In recent years, marketing and publicity managers have had to start facing an increasingly complicated environment. In a way, and as some influential voices point out; they may have to start preparing to survive in a world without ads.
But even though the brand ads and messages that we know today still exist; brands and companies have to move in an environment in which their contents and messages are increasingly critical and less receptive. If you add to that that the connected environment not only makes them have more opportunities; to connect with consumers but also that they are increasingly surrounded by noise; you can understand that things are not in the best possible position.
Can the solution to these problems be to choose a strategy of less to do more?; In other words, can brands and companies connect with consumers by getting rid of the noise?
Clean marketing: The beginnings of calm design
There are those who are already beginning to talk about calm marketing; a more “silent” marketing, as a possible solution to the problems of companies. The idea of calm is not exactly new. Calm design or calm technology have been gaining strength; in recent years and have become a kind of key piece of what the future may be.
Its applications are many. This is what makes, for example, the emergence of calm interfaces; interfaces in which the user experience does not involve a kind of constant attention and in which we bet on elements with a more natural point. Everything is more organic and where things are less aggressive; in capturing our attention.
Calm design is applied in many more areas of technology, making it less intrusive by making it work, serve us and be of service; but almost without us being aware that it is there doing all that for us. It remains on the periphery, even though its impact is at the center of our daily lives. And, furthermore; human beings are put above everything else.
The application in marketing
The same ideas can be applied to marketing and can be transplanted to that scenario; as Warc’s columnist points out, outlining the potential of calm marketing.
The appreciation of ads has not stopped falling in recent times, partly because we are increasingly exposed to them; are more annoying and intrusive and become less and less relevant. “Perhaps by restricting what we do, by being a little quieter, by being more human we could arrive at a new type of marketing,” explains the columnist.
The advertisements and messages of the brands would become an element in the periphery, which would connect with consumers and give them the necessary information they are looking for but without damaging their experiences.
It would be, after all, the death of many elements that consumers hate and that; although some companies continue to use, no longer work, such as popups or advertisements that interrupt what is being done. They would be ads and brand messages that would bring some added value and improve the experience.