In this race between the three tech giants, there seems to be one common agenda that will set them on the true path of the so called "Global Dominance" - to increase consumers and boost consumerism by increasingly making individuals "unintelligent".
The direct advertising tactics are becoming see-through to the so called "GenY". They are tending to ignore obvious tactics of products coaxing them to buy stuff on the net. Hence almost gone are the days when blatant advertising tactics like ads that promote product features or celebrity endorsements.
The new era of advertising involves carefully crafted smart advertisements, tying it up social moments or positioning a product carefully in another innocent looking entertainment program or a so called smart commercial that makes amazing connection between a butterfly fluttering its wings in china to the product's benefit to its users. At least this is what we are all led to believe.
The real new age I feel is being dominated by the top tech giants - Have you ever experienced anything similar:
While innocently surfing on your Apple iPad through the infinite load of facebook posts that is cleverly crafted by the craftsmen at facebook, you encounter a subtle reference to an interesting web series (note that it's not a direct reference but a very subtle, very delicate reference - just enough to get you excited to know more) - and you go on to googling the web series referenced to in YouTube or Google search. You find it right there as the first result - (note the sudden dash of happiness you just felt - it's a dash of dopamine) - Feeling smart and happy- you click on the video and end up spending the next good hour or more binge watching them..
Well - this is just half the story, stay with me.
Now these so called web episodes - they have cleverly crafted in - not one, not two but a lot of products inside. The actors use a new model of the smart-phone or wear a new designed jacket, may even cleverly reference to the e-commerce site in which she or he bought it. The most important bit is the part where during the plot, the actors may walk into a restaurant and start making food porn right there and upload it to Instagram or facebook and whtasapp it to their friends and talk about it in a very casual way. It's so freaking real and enticing- that the user watching it immediately feels like doing the exactly the same thing and most of them would. At least 8 out of 10 would look for similar food in Instagram or even better google for the nearest restaurant where they may get what they just saw. Let's say 5 out of those 8 or more would do something like this:
"Hey, guess what - I found this cozy and hidden place near the market which makes the most amazing cake looking biscuits served with avocado dips with cheese melting right on the top (or something like it). Shall we meet there in say an hour?"
This goes out to their friends' group on Whatsapp.
If you recount the steps, what the user took on his Apple iPad - from Facebook to Google to YouTube to Instagram to Google to Whatsapp to the Restaurant itself. If you see who made money - yes the restaurant, but can you see who made the real money?
Hope you got my point! There are many many such consumer journeys every consumer takes. They are being designed / crafted by the tech giants. Are they colluding - who has to say?
Many such cycles what the tech giants craft - the more the redirects, the better it gets for them. I wouldn't be surprised if these tech giants are producing such series - in fact I bet they do.
Well, is this why Netflix is producing their shows and Amazon recently got their own too.
As a disclosure, the story is completely fictional and didn't happen to me or to anyone around me. I never had an Apple iPad. My account on facebook is disabled since many years. Never have I even seen what Instagram looks like. I do use google, YouTube and whatsapp for work - always trying very hard to steer away from such cycles woven intelligently by these tech giants.
The direct advertising tactics are becoming see-through to the so called "GenY". They are tending to ignore obvious tactics of products coaxing them to buy stuff on the net. Hence almost gone are the days when blatant advertising tactics like ads that promote product features or celebrity endorsements.
The new era of advertising involves carefully crafted smart advertisements, tying it up social moments or positioning a product carefully in another innocent looking entertainment program or a so called smart commercial that makes amazing connection between a butterfly fluttering its wings in china to the product's benefit to its users. At least this is what we are all led to believe.
The real new age I feel is being dominated by the top tech giants - Have you ever experienced anything similar:
While innocently surfing on your Apple iPad through the infinite load of facebook posts that is cleverly crafted by the craftsmen at facebook, you encounter a subtle reference to an interesting web series (note that it's not a direct reference but a very subtle, very delicate reference - just enough to get you excited to know more) - and you go on to googling the web series referenced to in YouTube or Google search. You find it right there as the first result - (note the sudden dash of happiness you just felt - it's a dash of dopamine) - Feeling smart and happy- you click on the video and end up spending the next good hour or more binge watching them..
Well - this is just half the story, stay with me.
Now these so called web episodes - they have cleverly crafted in - not one, not two but a lot of products inside. The actors use a new model of the smart-phone or wear a new designed jacket, may even cleverly reference to the e-commerce site in which she or he bought it. The most important bit is the part where during the plot, the actors may walk into a restaurant and start making food porn right there and upload it to Instagram or facebook and whtasapp it to their friends and talk about it in a very casual way. It's so freaking real and enticing- that the user watching it immediately feels like doing the exactly the same thing and most of them would. At least 8 out of 10 would look for similar food in Instagram or even better google for the nearest restaurant where they may get what they just saw. Let's say 5 out of those 8 or more would do something like this:
"Hey, guess what - I found this cozy and hidden place near the market which makes the most amazing cake looking biscuits served with avocado dips with cheese melting right on the top (or something like it). Shall we meet there in say an hour?"
This goes out to their friends' group on Whatsapp.
If you recount the steps, what the user took on his Apple iPad - from Facebook to Google to YouTube to Instagram to Google to Whatsapp to the Restaurant itself. If you see who made money - yes the restaurant, but can you see who made the real money?
Hope you got my point! There are many many such consumer journeys every consumer takes. They are being designed / crafted by the tech giants. Are they colluding - who has to say?
Many such cycles what the tech giants craft - the more the redirects, the better it gets for them. I wouldn't be surprised if these tech giants are producing such series - in fact I bet they do.
Well, is this why Netflix is producing their shows and Amazon recently got their own too.
As a disclosure, the story is completely fictional and didn't happen to me or to anyone around me. I never had an Apple iPad. My account on facebook is disabled since many years. Never have I even seen what Instagram looks like. I do use google, YouTube and whatsapp for work - always trying very hard to steer away from such cycles woven intelligently by these tech giants.
