Manufacturers Should Amplify Simplicity To Be Heard
The modern digital age exposes consumers to unprecedented information, much of which comes from brands and companies. In 1980, 25 years before the smartphone emerged, Americans were exposed to 10 gigabytes of data a day. 28 years later, in 2008, the human hard drive was handling 34 GB of daily data. Today, Americans ingest around 74 gigabytes of information every day, the equivalent of nine DVDs of data. If this trend continues, we will soon have to find ways to consume media for more than 24 hours every 24 hours.
In today's world of multitasking and streaming all the time, organizations must compete to be the dominant stream. However, this carries the risk of overwhelming already overclocked consumers with cognitive capacities who are exposed to around 500 different marketing messages every day and who have problems with brand breadth.
But Americans are not blind to the fact that we are reaching critical mass. According to US MONITOR 2017, more than three-quarters of all Americans want to simplify things in their lives. 60% of centennials feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they deal with on a daily basis. As the preferences and expectations of digital natives and addicts drive the market, the feeling of being overwhelmed will likely only increase.
The resulting paradox of choice – that too many options lead to fewer choices – is a problem for businesses and means that despite the ever-increasing amount of content we create for consumers, they are processing and consuming less and less. It also creates consumer desire to control the amount of content they see, from digital ads. It is no accident that the increasing number of marketing messages is coming in lockstep with the increasing use of ad blockers. It is estimated that 64% of US consumers ages 18 to 24 use ad blockers on their desktop, phone, or both.
Transition from noise to signal
How do we as a business connect with consumers dealing with brand breadth issues? One strategy is to offer radical simplicity and help consumers simplify their lives rather than adding to the information overload that weighs on them. Packaging and messages that are simple and yet find the sweet spot between just enough and too much information help companies stand out from the competition, win in the attention economy and avoid a possible reflexive dismissal of their brands.
Another strategy is to avoid intrusive ads in favor of contextual advertising so that your brand or business doesn't get hooked on the "skip ad" reflex. Some brands, like McDonald & # 39; s, have experimented with completely unflamming their ads, like this spot where Mindy Kaling asks people to search Google for "the place that Coke tastes so good". All of these strategies assume that adding noise is not a solid growth strategy in today's marketplace, but it can still make meaningful connection with consumers in a crowded environment.
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