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The Death of Clicks: How Marketing is Changing in 2024

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  • The Growth Insight: The Death of Clicks: How Marketing is Changing in 2024

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The Growth Insight 🌱

The Death of Clicks: How Marketing is Changing in 2024

Imagine a world where your Facebook likes, Google searches, and website visits no longer matter.

Welcome to the future of marketing – it's already here, and it's turning everything we know upside down.

The End of an Era

For the past 20 years, digital marketing has been all about tracking clicks and views. We thought we could measure everything. But those days are over. Here's why:

  1. Privacy laws are getting stricter

  2. More people use ad blockers

  3. We use multiple devices, making tracking harder

  4. Apps hide user activity

  5. People don't click as much anymore

  6. Social media hides where traffic comes from

The Proof is in the Pudding

You might be thinking, "Show me the evidence!" Well, here it is:

  • Search engines (like Google) drive 70% of website clicks

  • But people spend ~10% of their online time on search engines

  • We spend most of our time on social media, email, news sites, and shopping

This means there's a huge gap between where clicks come from and where people actually spend their time.

The Way Forward

So, what's a marketer to do? The answer is simple: Go where your audience is being influenced, not just where they're clicking.

Let's use an example: Say you want to sell rice for making risotto. You could:

  1. Try to rank #1 on Google for "best rice for risotto"

  2. OR you could:

    • Work with food bloggers

    • Partner with Italian restaurants

    • Create engaging TikTok videos

    • Sponsor cooking events

    • Get your product on store shelves

The second approach might not give you perfect data on how each tactic worked, but it's more likely to influence real people and drive sales.

Success Story: Oatly

Take Oatly, the Swedish oat milk brand that exploded in popularity in the US. They grew big by:

  1. Partnering with trendy coffee shops to get baristas using their product

  2. Creating quirky, eye-catching packaging and billboard ads

  3. Sponsoring events and music festivals

  4. Leveraging word-of-mouth through social media influencers

  5. Expanding distribution to grocery stores and online retailers

None of these tactics give sharp data on sales, but together, they worked wonders. Oatly went from being virtually unknown in the US to becoming a household name and going public with a multibillion-dollar valuation.

The Bottom Line

Marketing in 2024 is a lot like what it was in 1964. It's about getting the right message to the right people at the right time and place. Don't get stuck chasing sharp data. Instead, focus on understanding your audience and influencing them where they already are.

Remember: Just because you can't measure something perfectly doesn't mean it's not working. Sometimes, the most powerful marketing is invisible.

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Until next time!

Vansh