The way we write, read, listen to music and interact with people has changed so drastically over the past couple of decades that thinking back to a typical Millennial’s primary school days, one would be hard-pressed to find much relatable information in terms of what was taught to how we operate in the world today.

I can clearly remember sitting in Mrs Nel’s English class in Grade 6 here in Johannesburg, absorbing what to me, at that time was a brand new language, environment and culture. I remember the rules of the English grammar that she so passionately conveyed to us, rules like: do not start your sentences with an “and” or a “but” it is “bad English”. Fast forward to 2022 and you’ll be lucky if the person emailing you or worse, sending you a WhatsApp, remembers to put a Y and O with the U, or doesn’t misspell a simple word like “please”.

In this modern day and age, the way we interact with the world may have changed, but our basic human needs and desires are deep-rooted within the foundation of what it means to be human. The need to survive; the dream to thrive and all that comes with it, these inner most desires are simply evolving with the times but the inner core stays the same. This brings the topic around back to marketing and how, even with the advancement in technology and chat bots that can interact with any and all clients, Facebook putting a face to a name in the digital space, Instagram following on with even more curated content, Tik Tok, Twitter and the countless other platforms including games and Discord- where you can continue to live out your gaming fantasy yet interact with other players on a more social level- the basic core of marketing will remain the same and that is matching customers inner desires and needs with companies and their products.

Marketing, as a discipline, is one of the most everchanging fields of study and career choices that one could make. It is filled with new opportunities, new technologies and out of the box thinking will often position a brand as a leader. All this new technology and the abundance of new ideas are great but those who stay competitive and maintain their market share also remember and abide by old school principles. Sometimes a phone call, yes old school and cringeworthy to most Millennials, will do a mountain of good for a client or an account compared to a perfectly worded email. Sometimes hosting a party where clients can relax and socialise face-to-face will generate more leads than the biggest billboard and most times- and this is something that many often forget- people buy from people and stay loyal to people, especially when it comes to the B2B sector.