Many advertising agencies and other experts annually review marketing industry reports for current trends. I believe that trend reports tremendously help marketers to shape and plan various marketing strategies. I acknowledge that the rudiments of marketing always seem to be coherent, how one applies these fundamentals to altering trends is crucial. This is what I believe to be the most intriguing and interesting trend of this year: exceeding expectations in unexpected ways.
Both consumers and marketers continue to expect something new, therefore, it is important to define and understand what it truly means to exceed expectations. Such expectations added value or something astonishing through unexpected ways. These methods would lead consumers to develop brand loyalty and thus increase market share.
Last year Louis Vuitton celebrated its 160th anniversary and collaborated with six stylists to create a new Celebrating Monogram design. What was surprising is that one of the stylists, Karl Lagerfeld, was the head designer and creative director from Chanel. This approach is novel and unquestionably unexpected in the fashion world. The fact that Chanel’s head designer participated to celebrate Louis Vuitton brought enough attention not only from the avid fashion followers but also from the general public. This is an example of exceeding expectations by doing something no one expects.
The Monogram bag project for Louis Vuitton’s 160th anniversary grabbed unexpected attention because of its rival brand’s designer Karl Lagerfeld’s involvement and the courage of inter-brand collaboration. The beauty of collaboration comes when people with dissimilar backgrounds come together and achieve shared goals, not to merely compete and win, but to produce something greater. In this case, it happened to lure in more customers, and thus proved to be a lucrative marketing strategy.
Along the same line, I feel strongly that applying this marketing trend to one’s life can be helpful as a student seeking a job, a college student trying to succeed in classes or for an individual to stand out. And I think the first step to exceed expectations comes from being fully present and engaged in the current moment. We often linger in the past or dream about the future. This leads us to have preoccupations and we then allow past expectations to limit our lives. Reacting from the past or worrying about the future will not help but hinder us in exceeding expectations.
But don’t just take my word for the answer to exceeding expectations. The author of the award-winning book, “Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions,” Keith Rosen wrote that truly living and responding to the moment means a person can focus on a single person, idea or topic.
In the end, I believe exceeding expectations in unexpected ways comes from working with others by sharing ideas, and living in the moment to seek out opportunities. Cultivating mindfulness and paying complete attention can again tie back to marketing trends. Consumers, just like marketers, are also becoming mindful. To approach a thoughtful consumer, the marketing tactics have to be attentive and present in the moment.
Remember to live in the moment is a rising marketing strategy that should be actively applied to individuals in this complex world.
Do you agree or disagree with Yeonju’s take on remaining engaged and in the moment? We’d like to hear from you. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
