Playing to Where the Puck is Going to Be – Staying Ahead of Changing Consumers

By Adam Deardurff, Senior Interactive Strategist

When I signed up to go to SXSW, I knew I was walking into something bigger, more forward thinking than I ever had participated in before. My expectations were high – to have my mind blown with new ways of thinking, new devices, meeting people that thought like me, eating great food and even catching a little live music.

After wading through the thousands of people, thinking past the Korean BBQ, blues and beer, I knew that one question would be asked when I return home.

“What is the one thing that you would take away from the experience?”

A mind-numbing question but inevitable.

To me, it is simply this: Brands are moving too slow and consumers aren’t slowing down.



In philosopher Jason Silva’s talk on our first day, we were exposed to the exponential growth of our current culture, technology and world. This was an underlying theme echoed throughout sessions all week. When examining the shortened lifecycle of devices and continued growth of social media, we can see evidence of customers now changing consumption habits at the rate of culture, not corporations.

Today, two-thirds of American adults are Facebook users and completing a two-year cell plan without upgrading early is almost unheard of. Silva sees technology as a continued evolution of man, with future capabilities that aren’t far-fetched or removed from what we are seeing today.

This was clear a week later, when wearable tech was taken to a new level as MC10’s Biometric Health Sensor was debuted on Mashable. And then, device control was elevated past motion detection with LG’s announcement of eye-recognition control called Smart Video.

Suddenly, the final scene from Under Armour’s latest commercial doesn’t seem too far off.



Keeping up isn’t enough anymore.

In a panel discussion, Bonin Bough, Mondelez’s mind behind Oreo’s current marketing and the famous “Dunk in the Dark,” talked about how they are trying to stay ahead. He said that the implications of mobile in media are no longer forward thinking – if you aren’t there, you’re behind. Brands can thrive by just being there when the customers are looking and deliver personal value without the customer asking.

It is about understanding your target and being able to take educated risks. Joe Magnacca, new CEO of Radio Shack, compared it to the hockey thought of “playing to where the puck is going to be.” That’s why he is personally attending conferences like SXSW throughout the year – to understand first-hand where the consumers are and where the industry is going.

So how do we win? How do we stay ahead of our customers?

We can start by getting past fears to personally target consumers. We traditionally focus on low conversion models that rely on volume of impressions. A more focused effort, that speaks directly to culture and how they use devices could be exponentially more effective. The fact that mobile commerce can double the basket size in-store and drive double the store traffic, should be pushing all marketers to the users’ personal devices.

Even while in-home, partnering mobile media can increase the effectiveness of television by two times. Yet, many brands don’t even have a mobile site. By pushing past comfort levels and putting new levels of research into marketing efforts, we can create smarter campaigns that truly move the needle and see better ROI.

Next, we can do a better job listening to our customers and understanding their specific environments. Through social, traditional and even face-to-face interactions, we have more vision then ever into the personal thoughts and opinions of our customers. We see their cultural tendencies and environmental limitations.

“It’s the difference between marketing to Suri Cruise versus Honey Boo Boo,” Bough said.

Developing specific and pre-emptive plans to engage them in their natural stream of life will build the true relationship. In a time where users will change brands in a flash, building a deeper personal connection can build brand advocacy and sustain as the consumer continues to evolve.

Lastly, we can invest in our own infrastructure. Society is not waiting for corporate America to catch up. Silva talked about how to get kids thinking and developing into forward thinkers, saying “find passion, cultivate it and UPGRADE.” The same principles apply to our brands – driving passion, building our culture and pushing our capabilities past our comfort levels.

We place most of the limitations to succeed on ourselves, whether it is technology, process or politics. If all of our customers are using iPhones and apps, why are we stuck on Blackberrys and 12-year-old Windows XP desktop computers?

To truly conquer change, you must accept and embrace it yourself.

It sounds like an uphill battle for some, but corporations will get agile. Brands will breakdown barriers. And by personalizing our marketing efforts, building relationships and continuing to invest in ourselves, we can move smarter and faster to beat everyone to the puck and win.