As digital and social media get brand marketing to the next level, the question increasingly on brand marketer’s mind is “How can I engage with my audience at scale?“.

Large reach has always been easier to achieve with traditional method of demographics based segmentation. Traditional media measurement systems such as Nielsen and comScore made it quite easy to get the reach you want using demographics as the targeting criteria.

In the previous era of limited media choices, consumers could simply be grouped based on their demographics. It worked well because the consumers’ social identify depended on what age group, gender, ethnicity or income group they belonged to. Limited product choices also meant creating product awareness through advertising worked effectively translating into trial and purchase.

In the emerging world of unlimited media choices, our self identity is defined by the uniqueness each of us have – by what we consume in products, media and entertainment. It’s easy to find people with our exact interests digitally, and thus get validation and belonging to that group, however virtual it may be. This means the basis of identity has changed from simple demographics to more complex interests and thus emotions.

Unlimited product choices also mean features and tangible benefits are no longer enough to convince your audience to try and buy your products. The basis of purchase has shifted more to the emotional benefits the brand can provide to the consumers.

Thus if the media choices and the purchase consideration have both shifted to emotion more than tangible reason, are the current systems of targeting and engaging the consumer enough?

In a series of posts, we’ll make the case that media and marketing measurement systems have to undergo a fundamental transformation for this new marketing environment.