How the marketing landscape has changed

The seminar on ‘social media for professionals’ at leading Bristol law firm Thrings was busy. There were 70-odd people in the room, all dying to know about social media  

I set the context for how marketing has changed over the last five years by half-inching a technique I’d seen David Meerman Scott use. I asked people in the room to raise their hands if they agreed with these questions (% positive responses listed):

Changes to the marketing landscape

	Question	Agree?
1	In the last couple of months privately or professionally have you answered a DM ad?	5%
2	Over the same period have you used a printed yellow pages or telephone directory to research a product or service	5%
3	To achieve the same goal have you gone to mainstream media such as radio TV magazines newspapers?	2%
4	Over the same period have you turned to Google or another search engine to research such a product or service?	95%
5	In seeking advice or recommendations from your own personal networks did any answers you received contain a URL signposting you to further information?	75%

These questions have been asked by Meerman Scott all over the world, and, give or take a percentage point here and there, they are always answered the same way.

It’s a great way to set the scene and back up what we all really know:

• The sum of human knowledge is out there on the web, we prefer to do research on our own terms, and without the need for ‘traditional’ marketing.
• We trust recommendations from friends and colleagues way above standard, traditional marketing

LinkedIn insights from my seminar follow in future posts.