There’s a reason, after all, that psychologists have spent thousands of hours researching the impact marketing has on our purchasing habits; there’s a reason most of us know Coca Cola but have forgotten Fresca.

One of the key ways advertising can be viewed as other than pure sales pandering is through examining it as art and as technology.
 
Sara Robison, writing for Digital Signage, notes that interactivity will be a key feature for 2015. And consumers – and essentially us as audience – will interact with these new kinds of branding in new ways.

Consider how information can help create a dynamic display. Robison writes: “Programming options for LED displays are becoming more customizable. Campaigns can be targeted to the demographics of traffic passing by and marketed to dynamic factors such as weather conditions, inventory fluctuations and events on the calendar.”

An old sign we see everyday will have less of an impact than one that changes according to our lives. But this has long been a staple in smart advertising.
For example, the South African advertising for Nandos is always up-to-date with current events, ready to satirise the latest news to promote their product. When the President’s “Blue Light Brigade” was in the news, Nandos’ marketing made an accompanying advert.

The fact that we’ve become audience and consumers because of the quality of their humour shows the effectiveness of marketing. This makes it more into art (humour) than mere branding.

And various signage can do the same. Eben Human, head of signage company Assignment 3, which has done work all over the country, agrees.
“There’s no reason signage needs to be a static picture or just words. It can be something far more interesting to the consumer and, therefore, beneficial to the brand itself.”

In all sorts of ways, brands have already started this new trend which we’ll see more of in 2015, according to Marketing Interactive.

“Holiday Inn, which was founded on consistency, is starting to shift its brand strategy towards more customised experiences that meet individual needs – from business travellers and families to young couples and adventurous singles. Coca-Cola proved it was a master of personalisation with the Share a Coke campaign in the US for which it printed bottles featuring 250 popular names, letting consumers search for their name on the shelf. Coca-Cola Israel took the trend a step further by printing two million labels individually designed by consumers.”

We must remember that we’re selling a product people want – after all, if they didn’t want our product, we wouldn’t be making profits or be in business at all. The key then is to show just why consumers want our product above others. Marketing doesn’t just help establish this on some scientific level, but can do so on a personal, emotional level. That’s why making it feel personal or up-to-date adds an impact your competitors don’t have.