Community is the key

Almost everything I’ve read in the last week has been about communities – from religious communities through to social networking communities through to political constituencies.

What’s most interesting about these stories is that communities are demanding that services, products and communications are tailored to their unique needs. This has huge ramifications for marketers and signals a major gear change.

The key to marketing success lies in the ability to infiltrate, befriend and influence communities. Audiences are no longer segmented by the more obvious media filters such as age or affluence. The dynamics are significantly more complex, and our communications activity should reflect that. The communities are crying out for brands that understand them, as marketing professionals, it’s up to us to bridge the gap.