The best way to find out how advertising and other marketing elements have changed over the years is by approaching a business owner surviving in the market for more than two decades. He/she will be able to describe where the differences are. After seeking insights from such stalwarts from different industries, we can say that a striking transformation occurred in the marketing needs and trends in the market. Irrespective of the industrial genre, a business had adopted different techniques and ideas to market its products. The advent of digital technologies in the marketing segment has revolutionized the launch of a new brand.

How has time changed?

The definition of marketing has changed a lot. The marketing division of a brand has taken up telephones as a new medium to approach new leads and convince them as customers. This is a non-physical approach introduced in the marketing process.
Voice approach in marketing was a popular and effective approach back then. It was a great invention that reduced distance arguably and also hastened any process involved in the marketing and distribution of products. It was all good until the introduction of computers and the internet.

Internet and computers

Today, almost everyone uses the internet directly or indirectly. Even for a small stint, one uses the applications or websites available on the internet. Since the 1980s, the rise in the use of computers also witnessed the development of better technologies that can be used more conveniently. The time changed when the internet was introduced in 1991. After the successful launch of a mass-market browser named Netscape, the popularity of using the internet rose from 16 to 70 million within a few years.

As the number of users increased, a diverse landscape evolved with different spheres. Search engines came into being for the ease of searching for information online. The advent of Google and Yahoo! in the 90s transformed this digital world. E-commerce websites such as eBay and Amazon came into being, and brand marketing got a new direction to explore. The invention of email also paved the way for a new future of marketing. Companies took the first step towards digital marketing. Apart from TV and newspaper ads, email became a massive tool for marketing and approaching a new audience.

Fundamental changes in the marketing and promotional elements

1) Online presence is mandatory

Those days are gone when online presence was optional. Owning a website was a privilege back in the days. Nowadays, it is part and parcel of business. Without an online presence, people might show scepticism and doubt its authenticity. This changes slowly adapted in the marketing techniques for a decade. As the connectivity between users and brands increased due to the advent of the internet and social media, it has become mandatory to own a website and have an online presence.

2) Brand consistency

A brand has to touch a user in ten different points to increase its trust.
The brand has to be very consistent in different marketing channels. Be it digital marketing or an outbound marketing channel; one must maintain a homogenous image in every medium so that the evenness can impress a user to convince and convert him. Marketing strategies have become multifaceted and complex.

3) Data is god

How can a product be marketed in a new section when there is no data regarding a new audience? It was a huge challenge back in the days when checking the demography and preferences was tough. This is why different techniques were adopted to find out what the new audience think and how it acts. Questionnaires, survey and kiosks were the ways to collect information. On acquiring proper data, a marketing strategy was developed to penetrate a new market. These days, it is easier to avail personal data and find out the demography of a particular market without any hassle. It is also easier to avail of leads via different marketing techniques.

The advent of Big Data and data-driven digital technologies has led to the foundation of new marketing ways. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Myspace, LinkedIn are the top social media platforms to avail information and market a new product to a concentrated mass of leads with similar interests. Data-driven techniques of marketing using tracking methods, analyzing trends, pursuing online behaviour. Have led the foundation of better marketing ideas.

4) Smartphones and other smart gadgets

Research and development led to the invention of smarter devices that can be conveniently used in daily purposes. Blackberry introduced the first smartphone with new emailing techniques, web browsing features. Along with calling and messaging functions. Since then, the smartphones have come a long way and delivered the entire world in the hands of a user. It all started with the invention of computers. More than a quarter of smartphone users now use internet-based phone calling features rather than traditional methods.

Verdict

The information has become more transparent. Search Engine Optimization is the result of a long history of technological developments. Reaching out to any user anywhere in the world is now easily possible. The changes in advertisement and marketing approaches due to the advent of digital technologies can do any local business into a global venture without incurring a fortune. The cost of marketing and advertisement has also reduced to a considerable extent.