The Relationship Renaissance

Last week I was one of the speakers in an international conference of beer brewers. One of the topics was about staying connected with the next generation of drinkers. So my talk was about the context in which the current consumer is living. And how that ‘context’ is changing the way we relate to each other. What follows is part 1 (of three parts) of presentation verbatim.

The Relationship Renaissance
We all read and learned about the Renaissance. It was the turning point in philosophies, politics, religion and art. What sparked the original Renaissance? Some historians speculate that the “Black Death” had something to do with it.
The theory is that this caused individuals to focus on the quality of their lives on earth in addition to the afterlife. As a result, art and science exploded with the help of Greek and Arabic knowledge.

After the first Renaissance we have arrived at the new Renaissance. And maybe our own “Black Death” has been the status quo. The business as usual. In Business. In Media. In Advertising. In the way we communicate, consume and interact.

The Relationship Renaissance announces the change in relationship between Brands and Consumers, Media and Consumers and Consumers and Consumers.

What’s changing in the relationship between Brands and Consumers?
What’s important is the fact that we (advertisers and brands) can’t just keep treating consumers in the old fashion way. We need to look at them differently.
Previously, consumers used to be people who consumed stuff. And it was every marketeer’s job to have consumers consume as much as possible. The more they consume the higher the revenue.
Now, that mechanic hasn’t changed. But the perception of a mindless group of people that just consume indiscriminately is only relevant in Romero’s zombie movies. And is not the reality of the day-to-day life.

In the Relationship Renaissance marketers realize that Consumers are people. People who crave for good experiences. And it is creating good experiences, between people and brands what it takes to create brand loyalty, Lovemarks, etc.
Because experiencing a good emotional experience is stronger then just being told about it.

The love to a brand is emotionally led. As achievements in neuroscience tell us. And those emotions are usually infused through rich, interactive experiences.
Marketing has traditionally been about messages. If your messages were really good, they became a form of storytelling (think Marlboro Man or Apple's (AAPL) 1984 ad).
Enter the Web. Already, online technologies have evolved from simple, brochure-like representations of our businesses to rich, interactive experiences that mimic or simulate how we interact with brands in the real world.
Think BUD TV (www.bud.tv) an interactive experience for drinkers to interact with the brand through more then just drinking it at the bar.
Or HBO VOYEUR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lupyD3a9d_E) a great example how to engage people with something they are really, really interested in.
The same with Diesel’s HEIDIES (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMw1Npcydog) a good example of a great experience co-created between a brand and its consumers.

And that is the context wherein the new consumers live. People are more skeptical about media messages, especially advertising. As such, anything that triggers word of mouth, like Heidies did, is potentially more infectious than plain image advertising.
How does that effect marketing?
It does in a big way…