Digitalization, online advertising, automation… when changing human behaviour and business practices reach a critical mass, it can happen very fast. Seemingly getting a life of its own. Accelerating beyond anybody’s wildest expectations.
In spite of the ominous word ”tipping”, accelerating change can be a good thing. Like the rapid implementation of new and better solutions to costly, time consuming problems.
THREE KEY FACTORS
Launching the Tipping Point Theory in 2000, the acclaimed Canadian journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell described the three rules of rapid unexpected social change. Three rules of ”sociological epidemics”, consumer behaviour included.
1. The Law of the Few — an epidemic begins with a few, highly infectious individuals. And a social megatrend begins with a few individuals with exceptional influence. Which may be based on their standing in society, new and superior knowledge or insight, and charismatic, trendsetting consumers.
2. The Stickiness Factor —the innovation spreads when the contagious phenomenon (like a better solution to a recognized problem) is sufficiently unique and attractive. Brings positive functional value, excellence, etc to hit many people’s sweetspot.
3. The Power of Context — consumers are ”contextual chameleons” (Wow, big words!) and tend to ”adopt your product to fit their environment”.
Yeah yeah … sounds like borderline psychobabble to me but … something about the importance of attractiveness and scarcity, and using people’s natural herd. Anyway …
CAR SALES AND MARKETING
If you are in car retail — especially marketing and sales management — you have seen how change often leads to more change and other changes. Electrification requires a different mix of services ... maybe rethinking pricing and valuation. Digitallization has paved the way for new business models and new competition. Consumers’ new media habits demand different kinds of advertising. And so forth.
A GOOD THING GOING VIRAL
Now thousands of competitive dealers outperform their slower-moving rivals by advertising ALL their cars 24/7 in online media with superior reach. Radically cutting costs and time-to-market with fully automated internal processes.
Introduced five years ago, this way of working is spreading like an … ”epidemic”. And, entering 2024, automated video advertising is really going viral.
The tipping point is near.
