Scenario 3: Pull Advertising

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2007: By the end of 2007 spam is the global disease. Although there are more and more legal restrictions and better possibilities to deal with it, it still irritates. Besides this, advances in several fields result in that consumers are exposed to more advertisements every day (by e.g. blogs, wiki’s, mobile phones, billboards, web portals). People are frustrated by the fact that they do not really have a voice in whether they want to pay attention to it or not. Push advertising methods – like popups, spam, sms - starts to give them an anti-advertising/-marketing mindset, not only concerning those push methods, but also to advertising in general.

2008: This negative mindset evolves. People think: “all of the companies out there do not really care about us, they just want to sell as much as they can.” In particular parts of the world, especially the first world countries, a kind of anti-consumerism is growing. They believe that needs that were not there before, are in fact wants that are created through extensive advertising. Consumers are looking for ways to get the power back. Video on Demand (VOD) is emerging very strongly. In the US and Japan there are some success stories of companies which do not use any form of advertising (even not in the window of their shop) and still are doing very well. “The buzz” and, for instance, sustainable business management are the most valuable marketing tools for a company. These stories inspire both consumers and companies.

2009: The commercial world is spending a lot on advertising. Marketeers face difficult times. However, the post-consumerism attitude is still growing. Quality of life and, for example, sustainable environments increase relatively substantially in value, more than earning income and material possessions. Organisations with philosophies in the line of Adbusters flourish. Together they get a voice in setting legislation and governmental policies. Why? Political problems (e.g. the nuclear challenge with Iran), shocking research on the greenhouse effect and a lethal virus disease show people what really can make them happy.

2010: These social trends are inevitably pushing the marketing and advertising practices from a current push approach to a pull approach. Budgets on push advertising are deminishing rapidly since the revenues do not justify the costs. Instead, companies try to differentiate themselves by e.g. excellent customer service and their care about society. The power is shifting to the consumer. Google is still there and provides excellent services, allowing consumers to search very specifically with very little noise. Internet is the most essential marketing tool. A driving force is the fact that once customers have actively chosen to visit your website, you should serve them excellently. Prime examples of pull advertising are search engine optimization, cost per click search engines, directory listings, yellow page ads and shopping portals. Advertisements on mobile phones and other media types also use a pull mechanism now: the customer approaches you if he/she wants, for instance while walking along your shop window. By law, it is not allowed for a company to approach a customer in any form, unless they’ve permitted to do so.

2011: Push advertising is still there in 2011, although its importance is decreased and it's outdistanced by pull advertising. Pull advertising is geared towards drawing visitors to your website when they are actively seeking your product or service. Nowadays, the task is to inform them, more than pursuading by telling them many things that cannot be verified at all. Lifestyle changes has emerged for years now. People eat other foods, enjoy other things, use renewable energy and so forth. Technology has made it possible for people to remain in control of their own attention (e.g. regarding viewing content). And mass collaboration technology has made it possible for virtual communities of consumers, providers and intermediaries to emerge. The matured “anti-advertisement movements” seek to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards.