Commentary

From Zero Moment of Truth To Empowerment

A big idea usually becomes bigger than one individual or even a group, and with the technology curve it evolves faster than ever before. Spreading quickly, it modifies and adapts itself until it’s a fully polished entity that is ready to compete in the world. One of these ideas belongs to Google.

The empowered mom

As you will see in my first marketing blog post, I envision a new “empowered mom” -- one who has grasped the buying process from marketers and has given it to her peers. In response to this blog post, a flood of qualitative and quantitative information began flowing into my inbox. 

Some of the entrepreneurs, marketers and agency folks I talked to were also exploring this new age of consumer conversation -- many of them referencing Google and its philosophy of the evolving Zero Moment of Truth. That is, the idea that there is a new step in the purchase process -- a step where a consumer pauses to gather research from 10 or more online or offline sources before ever reaching the store.

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Google and P&G – two thought leaders

P&G created the first “moment of truth” -- or MOT, and then Google came along with the most recent one and changed the game on P&G’s marketing philosophy. P&G has a "very smart crew of marketers," and they realize the world has evolved, so Google’s nicely crafted MOT was the perfect package at the perfect time. And rightly so. It accurately throws away the old traditional marketing funnel and creates a new world -- a new moment of truth. From store shelf to online, Google and P&G take over the marketing world -- again.

Empowered consumers - empowered marketers

Why call out Google’s shiny new moment of truth? 

While I do appreciate their creative thinking and well-packaged selling tool, I contend that Google’s MOT can lead a marketer to the wrong end-game. This new MOT begins to fuel a new empowered marketer, not an empowered consumer. And the consumer is the empowered mom. Marketers can’t fabricate conversations about their products through a new MOT. Those true conversations are now owned by consumers. 

But alas, the new marketer feels great with the new MOT acronym in their pocket -- feeling that they are on the cutting-edge of consumer insights, riding the technology super-train and gaining a powerful edge against the competition. Right?

Not really. While the "very smart crew of marketers" dive deep into human minds to find true ‘human insights’ ahead of brand benefit, many other marketers will yield the powerful marketing sword with their new MOT and their shiny new marketing acronym. This marketing crowd will take over the online world and tell consumers all about their product’s attributes -- and why they are truly unique and own-able. Great. But what does the conversationalist, buying-power-wielding, collaborative mom think? 

Fortunately, many marketers are savvy and adept at change. While some will naturally stumble early in this new empowered world, they’ll eventually find a way to copy the more successful early adaptors. 

However, with an infinite number of empowered mom conversations about to take place and already taking place, it’s time for us to get back into the conversation with them. 

 

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