By Srikant Rajasekharuni
In the dynamic realm of marketing, the allure of the ‘Shiny New Thing’ is an ever-present challenge for individuals seeking to remain relevant and competitive. In the pursuit of innovation, many brands have swiftly embraced emerging trends like AI, the Metaverse, NFTs, and more, with a limited understanding of how these technologies can be effectively integrated into their existing marketing strategies. While these technologies hold promise, hasty adoption often leads to unfocused and ineffective marketing. However, customisation has emerged as a meaningful antidote to the ‘Shiny New Thing’ syndrome, offering a balanced approach to innovation, helping marketers maintain their core strategies and identity.
How Shiny New Thing Syndrome Can affect?
The consequences of falling victim to the ‘Shiny New Thing Syndrome’ are significant. It can lead to distractions as marketers focus on the latest tools, diverting attention from successful strategies. The rush to adopt new technologies can drain valuable resources and often lacks a thorough evaluation of alignment with brand goals and target audience. This tends to prioritise short-term gains and novelty over long-term strategic growth, potentially resulting in misalignment with brand objectives. Internal resistance may also arise when new technologies or trends are implemented without considering existing organisational culture. Furthermore, it can foster unrealistic stakeholder expectations over hyped new technologies with limited understanding, and often neglects critical customisation and personalisation, vital in contemporary marketing for engaging specific audiences effectively.What is customisation?Customisation, in the context of marketing or implementing new technologies, involves adapting and tailoring marketing elements to suit the unique requirements, goals, and situation of a specific business or campaign. This entails aligning new tools, strategies, or trends with the brand’s identity, target audience, and objectives to guarantee relevance, efficiency, and consistency in all marketing endeavours.Why is Customisation important?
Customisation is the antidote to the ‘Shiny New Thing Syndrome’ in marketing. It allows marketers to tailor new tools, strategies, or trends to meet the specific needs, objectives, and circumstances of their brand or campaign. Here’s why customisation is crucial:
Relevance Assessment: Customisation tailor tech and trends to the brand, audience, and industry ensuring relevance and alignment.
Resource Efficiency: Customisation ensures that time, effort, and budget are allocated efficiently, preventing wastage on initiatives that may not yield the desired outcomes.
Brand Consistency: Customisation aligns trends with brand identity, maintaining trust and consistency.
Tailored Objectives: Meet unique marketing objectives with customised implementations.
Enhanced Engagement: Forge deeper audience connections with personalised content and experiences.
Data-Driven Choices: Customisation fosters data-based decisions for new trends and tech.
Competitive Edge: Aligning innovations with brand’s attributes creating a competitive advantage.
Focus Maintenance: Avoid distractions by customising strategies that align with long-term plans.
Thoughtful Learning: Customisation supports a deliberate approach, ensuring skills and understanding are in place.
Legal Compliance: Stay compliant while integrating new elements into marketing.
Effective Measurement: Customisation enables relevant metrics and KPIs for evaluation.
Future Scalability: Customisation allows for scaling and adaptation as needs evolve.
How to customise?Customising your marketing strategies and implementations can be a systematic and effective process. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
First define a brand’s goals and align them with the new technology or trend.
Research and analyse data to identify opportunities and potential challenges.
Understand the audience and assess if the trend aligns.
Learn from competitors, then plan how to tailor the trend to the brand’s needs.
However, ensure it integrates smoothly with existing strategies and invest in team training if needed.
Conducting pilot tests are crucial for optimisation before full implementation.
Roll out in phases and continuously monitor performance and gather feedback.
Stay adaptable and document the processes for organisational learning and growth.‘Shiny New Thing Syndrome’ can be a pitfall in marketing, but it’s not insurmountable. Customisation is the key to successfully navigating the dynamic world of marketing. By tailoring new technologies, trends, and tools to your brand’s unique needs and long-term goals, you can stay innovative, relevant, and effective while avoiding the distractions and resource drains associated with blindly following trends. So, next time you encounter the ‘shiny new thing,’ remember that customisation is the antidote to marketing’s ‘Shiny New Thing’ Syndrome.
The author is CEO and co-founder of RMT
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