Information Overload | OUT LOUD

(Our very own Irma Zandl* weighs in on topical issues in her column Out Loud with Irma Zandl)

Just as entertainment content and music have become devalued (i.e. nobody wants to pay for it unless they absolutely have to), information is now following the same trajectory. With such easy access to information coupled with the ability to pass it along electronically, it is becoming increasingly apparent that information in and of itself has lost its relevancy.

As a whole, we’ve seen this value shift among traditional media outlets – I’ve mentioned in a previous Out Loud that real-time, user-generated information from sources like Twitter and Facebook has a greater impact on both the news-cycle and my own quest for knowledge and up-to-date data.

Additionally, we have seen this dramatic change first-hand at our own company. Gone are the days when clients would call and ask for an “information dump” (e.g. “present everything you have on teens to bring us all up to speed”). Today, clients are asking us to address very specific problems with the most innovative and actionable solutions.

However, the fact that companies are drowning in information creates new opportunities for businesses that can sift through this intelligence and distill it into actionable insights for companies to turn into relevant new products and services.

In the future, marketers and brand teams will look for the following:

1. Relevant information that is trend-forward but actionable now
2. Experiences and immersions that provide forward looking insights into the consumers life
3. Innovative solutions and recommendations
4. Creative techniques that address specific brand/consumer issues
5. Ever faster turn-around

*Widely acknowledged as one of America’s foremost experts on consumer behavior and trend forecasting, Irma’s insights are eagerly sought after by clients, marketers, media and friends. A true pioneer, Irma moved to Manhattan’s Lower East Side over 20 years ago and set up The Zandl Group in SoHo. Continuing on her trajectory of forward-thinking real estate moves, she personally relocated to a fabulous loft in Long Island City, Queens, while moving the office to up-and-coming creative enclave Bushwick, Brooklyn a year ago. Her observations of consumers have proven to be well-rounded, grounded in years of research and always directional and actionable. Her keen instinct extends beyond marketing and strategic insights and across many categories from art, style and design to entertainment and nightlife to restaurants and food.