The Information Age was Fun. How to Survive and Thrive in the Inundation Age.

Two survival strategies for a new era of marketing

Ancient Egyptian calendars described an annual deluge of floods that they named the season of inundation. We, as marketers and consumers, have entered into a never-ending season of deluge. The Information Age was defined by an unprecedented ease of information access. Decades later, we are drowning in it: news alerts, amber alerts, sports updates, friend updates, celebrity gossip, articles on LinkedIn, research studies and sales promotions in your inbox, reels, shorts, gifs, memes, and an endless supply of entertainment and infotainment in your forever feed.

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I call this the Inundation Age. Content has gone from being king to being commodity. Attention spans are divided over and over again. Media channels have multiplied, market competition has exploded across every industry, and brands have become, in some cases, less powerful than their own brand influencers. And the biggest result of all this oversaturation is a collective “meh” from those of us on the receiving end of all this marketing. We have all become some version of “McKayla is not impressed” (if you’ve forgotten, look it up).

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But this isn’t (just) a doom-and-gloom article. I want to talk about two strategies that can help brands navigate the Inundation Age. One is a necessity. The other is an opportunity.

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Strategy one: surprise

If you’re a brand struggling to rise through the clamor of competition, one thing you simply cannot do is stick with what your customers expect. Cologne brands need to enhance desirability. Right? Food advertising should always make you hungry. Shouldn’t it? Perhaps not anymore.

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Consumers (including me and you) have developed a type of herd immunity to traditional marketing. Especially now that there is just so damn much of it. Statistics tell us the average American receives thousands of advertising messages per day. But it doesn’t feel that way, does it? That’s what happens when you become overexposed to something. You stop noticing it. One person singing a melody is music. A thousand people singing different melodies is noise.

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That is why, in the Inundation Age, tried-and-true communication strategies are slowly becoming historical fiction. Playing it safe is a risk you can no longer afford. You have to add an element of surprise to your marketing and advertising strategy. Put your brand in a space it doesn’t belong. Have it speak on topics it normally wouldn’t. Have it speak in ways that a brand of its type shouldn’t. It may not sound easy. But the alternative sounds like noise.

Strategy two: failure

Imagine getting an “F” in class or finishing last in a race. We all know the feeling of failure: disappointment, regret, insecurity. You’re taught at an early age to avoid it, even fear it. But in the Inundation Age, failure becomes a lot less scary.

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The phrase “fail fast” was made popular by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as a mantra for learning and adapting quickly through failure. Marketers can now borrow from this thinking because the impact of making mistakes, even big ones, has been significantly reduced. When you’re being inundated with marketing, the good, bad, and mediocre all end up blending together. It’s like eating a giant bowl of trail mix. Even if you encounter the odd-tasting peanut, you’re bound to not remember it for very long. It’s hard to hold on to any individual flavor as you take in mouthfuls at a time.

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The risk-reward formula has changed. Marketers can now take bigger risks. They can stray outside their comfort zones, attempt new tactics, experiment in the real world, and fail multiple times without fear. And it’s all because failure doesn’t hold quite the sting it once did, and success holds the promise of creating real affinity and loyalty. You won’t remember the odd-tasting peanut. But if you discover a delicious salted cranberry, it might lead you to seek out all the cranberries in the bowl, foregoing other flavors that seem bland by comparison.

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Getting started

The hardest thing about adopting either of these strategies is knowing where or how to start. They may be necessary or opportunistic, but that doesn’t make them easy. Most brands don’t know anything beside their comfort zones. Having a partner is a good first step. Adcetera has been working with brands since the Information Age began. We’ve helped many companies navigate this complexity. Update: We also have first-hand knowledge of putting brands in a space they don’t belong.

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This deluge is going to be around for a while. How can your brand ride the wave without going under? Reach out and find out.

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