Consumers to Brands: The Louder You Scream, the Less We Care [INSIGHT]

In a recent survey of more than 2,200 consumers worldwide, 63 percent of respondents said that they are highly annoyed by the way brands continue to rely on the old-fashioned strategy of blasting generic advertising messages repeatedly. The poll, conducted by Marketo, Inc., found that the two things brands should do to make advertising more appealing to their audience were to 1) show ads less often, and 2) make the content more personalized and relevant based on consumer behavior across other channels and interactions.

In addition, 78.6 percent of consumers said they are only likely to engage with a brand using coupons or other offers if those promotions are directly tied to how they have interacted with the brand previously. This can include sending offers via email, mobile or social media after they have visited a brand’s website or tailoring communications based on products viewed or purchased. The poll was conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia.

These results are proof of the challenges that companies face when trying to consistently engage their customers across a wide range of digital channels.  For years, campaigns have been crafted in isolation, often designed in silos with a specific digital channel in mind. For example, messages delivered to a consumer through a digital advertising campaign on Facebook often are not at all connected or consistent with her prior interaction with the company’s website, emails, or other programs.  As a result, it has been difficult for companies to have a two-way conversation with individuals with a single brand voice no matter where they are. To make matters worse, customers – flooded with thousands of marketing messages per day – have become increasingly frustrated with brands’ inability to connect with them based on their interests, likes, or dislikes.

Earlier this year, marketing automation and software leader Marketo introduced a solution that helps brands tailor their digital advertising to an individual’s behavior, allowing the messages to be customized based on the actions a person takes across a variety of channels, making it part of a single, consistent conversation.