The online age and the age of technology have done tremendous things for society and our way of life. The Internet, specifically has given us the ability to access information, make purchases, and communicate with other people quicker than we ever had up to the point of the internet's conception. There is one main flaw to all these advances in technology that continues to be articulated and argued over. That would be the less person-to-person or face-to-face interaction. This issue plays a focal factor in online marketing.
Before you say "but wait, TV and magazine ads are not face-to-face. They are very broad and do not target me directly, or if they do, there are a large amount of people that see it that are not affected by it." Yes, you are very correct in saying that. However, that assumes that those types of "traditional" marketing strategies are all there is, which would be incorrect. Everyone gets annoyed at those people at the kiosks in the mall, or those door-to-door salesmen who try to get you to buy stuff you really don't want. But I think, underlying all that, is one thing we like that we take for granted. As humans, we are wired for communication with other humans, specifically face-to-face communication. These salespeople may be a pain in the rear end, but they usually treat you like a human. They may even engage in some small talk or converse about other non-sales related things beforehand. This aspect is the main difference between digital marketing and traditional marketing. We know that in either case, their goal is to get us to buy something. We know that. But when talking to a salesperson that is good at what they are doing, they make it seem like they care about us as a person, and not just as a customer. We allow ourselves to be deceived by that even though we know full well what they are doing. As humans we just cannot pass up the opportunity to be spoken to as a person of value, a person of interest to that salesperson. With digital media, yes, you see more ads that may influence you directly, that may have more impact on what you will or will not buy. But the negative side of that is there is no theater, no illusion that you matter more than just as a potential customer. In effect, the traditional marketing can make you feel like a person, digital marketing makes you feel like just another sale.
You make a really great point by arguing that salespeople provide a certain level of human interaction that we all want and need on some level even if we don't want to admit it. While they initially seem like a nuisance to the average shopper who prefers not to be bothered or flagged down, they do have the ability to connect and cater to your specific needs as opposed to cookies which merely collect data from you.
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