Dr. Tony Vercillo

Link: http://www.ifmc-consultants.com/shop

Marketing is a very fluid process. As soon as one tecnique is mastered by the industry, a new way of doing things comes along. Why is that? Because that's how fast consumers catch on. This ten steps take a look at what we can expect from business and marketing in the (not so distant) future.

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1. Global Product Focus will become the norm.  You should be producing multilingual brochures and packaging from the onset.  When setting prices for products, you should also be looking at global pricing schemes.
   
   
2. Infomercials are going by the wayside.  AS the attention span of most consumers is much lower than in years past, people have neither the time nor the inclination to sit through what is basically a 30-minute commercial. With DVR most aren't even sitting through a 30-second commercial. They need to be replaced with more product-centric advertising and less hokey offers.
   
   
3. Social media will continue to explode to the point the "checking social media" will trump "checking emails".
   
   
4. Further collapse and consolidation of TV and radio stations is driving rates to ridiculously high levels. For example, a 30 sec spot on the Super Bowl will, one day, cost as much as $10 Million.  Now, granted, that is the Super Bowl, but think of it this way. There are independently made movies that don't touch those kinds of dollars in production, let alone distribution. Actually, the same can be said for the production of those same commercials. They cost a fraction to produce what it costs to put them up during the Super Bowl. So what does that all mean? It means only branded companies will survive.
   
   
5. Product Placement is becoming an integral part of the overall marketing strategy. As stated earlier, commercials are on the way out. So how are companies going to get their products in your face? Through text messages, celebrity endorsements, video games, movies, television, search engine toolbars, etc…
   
   
6. Privacy uproar will cause a reversing of data-mining and governmental legislation to stop marketers from invading consumers.  Single card information technology will be the impetus behind the uproar. What is that you ask? Think of every piece of information there ever was about you (Medical, fincnace, SSN, DL) all on one card. Yep.
   
   
7. The World Trade Organization (WTO) will form a Global Task Force in an attempt to stop Piracy and Knockoffs.  Stiff fines will be levied but the attempt will FAIL. The issue is that for every regulation or technology that’s created to stop piracy, those who are doing the pirating will find new was around it, as well. It’s like the war on drugs. It’s important, but each side will only be one step ahead of the other at any given time.
   
   
8. China will be trumped as the source for global manufacturing.  Countries like India, Korea, and others will steal significant share away from China as the WTO continues to apply pressure on the Chinese Government to level the monetary playing-field by adjusting their currency to make exports less attractive.
   
   
9. Products focused on the aging and obese population in the United States will flood the market to the saturation point. This is especially true right now. As Baby Boomers are now part of the older generation and obesity is the # 1 epidemic facing this country, products to counter these issues are becoming more and more the trend. But as any good marketer knows, products are only trends until everyone gets on board. Then they’re overkill.
   
   
10. Industry consolidation in the retail market will result in ‘only-the-strong-will-survive’ type retailers – essentially, small business will continue to get crushed as the need for globalization, continued regulations, and lower prices force them out of business. Ever see the movie Wall-E? If not, go rent it. You’ll know what I’m talking about.