Marketers need to think differently about categories | WARC | The Feed

Marketers need to think differently about categories

The traditional auto category no longer exists because automotive, mobility, travel and hospitality are all converging into a more general ‘movement’ arena, according to an executive at Jaguar Land Rover.

Why it matters

Speaking at Advertising Week Europe, head of strategic foresight Ben Moncrieffe explained that marketers should be thinking about the future customer, their needs and wants, as well as the future ecosystem and environment in which they find themselves. He advised the pursuit of “dynamic marketing strategies” and thinking about how to futureproof brand strategy. “The future is a critical part of being a marketer,” he said. 

Takeaways 

• The foresight and trends discipline is less about finding a passing trend to jump on than about tracking wider cultural changes and minimising future surprises. 
• That requires an agile mindset, being proactive and thinking about multiple futures to protect. 
• Jaguar Land Rover’s own roadmap for the future is Reimagine, a strategy launched two years ago, based around sustainability and delivering desirable modern luxury brands.
• The automotive company also plans on moving into the metaverse and gaming to “do something in that space with purpose that makes sense for a modern luxury business”.
• It is, said Moncreiffe, “a considered approach, using open innovation and being a part of an ecosystem, but doing something that allows us to speak through our brands to the next generation of consumers”.