At the end of April 2024, marketing website The Drum hosted a podcast discussing the Ostrich Effect, the act of shying away from advertising during industry slumps. It was decided that putting heads in the sand (something that ostriches don’t do, incidentally) can be detrimental to a brand, even if the outlook looks bleak.
“Neutrality is like dark matter”, the site mused in the podcast’s write-up, “it leaves no trace”. Put another way, not marketing, or even just sterile marketing, might be as good as disappearing altogether.
Marketing Channels
It’s a difficult idea to stomach, as marketing when all the signs are negative goes against common sense. Budgets are less likely to support such wanton outreach during difficult times. Instead, a more diverse range of marketing channels may mean that a company can still position itself as a “beacon” (to quote The Drum) that customers can look towards when the economy takes a turn for the worse.
A brand like Coca-Cola has both an app and a highly visible offline campaign in “Share a Coke”. Across the sea, the British gaming brand Paddy Power splits itself between the high street and TV, once highlighting its “mischief-making hall of fame” in a list of its past adverts. It utilises cross-promotional branding in its top slots, with big names such as the World Darts Championship.
Across all its channels, Coca-Cola shares a commonality with the sportswear brand Nike in using “purpose-driven” marketing to cut through the gloom of a slump. Sometimes, an idea, message, or personal value sells better than a product description. Nike’s long-standing “Just Do It” slogan is a good example, hinting at the athlete’s hardest decision – getting off the sofa.
Disinterest and Neutrality
Consumers increasingly want to hear a brand’s voice, treating businesses as an almost human entity. The CarbonNeutralCopy website claims that 80% of Gen Z and millennial customers base their purchasing decisions on a company’s “mission”. Put another way, the latest running shoe needs to answer a question the customer asks: “Is it safe for the environment?” or “Does my purchase contribute to a cause?”
A mix of this kind of messaging and multi-channel marketing could see marketers through the slump scenario mentioned earlier, avoiding the ostrich effect. What if there’s still money to go around, though? A lack of interest from shoppers may mean that current marketing trends have bored them all to disinterest and neutrality.
The Drum found a positive example of the insurance provider GEICO, which managed to inject a bit of joy into a famously dull industry with its lizard mascot, upturning the market. Once again, there’s value in a new direction. Similarly, “Share a Coke” found a unique way to unite offline and online marketing names on cans, encouraging people to post the product online without asking.
Advertising, in any kind of market, shouldn’t be about maintenance but a reflection of consumer moods, attitudes, and personalities. The interest of younger people in things like ethical sourcing and environmental concerns means that this isn’t just desirable, it’s a necessity.