Indeed,
while you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig. No image makeover
can make an enterprise or person any better, especially so, when our own
‘persona’ is going to emerge as the greatest brand on the planet.
If you are still wondering what’s the Next Big Thing that is
going to impact our future? Let there be no doubt, “authenticity” is going to
be the key word. It’s simple, as the adage goes, If wealth is lost, nothing is
lost. If health is lost, something is lost - but, if character is lost,
everything is lost.
Yes, the world is witnessing a paradigm shift. As we step on to
new phase of history, being truthful is going to be the key variable impacting
the equity of man, machine and enterprise, alike. Authenticity is going
to transcend the narrow realms of the experience factories, and marketing
gimmicks. In 2014 and beyond, it would be all about touching the hearts and
minds of the millennial generation who crave for reality, and seek transparency
in all walks of life.
1. Credibility: In
the times to come, however hard one may try manufacturing consent, and crafting
reality, truthfulness is going to be the winner, whether it is a product,
service or simply, a brand – you. In the year ahead, credibility and reality is
going to rule the roost. We must honor who we are, what we want and how we
relate to the larger issues of the society-- and to share our values in no
uncertain terms. Authenticity is how we will value the future. In fact, this is
one of the key cornerstones for tasting the success. By far, the future belongs
to the “authenticity-activated” enterprises or persons who will be the winners,
earning a unique ‘equity quotient’, and outsmarting the competition, naturally.
2. Content: As you
are reading this, humanity is getting sucked deep into the ocean of social
media. By default, we will produce and consume real-time content through our
footprints on social channels. However, the audience will gravitate towards
meaningful, relevant and user driven actionable content, much beyond the
narcissism. And, the major shift will be driven by the generation “me”
millennials. There will be a radicle shift in Gen Y from “like my photo”
syndrome to a generation of crusaders who are more concerned about their
planet. While the focus will be on data-driven
content management and curation that are optimized for personalized
targeting to positively influence the buying behavior, human touch will be the
key differentiator in getting the right differentiation. The personal cord will
be vital as trust will play even a greater role in producing sticky traffic,
higher lead generations, conversion and improved ROI - deciding who wins
the race to mindshare.
3. Communities: Creating
niche communities of influencers that matter will be instrumental to success
across the ecosystem. Businesses, academia, and researcher alike will be vying
for building thought leadership across platforms. And, behold, it will not be
limited to formats like articles, blogs, infographics, videos, and other
data-driven creative content formats. The focus will be on
co-creating ideas with social leaders, peers and influencers and meeting
unarticulated needs and user experience. The focus will shift to gratifying
needs and delivering greater customer experiences by networking and building
valuable relationships with opinion leaders and producing actionable insights.
There will be also an increase in the importance of ROI based market research
to understand audience perceptions and what they want.
If you are still thinking, how to create the biggest brand on
planet earth, explore the art and science of the 3Cs – Credibility, Content
and Communities, that matter, to shape the future. The time to act is now…
The Blogger is Kiran Kumar Yellupula: The views expressed
here are purely personal. Please share your feedback at mediavalue@yahoo.com
