Meaning of Direct Marketing

At the risk of sounding like Yoda: Technology may dazzle, but mobile strategy does not it make.

It's a cliché by now to talk about “shiny objects.” The rate of technological change and tech adoption is exhilarating—but it can also be bewildering. It seems like there's a new tool on the scene nearly every day, and there's no shame in admitting to feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing.

The problem comes when marketers get so hypnotized by the tech that they don't put the consumer first.

“We live in a creative, innovative time, but sometimes we get so focused on the technology that we forget we're supposed to be marketing to people—not these devices, ” says Natasha Hritzuk, global senior insights director at Microsoft Advertising. “And some marketers seem to have lost their way, not sure of how to effectively market in this technology-rich and complex world.”

But part of the point is that it's not so complex. Smart marketing strategy is the same as it's always been—solid content, intelligent placement, engagement—it's just taking a new form.

Hritzuk advises doing it old school before jumping into a multi-screen campaign. First, think about what you're trying to accomplish from a brand perspective and then consider how that will dovetail with consumer need. You don't have to be everywhere to make an impact.

“A mobile campaign doesn't mean you need something on every device; multi-screen means being on the right screen, not every screen, ” she says. “Pick the devices that help you deploy your brand strategy, and create genuinely immersive content for them.”

By concentrating on consumer behavior and understanding how consumers act differently on different devices, brands will be able to deliver content based on audience insights to address their needs in a way that aligns with the brand's objectives. “The multi-screen stuff will flow naturally out of that.”

In other words, don't sweat it. Look at the ‘why' (as in why people do what they do) and you'll know the ‘what' (as in what the heck you should do about it).

“People are using these devices—and switch between them—for specific reasons, ” Hritzuk says. “They want to get something done or investigate something or learn something. When you focus more on that, patterns of simplicity start to emerge.”

In Hritzuk's recently published book Multi-Screen Marketing, she and coauthor Kelly Jones, head of thought leadership at Microsoft Advertising, delve into what they refer to as the “multi-screen pathways, ” meaning the various paths to engagement.