As advertisers bombard consumers across platforms like Twitch, Facebook, television, billboards and more, consumers are trying to get away, signing up for ad blockers and subscription services.

Here we go, yet again more stark evidence to support the 3 wise monkey syndrome that many brands and related advertising agencies choose to ignore.

If I told you that Ad Fraud is forecast to rise from $42bn this year (2019) to $100Bn by 2023, yup you read that number right  - $100 Billion by 2023 and the industry has little control over it other than the obvious, you might be thinking the same as me 'why do companies still accept this level of fraud'?.

Marc Pritchard, the chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, one of the largest advertisers in the world. Ads, he said, are often irrelevant and sometimes “just silly, ridiculous or stupid.” 

“We tried to change the advertising ecosystem by doing more ads, and all that did was create more noise,” he said.

Social selling despite what you think isn't actually about 'selling' itsthe consumers way of telling us that the digitally intrusive advertising industry's way of trying to inform us about they're products and services has fundamentally changed  FOREVER....

Social Selling has more to do with understanding how the traditional buying process for B2B/B2C and now D2C is no more. 

Today's generations know nothing other than the free to access, free to use, lo-cost, no-cost digital world that many from previous generations still find somewhat bewildering. Especially in multi-channel retail.

The next wave of disruption doesn't require you to invest in the next 'digital' big thing, it doesn't require you to bolt new tech onto old tech, it also doesn't have the patience to wait around for decades for you and your team to think about how to adjust and adapt.

Social commerce will turn us all into shoppable product demos and our life into a catalogue of stylised products. It will also introduce new revenue streams, business models, marketing strategies and regulatory hurdles. Social currency is the fuel of the modern retail economy, and community is its killer app.

Storytelling is back in vogue, brands that are seen as authentic are garnering authentic attention and building loyal tribes. 

All of this is courtesy of no new tech projects or those pesky digital sales seminars, but down to good old fashioned relationship building via social media platforms.

Did you know I can take you through the opportunity to leverage social media for something other than 'intrusive advertising'? 

With an aligned 'Social Media' strategy supported by skill based training from experts, and a good set of 'listening tools' you would think twice about why you would want to advertise ever again. 

No brand safety issues, no data privacy to worry about, reduced cost for focus and research groups, and best of all, unlike paid media where the cost increase exponentially as your campaign requires 'more reach' your social media cost remain static.