Is Marketing as effective today as it was 10, 20, 30 Years ago? Why or Not?

[Ann]

Again another marketing question I have no idea about, so please help?

[Edward C]

since the world has become more commercialized and the market has become saturated i would say no. people buy more things now, but they don't tend to stay loyal to one brand.

[BruceLee]

Marketing will never become ineffective. If so, the entire golbal markets would collapse. Maybe the channels through which marketing is delivered is changing, but companies will always need to raise awareness of new products. i.e. internet marketing, email newletters, blogs, Facebook, SMS messaging are all new forms of marketing. As technology evolves, so will the marketing techniques.

[DK]

Yes. In fact, it's more effective than ever. People are fickle and hop between brands despite the fact that we are essentially creatures of habit. I think people make the mistake to think that because, for example, the hard sell TV ad is not doing so well anymore, marketing is taking a dive. That's a very narrow view.

Branding and marketing in some ways are only now getting up to speed. People are super informed, they understand brands and they not only use it to make one dimensional statements about themselves, they often use a collage of brands and ideas to make a statement to the world. The person with new Adidas trainers and an iPad says something different to the barefooted, poorly dressed one sporting the same iPad. iPad says different things here - complimentary, contrasting, who knows? And that's only when one brand is used to make a personal statement. Some people choose a brand for reliability, quality, progressive quality or conservative quality.

Brands have become personalities. We talk with and through them. And they talk back. Edward Bernays took branding from functional to emotional and since then it's not stopped. As the human race develops up the never ending Spiral Dynamics curve, brands can't help but to follow. Marketing is not as effective as way back - it's far more effective and more complex to meet the needs of a more complex society.

I believe that brands are more than mere products. They are a necessary part of us. Thousands of years ago we painted or faces to brand ourselves - today we wear white earphones. We are brand orientate like we are social - it's a necessity.