We all read the big news flash innovatve ZMOT theory that “Think with Google” published back in 2011 defining for all businesses for the very first time the zero moment of truth as the “online decision-making moment” when a customer reaches out to research a brand online before they even start their customer journey down the well known AIDA sales funnel and get into the brand’s marketing team “radar”.
ZMOT was disruptive and shook the whole industry through revelaling a new way of thinking that completely changed the outlook on succesfull business strategy that has been followed by generations of marketers.
Revolutionary and undoubtedly true, this theory has been ruling the markeing world for almost 10 years now but I think the time has come for it to make place for a new one.
Minus one moment of truth or MOMOT.
What is it? This is the first time when, consciously or more often unconsciously, a customer witnesses a brand’s presence with no obligation of a brand name, logo or defnition to be noticed or perceived by this customer. This includes all new and innovative forms of product placement done in digital through native or sponsored content, blog, vlog or any other no brand conducted or no brand published content.
This includes all the content that is created and distributed in the online environment by various categories of influencers, opinion leaders or celebrities.
MOMOT is already such a big part of our everyday customer journeys that we even cannot realize how vast is its presence. And this is exaclty where the significance of it stems from. MOMOT introduces us to a new brand on a subconsious level, gives us the opportunity to get familiar with the brand and its products through their unobstrusive presence all around us day after day until we are finally one day exposed again unobstructively (which makes it feel even more natural for us) with branded information.
Let me give you one example: You are a young independent woman in her early 30s working as a publishing house employee in Chicago, you love cooking, sports and you go cycling with friends every weekend.
Or you are a middle aged divorced Finish man, working for his brother in law’s accountant firm who loves enterpreneurship books, sports and his dog.
Or you are, in fact, simply you - doing whatever it is that you do with your life.
You use social media and consumer soical media content. Or if you don’t - you have friends who do or relatives who do, or colleagues who do - and tell you about it, sometimes they even show you their posts and send you social media memes and so on.
You also consume all kinds of advertising in media - with or without your benevoloence because billboard are always there for us even if we have adblockers on all our devices.
You shop, buy newspapers and magazines, watch TV, Netflix ect. - you are already in the brand game, you have no choice. You know Apple’s apple logo, you know McDonald’s brand colors, you have seen Microsoft’s logo at least once - or if the answer is still no - come on you have seen at least one logo in your life because you’ve had to go shop for food products. So you are in the brand game.
Now if a brand overloads you with content, ads, sponsored promos, pre-rolls etc. - they loose you, you hate them, you block them, report them, don’t shop them. Right? We all do so.
But how could they win you over them?
According to ZMOT they shall have great SEO, great online reputation, they should use all kinds of additional voice of the customer tools in order to make sure you will find only the finest of reviews and the best of feedback about their products or services online. Hard and let’s be honest - very often impossible to ensure. The internet is so strong exactly because it cannot be controlled.
But what shall a brand do according to MOMOT? It shall create and continuously nurture a system of well established image among opinion leaders and influncers who would then find relevant an unobstrusive way to showcase the brand products in real life scenarios and environment, who would tell their genuine stories about their experience with the brand and how it improved their lifestyle. Genuine and unobstrusive are the key words here!
The potential customer might see or might not see the brand name/logo/colors, the content might not be sponsored, the products might not be tagged - but once a story is told, a story is told and it has it’s reflection in online as well as offline communication. It’s no wonder why all genius mnemonists use storytelling to remember a great amounth of data or numbers - it’s because stories are unforgettable.
Once such a strategy is succesfully implemented by a brand it is only a matter of time until a customer develops a positive attitude and is becomes ready to researching in the ZMOT or to be introduced to the brand’s marketing communication in order to be encouraged to see more information. But this person is already not persistent, not negative, not just present as an email on a newsletter list, not just a passerby ignoring your billboard - he is ready to be marketed and curious to hear another brand story.
- Nicole
