Marketing, as the business of influencing consumer behavior, is dead.  In a hyper-connected world where information is accessible at any time and any place, consumers are more intelligent, more conscious and more aware than ever before.

Awareness, as we all know, is crucially important.  It’s how we differentiate ourselves from others – establishing likes and dislikes, our sense of style and taste,  and our relationships with both people and things.  Every data point we encounter is stored in a memory bank of experiences that molds and shapes our behavior and loyalties.  As our access to information is expanded, our memory banks are filled with even more data that we reference during decision-making.

The coming search engine wars are a tell-tale sign that consumers will have increasingly unprecedented access to information and the ability to troll and search deeper for relevant data – making search even more personal.  Google, for example, has barely scratched the surface of the capabilities of search continuing to establish their dominance with added functionality like book searches, product searches and cross-referencing.  All of this means that whole generations are progressively more intelligent, more conscious and more aware than ever before about the world around them, making the business of influencing their behavior increasingly difficult.

With this kind of power at their fingertips, consumers are more aware of how much they spend, where they spend it, and what they’re spending it on.  They’re becoming increasingly aware (more than any generation before) of the environment and more importantly, how they as individuals can impact it.  They’re aware of their place in society, and are reaching further outside their networks through online mediums like twitter and facebook.  In short, consumers have expanded their sphere of influence – they’re more adept at reacting to advertising  and better equipped to respond to traditional methods of marketing.

To reach these audiences, marketers have to work harder, reach deeper and speak more directly to individuals.  They have to talk about things like value and expectation, ethical and moral obligation, personal commitment.  Basically all the things corporations have long forgotten, or perhaps happily ignored, to appease their stockholders.

Companies need to be honest with their audience and with themselves about the products and services they deliver.  They should  “smarten up” their advertising and stay above the fray to catch consumer attention.  They should follow up with meaningful and value-add information to give them a headstart instead of keeping them in the dark.  They should view themselves as partners, addressing consumer concerns and providing meaningful conversations that lead to innovation.  I’m not advocating companies stop watching their bottom lines, or that CEO’s give up their paychecks or their corporate jets.

Simply stated, the companies  that appeal to the awareness of their consumers will be the ones that ride out this wave of uncertainty and waning consumer confidence, and be stronger, faster and better equiped for the long haul.