The pendulum swings, but one thing always remains
The latest trend in marketing has been about big data and analytics. Not too long ago, the trend in marketing was about localization and personalization. At some point before that, it was about something else. Somewhere among these trends, one truth remains: marketing is about people. It’s about understanding who they are as human beings, knowing what motivates them and figuring out why they behave the way they do. If we always focus on that simple truth and provide experiences that elicit emotion, we win.
Steve Jobs knew it better than most and Jonny Ive gets it. Ed Catmull and John Lasseter at Pixar (and now Disney) understand it. Dr.Dre understands it. Brian Chesky and his team at AirBnB get it. Empathy and curiosity should be the first chapter of Marketing 101. All the other lessons become much easier once we get an “A” in that class.