Absolutely loved the metaphor of Pub in the Park being a model for marketing — free-flowing, sensory-rich, and delightfully unpredictable. Just like how we don't follow funnels at a festival, traditions too travel through emotions rather than paths. With Raksha Bandhan approaching, it’s beautiful how families across continents still find ways to stay connected. This year, many are choosing to send Rakhi to Netherlands(https://thedesifood.com/rakhi-to-netherlands), bridging distances with love, not funnels. 🎁✨
Love this, but I actually think there’s space (and a need) for both.
Take your festival example, yes people drift from one stall to another, sharing experiences and “creating meaning in the swirl of life” but these are all influenced by relevant triggers. e.g. <hmm, I’m a bit hungry, what are my options > - gone from out of market to in market quickly, by the need to eat. Or <I’m not a huge fan of this band, what are my options now?> - a move to in market for a different kind of entertainment and then the myriad influences or ingredients helps to define what I’m in market for next. That could be another band, some food, chatting with friends or a drink or something else.
So I COMPLETELY agree with your summary regarding crafting the conditions for choice, but I think that the simplicity of in and out of market can help to create a narrative for marketers and advertisers to create more relevant messages. It also allows us media people to understand those choices and, in your words, “ guide that beautiful mess into something that endures”.
You're right “in vs. out of market” can be a useful lens. Especially when you need clarity for decision-making or alignment across teams.
But its critical to not pretend it’s the full story. The job of marketing isn’t just to spot people moving into market, it’s to make them more likely to move, and more likely to choose us when they do. That takes more than a binary.
Simplification is valuable. But oversimplification risks missing the real levers we can pull. Frameworks should be a launchpad, not a limit.
In that, I 100% agree! It really isn’t the full story but more a useful tool to help align teams. Love the “launchpad, not a limit” framing. I might steal that one!
Absolutely loved the metaphor of Pub in the Park being a model for marketing — free-flowing, sensory-rich, and delightfully unpredictable. Just like how we don't follow funnels at a festival, traditions too travel through emotions rather than paths. With Raksha Bandhan approaching, it’s beautiful how families across continents still find ways to stay connected. This year, many are choosing to send Rakhi to Netherlands(https://thedesifood.com/rakhi-to-netherlands), bridging distances with love, not funnels. 🎁✨
Love this, but I actually think there’s space (and a need) for both.
Take your festival example, yes people drift from one stall to another, sharing experiences and “creating meaning in the swirl of life” but these are all influenced by relevant triggers. e.g. <hmm, I’m a bit hungry, what are my options > - gone from out of market to in market quickly, by the need to eat. Or <I’m not a huge fan of this band, what are my options now?> - a move to in market for a different kind of entertainment and then the myriad influences or ingredients helps to define what I’m in market for next. That could be another band, some food, chatting with friends or a drink or something else.
So I COMPLETELY agree with your summary regarding crafting the conditions for choice, but I think that the simplicity of in and out of market can help to create a narrative for marketers and advertisers to create more relevant messages. It also allows us media people to understand those choices and, in your words, “ guide that beautiful mess into something that endures”.
You're right “in vs. out of market” can be a useful lens. Especially when you need clarity for decision-making or alignment across teams.
But its critical to not pretend it’s the full story. The job of marketing isn’t just to spot people moving into market, it’s to make them more likely to move, and more likely to choose us when they do. That takes more than a binary.
Simplification is valuable. But oversimplification risks missing the real levers we can pull. Frameworks should be a launchpad, not a limit.
In that, I 100% agree! It really isn’t the full story but more a useful tool to help align teams. Love the “launchpad, not a limit” framing. I might steal that one!