.
