Rediscovering Real-World Lifestyle Marketing

In the ever-evolving landscape of real-world marketing, there are numerous strategies brands can adopt to connect with their target audience. While some methods are well-known and widely used, others still need to be discovered or, in this case, rediscovered.

One such hidden gem is real-world lifestyle marketing. It was super popular in the late 90s and early aughts but fell out of favor with the rise of digital marketing.

 

What is Real-World Lifestyle Marketing

Real-world lifestyle marketing is the art of aligning a brand with the interests, daily routines, and favored hangouts of its ideal customers. While digital advertising can do the same, it doesn't pack a punch like real-world lifestyle does in helping brands stand out or have long-term impacts on brand loyalty, customer engagement, and trust. 

Let's dive deeper into why lifestyle marketing is underrated.

 

Authentic. One of the key reasons why real-world lifestyle marketing is underrated is its ability to establish a genuine connection with the audience. Unlike traditional advertising, which often feels intrusive and sales-driven, people embrace real-world lifestyle marketing as you show up in their lives at an ideal time and place. By doing so, lifestyle brand initiatives resonate with desired audiences. A study by Nielsen found that 70% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand they feel connected to emotionally. 

 

Memorable. Traditional advertising often focuses on features and benefits, which are quickly forgotten. Lifestyle marketing, on the other hand, is presented to people in the context of their own lives, making it something people embrace and remember.  

 

Relevant. Lifestyle marketing takes into account individual needs and interests. This means that brands will have more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

 

Engaging. Lifestyle marketing often involves story-sharing and other creative activities. This is more engaging for consumers than traditional advertising and marketing. 

 

Trust and loyalty. When consumers feel like a brand has a relationship with their lifestyle, they are more likely to trust and support that brand. This leads to an increase in customer lifetime value.

 

Brand Advocacy. Building brand advocates might be the more important outcome of real-world lifestyle marketing. Lifestyle marketing has more potential to turn customers into brand advocates than anything else. When a brand authentically aligns with the lifestyle interests of its ideal customers, they are more likely to spread the word, share their positive experiences, and recommend the brand to friends and family. These brand advocates can be a powerful force in driving organic growth, which can be more effective and cost-efficient than traditional advertising.

 

Real-World Lifestyle Marketing Examples

 

Lifestyle marketing can take many forms, from small partnerships with yoga studios to large activations at music festivals. As long as it's relevant to people's unique interests and habits, it's lifestyle marketing.

Even sports can be considered a lifestyle, so if your ideal customer is a skier, you could activate at a mountain ski resort.

Our favorite and often most impactful form of lifestyle marketing is showing up locally in people's neighborhoods. Nothing is more routine than what people do every day or week. For example, if you're promoting a new nut-based milk, you could partner with independent coffee shops to offer people a complimentary coffee with your product.

The possibilities are endless; all you need to do is to align your brand with what people are passionate about.

 

Takeaway

Real-world lifestyle marketing is undoubtedly an underutilized strategy in the world of marketing. It has the potential to create authentic connections, engage a specific audience, align with consumer preferences, build a strong brand identity, foster brand advocacy, and lift sales.

As brands seek more effective ways to engage their target audience, lifestyle marketing deserves greater recognition and incorporation into their marketing strategies. 

By adopting a real-world lifestyle marketing approach, brands can forge deeper and more enduring connections with people, leading to sustained success in today's dynamic and competitive marketplace.