A gentle rant on marketing’s obsession with reinvention and youth in ideas and content.
I am writing this in the rare spring sunshine we are experiencing in the UK, sitting on an Adirondack-style chair on my deck, and I suspect that when you read this, you may believe I am actually the metaphorical old man in a lawn chair shouting at clouds (a Simpsons reference) as I am about to talk about old things being well… good.
I recently came across a post in my LinkedIn feed that mentioned the AIDA marketing (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) model is 100 years old.
That, in itself, is not worth troubling you on a Tuesday. It is, of course, a fact.
Well, not quite, as Wikipedia says that the concept is a little older, and the first recorded use of the AIDA acronym was 1921, but yes, it is over a hundred years old.
The problem with the post was, firstly, the incredulity of the discovery (good lord, learn your history) – but mainly that the writer considered the model irrelevant simply because it was 100 years old.
How, on earth, could it be relevant when it’s that old?
Because human psychology and what drives our buying behavior are SO different from 100 years ago, right?
A mate of mine (who reads this – hello mate) just flew to Tokyo to buy a watch, sounds like Desire to me.
A shit ton of it.
Created by brand Awareness and significant Interest.
Can you imagine the shock for the marketer when they find out that the CFO down the hall was using the “modern” double-entry system that in Europe, came from Amatino Manucci, a Florentine merchant at the end of the 13th century (according to Wikipedia).
I’m not picking on this one post, as it’s a trend you see a lot of – an obsession with youth in marketing that seems to be specific to this profession.
The reinvention of everything.
The posts that describe something from the marketing classics, dressed up as something else, and announced as the shiniest, newest, most spangly hack.
Hey kids, we should talk to buyers like they are human – woah…. you think?
I am not necessarily a student or defender of AIDA. I suspect this might be the first time I’ve ever mentioned it in a post, but my point is that it’s not irrelevant simply because it’s old. There’s a place for understanding these classic marketing concepts.
It’s the same with the old “we’ve always done it this way.” Again, that’s not a reason not to do something; you need to test it with a few whys, figure out if it’s still relevant, and maybe there’s life in that old dog.
So, get off my lawn and who’s laughing now, cloud….
Fancy more of this?
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I’m a 3xCMO, now a marketing strategy advisor and podcast host at Rockstar CMO. Although, I’m not a rock star, but a marketing leader, strategist, content marketer, columnist, speaker, industry watcher, and creator of ART (Awareness, Revenue, and Trust) for the companies I work with. But most of all, I am an enthusiastic tea drinker.
You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or now Threads! – or listen to my weekly podcast at Rockstarcmo.com
The half-baked thoughts shared on this blog may not reflect those of my employer or clients, and if the topic of this article is interesting or you just want to say hello please get in touch.