The Evolution of Marketing Agencies

My Haul Store

Marketing has evolved tremendously over the decades. Earlier, the system was production-centered. Later, it went through phases and evolved into relationship-based marketing. Modern marketing ultimately refers to the concept of business development. It again narrows down to business development through persuasive relationships. Science and technology have changed the way people live. This further affected the way they do business, sell, and purchase. 

Through print, television, and social media, marketing has changed over the past decades from the simple act of informing customers to influencing people to become potential customers. It comes as no surprise that the evolution of marketing and advertising has directly affected the evolution of marketing agencies. There are two main factors that have affected the evolution of marketing agencies. 

What Do Customers Want?

This refers to the customer’s needs in the business environment. The demands of consumers have changed over the years. What they wanted in the past is irrelevant to what they demand today. If a business fails to keep up with its customers, then its marketing efforts will fail. So customer needs are one factor that directly affected the evolution of marketing agencies. 

Marketing Technologies

In the beginning, print advertising was the only communication medium for marketers. Today, the world of digital marketing technology offers a vast variety of opportunities to brands and businesses. Everything is possible for marketing agencies, from email marketing to influencer marketing. Marketing technology is another strong aspect in the evolution of marketing. It teaches marketing agencies what to do and what not to do.

No alt text provided for this image

What Should Be the Business Objectives of Marketing Agencies?

Good marketing campaigns aim to facilitate impactful messages that create result-oriented calls to action. The success of any marketing agency depends upon their ability to develop relevant business objectives. They should be able to act as business managers in order to understand the client’s requirements effectively. Before setting up the strategies, the account department must understand the client’s demands. The agency must also possess working knowledge in the area of interest. The executive team primarily measures success on the basis of sales. There are also other aspects of marketing that should be valued.

  1. The customer acquisition rate
  2. Profit margins
  3. Investor interest
  4. “Strategic product development”
  5. Distribution and technology partner agreements

The Future of Marketing Agencies

The world of marketing is evolving at an exponential rate. The digitalisation of the business environment has forced marketing to evolve and adapt accordingly. Social media has further pushed this, and now brands are engaging with consumers in a very human way. At the same time, the role of marketing agencies remains the same: they help brands increase their sales and loyalty. One of the major challenges for agencies is going to be the innovation and implementation of big ideas. A person who uses various modes of communication is a different consumer in each medium. Consumers are not the same when they are using smartphones as they are on any other device or television. Agencies should be able to come up with creative solutions for a better call to action for marketing messages. Also, with the advancement of technology and connectedness, marketing agencies will be challenged to prove their results.

Continue Reading

Guerilla Marketing

My Haul Store
My Haul Store

If marketing is warfare, guerilla marketing is the most eccentric combat strategy.  It is an unconventional way of marketing for brand awareness among large audiences. The term was first used in 1984 by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book ‘Guerilla Advertising’. It was inspired by guerilla warfare which is a kind of irregular tactic strategy practiced by the armed civilians. 

Guerilla marketing is commonly used to drive public attention and brand awareness by promoting a product or service using unconventional methods to evoke wonder, shock or surprise among the audience. This marketing strategy is aimed at striking the consumer at a more subjective and memorable level. 

No alt text provided for this image

Guerilla Marketing is Creative

Guerilla Marketing is an investment of time and effort. The real investment is intellect and creativity. This alternative to traditional marketing thrives on imagination and original thinking. In 2002 Sony ran a unique marketing campaign, where hired actors would roam around the city asking people to take a photo of them. During the interaction, actors take out their new phones, and would start talking widely about their features and uses. This was guerilla marketing, which is particularly known as undercover marketing or stealth marketing. Some other types of guerilla marketing are as follows:

  • Graffiti 
  • Reverse graffiti
  • Stencil graffiti 
  • Flash mobs
  • Stickers
  • Treasure hunts
  • Publicity stunts
No alt text provided for this image

Guerilla Marketing: Urban Environment & Online 

One of the most effective marketing strategies is associated with the existing environment and having physical presence or interactions with the public. Making use of the urban environments or spaces around the public is part of clever guerrilla marketing strategies. On the other hand, the whole world has become one, connected online with the global village concept. As the whole marketing game has acquired its online presence, guerilla marketing has also found its way into the internet. Some of our daily interactions with online guerilla marketing campaigns are:

  1. Creative landing pages
  2. Viral videos
  3. User-generated content competitions

Guerilla Marketing is Budget-Friendly

Advertising and marketing don’t have to be expensive. As the idea of guerilla marketing is to create a buzz through word of mouth or social media, this type of marketing demands creativity more than investing money.  It is perfect for small and medium businesses to promote their products and services. Guerilla marketing is fairly low-cost in nature. At the same time, for big companies, it is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Big companies are already established, hence they would always go for proven conventional marketing methods to avoid risks. If it’s successful, guerilla marketing can capture more market share for large companies. But if it fails, it could damage the whole company’s brand image.

Pros & Cons of Guerilla Marketing 

Every marketing tactic has a risk factor. Similarly, guerrilla marketing to has advantages and disadvantages. 

  • They are cheap to execute, whether a simple graffiti or sticker, guerilla marketing is cheaper compared to conventional advertising.
  • It relies heavily on word-of-mouth marketing. It makes people talk about the company or brand.
  • Similar to word of mouth, the publicity guerrilla marketing gets is like a snowball. If the event or activity goes viral, it will be picked up by local news sources and bring even more publicity. 
  • One of the most common disadvantages of guerrilla marketing is authority intervention. Some events/ activities may require permissions such as street graffiti, flash mobs, treasure hunts etc. 
  • Also, unpredicted events may ruin the campaigns, like rainy weather, or traffic jams.

The changing marketing environment has gracefully adapted to guerilla marketing. More creative ideas are being exposed to the digital world. From guerrilla marketing in crypto to marketing in the metaverse, things have drastically changed in the marketing landscape. The future of guerilla marketing is as exciting as the future of digital marketing.

Continue Reading