by Eduardo Albuquerque, Mentor ACE *

For the past few years I have been asking myself daily what the Digital Revolution's big impact on strategies and marketing really is. Every day new pseudo-theories appear, new ideas and thoughts, sensational solutions. But where are we stepping?

Imagine Leonardo da Vinci, Donatelo, Michelangelo and Rafael sitting at a table, having a coffee and discussing new ideas and projects in the middle of the 15th century, one of them gets up and says: the whole set of things we are living in now is part of the Renaissance.

> Read more: The technological evolution seen from a building in Silicon Valley

They would never be able to describe the Renaissance as they were in the middle of it. They could not assess the whole issue from the outside. This is probably what is happening to us today. But let's do the exercise. 

The Digital Revolution began in 1989 with the invention of the www, and a revolutionary proposal for connectivity. It goes through the birth of Google and Amazon in the 90s.

The first social networks, communication tools and shared creation such as Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, Youtube and Skype appeared in the first decade of the 21st century.

In 2007 another extraordinary situation happened with the launch of the Iphone and a new vision of the concept of mobility. In the following years there was an explosion of applications, shared economy companies, creating new ways of relating and marketing products and services.  

What does this have to do with Marketing and the Consumer Journey? All! Below we will see some concepts that I believe are essential for the transformation of Consumer Day and the role of marketing in the Digital Revolution. 

>> Also read: Why do companies use your product?

1. Prosumer
   
   

We stopped being Consumers and became Prosumers. We stop being mere consumers and become content producers and consumers. We stopped consuming media and started creating media. We stopped listening to the brands' value proposition and started to talk to them. 

The prosumer is a new character in the reality of marketing and in the consumer's journey. He has the freedom to put his opinion on certain content wherever he wants.

He can talk about his experience with a certain brand, product and service, bringing positive or destructive arguments on the subject. He can even become an opinion maker, accumulating followers who listen to him and follow him daily on social networks. 

What is the prosumer's power over your brand? What positive and negative impact can it have? How will you relate to him? How will you react to criticism? All of these factors are new. At new Consumer Journey, companies need to dialogue with Prosumers.

2. Digital Subcultures: Youngers, Women, Nietzens

Three digital subcultures are changing the culture on the planet. There is no way to exist in the coming years without creating a strategy for the YWN. Young people, women and Internet users have an influence capacity as great or greater than the main global communication networks. They are responsible for what we will call Brand Advocacy.

Brand advocacy means that loyalty is no longer the deepest level that a consumer can have with a brand. From now on he not only buys products and services frequently and without thinking twice about that brand, but he also defends the brand and argues positively in relation to those who criticize it. 

To have brand advocacy, you must purchase mind share, market share and heart share through strategies focused on digital subcultures YWN.

3. Human-Centric Marketing & Brands 

We need to develop consumer-centric brands.

Our brands need to behave like people, talk to people, communicate their strengths, value proposition and benefits, defend their flags with posture and character, assume their weaknesses and focus on always wanting to improve and ultimately create everything collaboratively. There are 6 characteristics of these brands.

4. Omnichannel:

To be Omnichannel it is simply being at the right time, in the right place and with the right content. Why is this possible? Thanks to the Iphone, mobility has entered another level and we can access any content anytime, anywhere.

Will this end physical stores? No way. Connectivity and mobility will not end physical stores. We humans love to relate, we need to use our 5 senses and therefore, we need broader experiences with a high degree of connection. 

We actually need to bring technology into stores by turning them into a brand experience center, and we also need to bring real-world mechanisms into the chain. All of this at the same time, creating new experiences for consumers. This is a quick summary of how to be Omnichannel.

 
These 4 factors together help us to understand that the entire impact of technology, the emergence of new digital cultures, the new consumer behavior, the creation of Omnichannel through the connection of mobility and connectivity, and a new attitude of brand behavior , can all be included in the great revolution of Consumer Purchase Day.

Consumer purchase journey

 Do you know your consumer's buying journey? It goes through five major phases.

The first is that you need to be recognized for her. What are the marketing tools that can be used to make the consumer recognize your brand?

Moving forward, the consumer will present attraction a set of proposals. This amount at this time is quite high, but few of them will generate enough curiosity for the consumer to look for more information about you.

The curious consumer searches for information in a multitude of contacts, such as traditional media tools and F-Factor.

What is the F-factor? Consumers research on Facebook, with your friends, with your family, with your Fans and with your followers. The F-Factor has a violent impact on the journey and brands need to create strategies to influence it.

Finally, consumers generate a commitment and make the purchase.

From then on, we no longer need loyal consumers, we need consumers who practice Brand Advocacy. The entire Marketing strategy in the Digital Age should aim to:

• EXPAND the Attraction
• GENERATE Curiosity
• MAXIMIZE Commitment
• INCREASE Affinity

At Planetarium Network we offer our clients projects and tools that help us to create business and marketing strategies through the design of the Consumer Day. With this tool we are able to deliver relevant and essential business intelligence to our customers and build the complete journey through:

• Mapping consumer pain and desires
• Mapping of contact points, marketing and communication channels 
• Construction of the journeys most used by consumers
• Investment recommendation at touch points
• Recommendation of positioning, posture and brand character

With this map of the Purchase Day, the strategy becomes much more robust and the investments more efficient and effective. We are available to create the journey of your consumers. 

Eduardo Albuquerque is founder of the Planetarium Network and is part of the ACE mentor group. This article was originally published on the blog of the Planetarium Network