Direct from Cannes: It’s Time For Marketers To Return To Niche Targeting

Direct from Cannes: It’s Time For Marketers To Return To Niche Targeting

With a focus on creating amazing innovations that capture and inspire audiences, Cannes brings marketers, creatives and technologists together to share perspectives on the future of creative advertising. Digital and social media have been wholeheartedly adopted by consumers, making the media outlets and networks bread and butter mediums for advertisers.

But what is the future of social as we know it?

There is little room left for large social networks to innovate. The big platforms are mature and consumer behavior has shifted to be more focused on one-to-one engagement. Think about trending shifts from Facebook to WhatsApp, from Instagram to Snapchat.

If social media networks are to stay in line with consumer behaviors, what’s next?

Communities. During his presentation, artist Will.i.Am [@iamwill] stated, “the future of marketing isn’t marketing at all. It’s about building and sustaining communities.”

Social has become too broad. We are friends with strangers and are constantly fed ads that are irrelevant. Through communities, brands can participate authentically, consumers can engage one-on-one and culture replaces marketing.

In the future, consumers will continue to distrust brands, preferring to seek advice from peers. At the same time, brands will continue to struggle balancing authenticity and relevancy. The future will force us to stand out among the noise through personalized 1-1 engagement.

It’s time to return to niche. Find out how with a demo of the People Pattern platform.