With an estimated $10 billion spent on media in Australia, digital advertising campaigns fall into one of two categories: those designed for mass awareness, and campaigns tailored to a niche audience. So who can consumers trust? Marin Software APAC MD Jay Revels talks us through it.

Fast Company’s Jasmine De Bruycker recently asked whether ‘de-branding’ was the solution.

De Bruycker writes, “What distinguishes brands is less important than what brings things and people together. The brand that screams the loudest no longer commands the most attention; the one that offers something genuinely useful does.”

While marketing proposes an opportunity to create narratives around brands that matter, the challenge for consumers isn’t knowing what products to buy—it’s deciding what brands to trust.

In the ROI-driven sector of marketing, the concept of being the sum of your usefulness, as opposed to relevance (created or otherwise) is an interesting one.

The Influence Of Value

As the media market expands, and, concurrently, as information about how a product is made, where it’s been sourced, and the people behind it becomes increasingly easy to find—consumers don’t need to wait for a brand to find them. They’re in control of the information they seek, and rightly so.

With the rise in popularity of perceived lesser-known brands, consumers have increased appetite for brands that can deliver value to them, as opposed to just desirability.

De Bruycker said, “We’ve reached the saturation point, we are unhappy—we are stuffocated. But just as consumption became a way of life, so too can non-consumption.”

With more choices than ever, consumers need to know that you have value to them. That you understand their online behaviours. That you can confidently communicate with them, in the right environment, with the right message, at the right time.

In It For The Long Haul

The true art form of marketing is not only building awareness, promoting scarcity, demonstrating relevance, and driving a need. Brands must also demonstrate their worth to the consumer to pique interest and develop long-term loyalty.

As a marketer, being creative is only one part of the equation. Being genuine about your message, communicating with customers (both potential, current, and future), where they are digitally (mobile, social, and sharing), and demonstrating your usefulness is how brands win hearts and minds.