Age of Soft Sell

Marketing is constantly evolving to fit the needs of consumers and the marketplace. This not only includes changing from tangible forms of marketing to digital marketing as the source of interaction, but also the manner in which we interact. In the Mad Men days, the hard sell reigned supreme. If you have ever seen Glen Garry Glen Ross, then you know the mindset of Always Be Closing. This is perhaps the epitome of the hard sell. It was as if marketing was saying, “You there! Buy This! Be a man!” Thankfully as society in the United States and globally has changed, so has the marketing approach.

Welcome to the Age of The Soft Sell! Several factors have spurred this change in marketing towards the “Soft Sell” which is a lighter form of marketing that emphasizes relationships with consumers as well as putting products in the hands of people that actually want them.

One of the largest factors for this evolution was feminism and the empowerment of women. If you look at period marketing, you can see how masculine and demeaning to housewives and women in general it was. Women were not treated as people but rather as an accessory that could be tricked into nagging their husband to purchase something. Through the empowerment of women, women have not only become a full-fledged demographic for marketing, but are predominantly the purchasing force in a majority of households. As a result of this, the part of marketing has adapted to appeal to this sector of the market.

Another major factor in the evolution of marketing has been the internet and proliferation of data. Never before have costumers had the ability to research and learn about products to the degree they can now. Often you will see consumers continuing their research up through the point of purchase and then will influence others through reviews and social media posts. Marketing had to evolve because no longer could commercials make promises that would fall through after purchase as they can discover anything about any product on their phone. This has changed the art of the sell to be more informative and relationship based as this has become the new intangible to be the point of making a sale. If you empower your customers, they are more likely to respond to your marketing.

The final major factor that we will discuss is the evolution of the global economy. As the world becomes a smaller place in terms of the logistical through lines, the market that you can reach has gotten significantly larger. However, the inverse of what this would imply is true. Rather than having more people to attempt to hard sell to, there is now a greater capacity to find a loyal customer base. By soft selling, you are able to find the consumers that will stand by your brand and become your best marketers via word-of-mouth and social media. You no longer have to work as hard or as aggressively to commit a consumer to purchase if indeed your product is something they want.

As the market evolves, so will marketing agencies and the manner in which they interact with customers. For now, we will enjoy the Age of the Soft Sell!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!