Digitisation heralds shift in consumer lifestyle- Experts
By Oghale Mafuru
A comprehensive consumer data analysis across all touchpoints is vital to the success of marketing efforts. It is imperative for brand owners and marketers to understand their target audience by analysing, and keeping track of consumer behavior as it is critical for the success of businesses. Experts in the Integrated Communications Industry have re-emphasised the need for brand managers to follow consumers along their journey to decipher habits, behaviours and most importantly acquaint themselves with valuable information through an understanding of the footprints of the consumer in his journey.
According to them, digitisation has led to a paradigm change in consumer behaviour and brands must be where their consumers are, to be abreast with the changes in terms of preference, passion points, purchasing habits, and use of technology to create memorable strategies required for the attainability of marketing objectives.
Founder of O2 Academic, Ozoemena Mbanefo, said for brands to deliver value and get a return on investment, they must understand the psychological status of their target audience as well as the changing patterns necessitated by technology and the evolving economic landscape.
He said: “Brands should understand the consumer’s motivation, likes, and dislikes, the things that make them be. The more you appeal to them from the motivation point, the more you will get their attention and when you get their attention, you can have their retention, and from their retention, you will have their conversion and when they are converted they can now be an evangelist to help you bring some other people.”
According to the renowned advertising expert and trainer, understanding a person’s way of life, thinking pattern, and digital footprints will be a very good strategic road map to reaching him.
“There is something we call a day in the life of the consumer. We talk about a day in the life of a consumer. In analysing the consumer, we are talking about when he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed. What does he do, where does he go, what does he listen to, who does he interact with, how does he interact, where, what, and how does he live his life?” he added
Similarly, Mobolaji Martins, Chief Operating Officer of Slice Media, affirmed that brand positioning in the digital age is attainable when brands evolve along with their consumers and that brands should continue to invest in consumer data to get insights into their changing behaviours.
“It has always been a scenario where you evolve along with your consumers. We just had a conversation where we spoke about what brand positioning should look like in the digital age. For me, the issues have always been around things like not understanding who your consumer is or where your consumers are, or what lifestyle habits they have changed. As long as you are a brand owner, there has to be a real investment in understanding where your consumers are, who they are, and what they are doing at this point.” He said
According to the seasoned professional, without investment in consumer data, brands will not be able to keep up with their rapidly changing behavioural patterns.
Commenting on the rapidly evolving market realities, Strategy Lead, SPV Communication Solution, Sheriff Akinpelu asserted that understanding the consumer journey is critical to the success of any brand and should be taken into cognizance in every marketing effort. He advised that brands should be deliberate in acquiring the requisite knowledge about the daily activities of their consumers.
In his words: “What is very important for us is the way human beings behave. I think human behaviour is what we marketers need to focus on. What behaviour did we have before the pandemic? What behaviour do we currently have now? Are there any differences and how can we tap into the opportunities that abound in the new way that consumers are behaving? Therein lies the secret.”
While re-echoing that the customer is always king, the communication experts urged marketers to put their eyes on the consumers at all times and deploy data to make a vivid and mental impact as top-of-the-mind awareness will facilitate increased patronage and brand loyalty.
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