With all of the recent accelerating changes we’ve seen in the world, and our narrower media world, it’s easy to assume that ‘everything is different’.

But keep two seemingly contradictory ideas in mind at the same time. Everything is different, nothing is different. As I share, it’s not only possible, it’s still true in marketing today.

The global pandemic and its aftermath have dramatically changed our lifestyles. Social distancing protocols early in the pandemic led to a significant increase in time spent at home during that particular period, but we find that even two years later, time spent at home is still above pre-pandemic levels.

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At first, it was thought that spending more time at home meant less time on our phones, but now we know that’s not the case. In fact it was the other way around. We are glued to our phones like never before.

Even now, non-voice mobile usage in Australia is nearly four hours a day and is projected to grow steadily despite a potential return to ‘normal’.Despite these reinvented lifestyles and accelerating change, how much of our behavior impacted the pandemic? For real Change?

Gaming is the new (true) medium

Leisure time spent indoors and outdoors has created a strong craving for entertainment, connection and social interaction. While social media use has increased, the role it plays in our lives has changed, and so has its impact on mental health.

Mobile gaming is the new social space. For example, connections made with Roblox can be quite healthy. But ultra- and hyper-casual mobile-only games like ASMR Slicing and Hole.io can also help you connect, kill time, and reduce boredom.

The ultimate expression of consumer online behavior in a social sense is no longer just scrolling through a feed of static content and liking photos. It’s about hanging out with friends in a shared virtual space. And until the so-called Metaverse lives up to its expectations (in a safe way), mobile his users seem to embrace gameplay and gaming environments as “augmented reality.”

Interesting given that Gen Z and millennials are still leading the social gaming trend post-pandemic. This shift in consumption patterns indicates that gaming will be a major factor in the next ‘iteration’ of the Internet as big as the introduction of the social age.

Redefining the customer journey

Digitization has turned what was once a systematic consumer journey into a sort of shopping maze, convincing marketers that the traditional purchase funnel is dead.

Admittedly, the consumer journey is no longer as linear as it once was, but essence The classic framework still remains. From awareness to consideration, conversion to retention, it’s no longer linear, but tactically, the purchase funnel still works. It just needs a redefinition.

Marketers need to be present in channels where consumers spend their time, such as mobile games, and capture attention with relevant creative that strikes with the right style, approach, and message.

And in an era of review culture, there are new opportunities for proactive customer relationship management (CRM) leveraging that extensive feedback. Again, retention is strategically the same. Only the “method” has changed.

everything is different, nothing changes

Channel consumption has expanded globally to include platforms such as mobile gaming, streaming, online shopping, and food delivery apps. Fundamentally, these behavioral changes stem from the acceleration of existing trends.

Mobile gaming is now catching up with social media. Adoption of online shopping, video streaming, and food delivery applications is also increasing. What these platforms have in common is that they are embedded in society but accelerated in this new reality due to the effects of the global pandemic.

In reality, this isn’t about digital marketing, it’s about effective marketing in this digital world. While marketers spend a lot of time observing and responding to changes in consumer behavior, they tend to be drawn to “glossy objects” in the form of new trends. Consumer behavior is constantly changing. This is constantly changing in marketing.

Yes, marketing has changed with the digital deviation, but only on a tactical level. Thanks to that deviation, there are new marketing tools to explore and more relevant channels to reach your target audience But the old marketing question remains as important (and elusive) as ever.

James O’Driscoll, Head of Sales & Partnerships, Australia – Digital Turbine