The rise of automation and AI has led to something unexpected (or perhaps completely expected)… the appearance of human to human marketing.
Who would have thought there would ever be a need for such a thing?
Surely human to human marketing is just marketing?
Well, actually it isn’t. Or at least hasn’t been.
Marketing ultimately has been about the brand – with ad agencies creating brand personalities to represent their products, communicated through advertising to personas representing the customers.
Who the people who worked for the brand were (whether it be the CEO or the employees) wasn’t relevant. Neither were the actual customers.
There were some situations where actual humans came into direct contact with other humans – for example, in shops or at events – where the staff had to try to represent the brand personality.
But mainly it was the ads that did the job.
The rise of human to human marketing
As shopping has gone increasingly online and automation has increased to make things more efficient and faster, the amount of human contact has gone down even more.
Kalin Kassabov said in Forbes: ‘Automation has created a certain paradox. Customers are eager to embrace the latest devices and automation. At the same time, they crave human interaction and personalised service.’
Human to human marketing has appeared out of this paradox. It is about the need to remember that your customers are human – as are the people behind your brand.
Kassabov argues: ‘It also directs you to remember the importance of direct and personal contact.’
The challenge is how to provide personal service cost-effectively while providing fast and efficient solutions.