Modern Marketing: Aziz Ansari INBOUND 2015 Keynote Preview

If you are a fan of Aziz Ansari like I am, you were probably pretty excited to hear that he was scheduled to speak at HubSpot’s INBOUND 2015 on September 10th. For those not familiar with Aziz, you should use that thing called “Google” and figure it out for yourself. More information than ever is at your fingertips than ever before and you are just lazy if you can’t Google it for yourself. Don’t do this while driving though… I would hate for your obituary to say “he was killed googling “Aziz Ansari” and hit a light post”. Just kidding… kind of. Don’t Google and Drive. No really, I wanted to give you a taste of the kind of humor that Aziz will impart to the large crowd at INBOUND.

So for those of you not familiar with Aziz Ansari’s work on Parks and Rec on NBC alongside Amy Poehler or his successful stand up career, his latest project, and one that you will no doubt hear about at INBOUND, is his newly written book, Modern Romance. Like I did a few weeks ago, you are probably wondering what this comedian has to do with inbound marketing and why he would be a keynote speaker at a prestigious marketing conference. Well, read on. He has a lot to say about the use of technology in modern dating and romance but probably has more to say (which we will hear at INBOUND) about how sales and marketing have changed in similar ways over the years. Even though me and Aziz go way back (that’s why I call him Aziz throughout the article vs Mr. Ansari—he would hate that anyway) … like to when I saw him at the Majestic Theater in Dallas a few years ago, I have to clarify that he hasn’t really told me what he is speaking about at INBOUND. (Although I did just tweet to him asking him if he has finished his keynote yet.) However, I have been reading his new book. (Well, to be honest I have been listening to the audiobook on TuneIn Radio, and I think I have put it together how his book, Modern Romance, relates to marketing and inbound marketing in particular.

Hey, if I am correct, and he does speak about the correlation between the use of technology in modern dating and how the sales process has changed, I’m a genius for guessing what a keynote speaker will be speaking about at a global conference. If I am wrong… well, you just wasted a few minutes of your time reading this.

Here are the key points that I have taken from hearing what Aziz has to say about Modern Romance and how it relates to marketing in 2015:

Moving Online

The way that single people and some married people (Ashley Madison) look for potential mates has changed in the past 10 years, and this change is due exclusively to the availability of dating apps and tools. Let’s face it, there is a dating niche and app for everyone nowadays. A few that come to mind are Tinder, ChrisitanMingle.com ,and Farmersonly.com, but there are probably dozens more.  

Competition in most business has also become more fierce than ever and the need for a strong online presence has never been more important for businesses today. The Zero Moment of Truth, that moment when someone has a need for a product or service and searches online (which is what most people do when they have a need—they Google it) is so much more important today, since almost every buying decision starts with an Internet search. Businesses need to move their focus to online marketing as that’s where consumers are expecting to find them. Both B2B and B2C consumers as well as those looking for a mate both start online first before moving to secondary sources.

 

Research

When looking for potential mates (or products or services) there is so much more technology at our fingertips than we have ever had before. The previous ways of finding a mate used to involve a friend setting you up on a blind date, going to bar, or even posting a classified ad (If you like Pina Coladas or Getting Caught in the Rain) are now outdated and new apps like Tinder put control of the entire process into the hands of the user.   

This trend is happening with both B2B and B2C consumers as there is so much more information available to learn about a product or service before you decide to actually purchase and “traditional ways” of advertising are not so traditional anymore.  Most of the buyer research is conducted online and consumers are lessening their dependence on brick & mortar locations except for when they want to see a physical product before purchase.

Availability

Another big change taking place both in the dating scene and B2B / B2C is the ability to do your research when you want and how you want to. Aziz uses a great example of how he’s checking out in the grocery line and has the ability to swipe right (that’s a way of saying you are attracted to someone on Tinder) while he’s buying bread. Consumers have the same capabilities and can read reviews on your company on a review site or check out what your website looks like whenever they choose, on their timeline. Just hope you have a nice website and get swiped right.

No Longer a Need for Friends or Salespeople in 2015

With access to all of these dating apps (and information on the web), there is no longer a need for your friends to set you up on a blind date. You can check out the person your friends want you to go out with without having to commit to a blind date by checking out their Facebook or Instagram pages and determine if they are worth your time. Consumers can do this now too… they can look at your website, view a few videos on YouTube, read some reviews and use Google to learn more about your company than a salesperson could help them with. Granted, if you have a poor website or limited content on the web, you sure won’t attract many leads or get found. But for those companies that are successfully implementing inbound marketing cultures and winning the content game, you will be the pretty girl that everyone wants to ask to dance. 

Okay, so it’s in writing: here is what Aziz Ansari is going to talk about on September 10th at INBOUND. If I am right… please send me a tweet at @bhasenbauer and say “Brian - you nailed it!" And if I am wrong, sorry for wasting a few minutes of your time. See you in Boston!