How brands are using nonlinear marketing to address consumer resistance to traditional marketing strategies

Abstract

Consumer behaviour and media consumption habits are changing at a rapid pace. Reactions to stimuli that were once easy to predict are no longer predictable, and typical responses to marketing actions have become completely atypical. As a result, traditional approaches to marketing are losing their effectiveness. This paper sheds light on a new approach many brands are adopting, which we call nonlinear marketing. Nonlinear marketing is a way for brands to weave themselves into the fabric of a consumer’s life. Rather than relying on the traditional approach whereby brands might interrupt a consumer’s life with 30-second television commercials or the like, brands become a seamless part of their consumers’ daily journey via nonlinear marketing. The result is a richer, more robust experience for the consumer and a more effective, longer-lasting relationship for the marketer.