In many ways, there has been a seismic shift in storytelling that is altering the way we have traditionally done marketing. Let’s consider what this means for the way companies do marketing today.

In short, people’s habits are changing and companies must adapt using the narrative methods of today. Otherwise, people (potential customers) can go where the customer experience is more to their liking. This has implications for both B2C and B2B businesses because people’s habits follow them wherever they go.

It has been said, almost ad nauseam, that Millennials are the main disruptors because of their penchant for using digital technology to the nth degree. What hasn’t been said as much is that the Gen Xers and Boomers are right behind them. The persistence of digital communications technology, which has spread from the era of desktop computers to our smartphones and tablets, explains why it is a generational trend rather than a passing fad.

Companies that embrace changing social habits are positioning themselves to stay relevant in this brave new world of omnicommunications, aka digital campfires. Companies that continue to feed only the traditional ways may find out the hard way that no one is listening. They risk sounding like the adults in the popular Charlie Brown cartoons, if they are heard at all.

Maybe it’s time for a reality check. As explained in a recent webinar hosted by retail Customer Experience, retailers feel compelled to move beyond tradition (think Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving) because millions of Millennials are altering the shopping experience by using mobile devices with real-time data and social media to search for the best deal with a laser-like approach. . Apparently, price is more important to millennials than tradition.

According to the webinar, Millennials revolutionize shopping: the new world of connected shopping,

• 89 percent of millennial shoppers use smartphones to connect to the internet on a daily basis.
• 55 percent trust social networks as their main source of news and shopping information, easily surpassing television, which was in sixth place.
• 95 percent of Millennials have the same or greater price sensitivity as they did last year.
• Google and Amazon are by far the preferred method of comparison shopping on smartphones for Millennials.
• 88 percent would consider buying online and picking up in store to save $10 on a $50 item.

Tackling this issue head-on in his most recent book, Adam Richardson, author of Innovation X: why a company’s toughest problems are its greatest advantage, Richardson argues that the customer experience needs continuous transformation to meet the needs of empowered consumers in today’s disruptive culture.

In fact, there have been millions of communications milestones since Gutenberg’s printing press of 1440. From that time, print media slowly grew to dominate the landscape until our world was filled with books, magazines, newspapers, billboards, posters, and more. , finally, the most valuable impression of all money!

But everything changed in the 21st century. Today’s headlines are more likely to be read on digital screens than in print. Thus, the digital communications revolution has taken off and has become so ubiquitous that it now delivers a more timely message from a portable device wherever one goes.

How does a company adapt? The best way is by presenting your communications in all the ways people consume them. This approach to reaching your audience is called omnichannel marketing. Integrate all forms of communication, both online and offline, and put your media where your customers are. It offers media personalization so that it can be consumed in a way that suits consumers’ lifestyles. According to omnichannel marketers, the places where customers or prospects cross paths with your brand are called “touch points.” In total, there are about 14 common touchpoints.

One of the less common touchpoints is called digital signage. Unlike the internet, email, mobile, and other forms of digital marketing, it’s an emerging touchpoint, but it’s far from a de facto standard. However, it may just be the ticket to differentiate your communications strategy and the catalyst for people to start talking around your digital campfire, so to speak.

Here’s what recent research on digital signage reveals:

• According to a place-based digital video study by Arbitron, videos shown in public capture the attention of about 70 percent of consumers.
• Samsung data indicates that 84 per cent of UK retailers believe digital signage creates substantial brand awareness, highlighting the importance of maintaining a consistent, digitally focused brand image to showcase the dynamic story of your store. business.
• A Price-Waterhouse-Coopers survey illustrates that retailers can reduce the stress of the experience by using digital signage to inform and entertain consumers while they wait.
• According to NCR Global Consumer Research, 87% of customers want similar ways to access products and services, whether they’re online, on a mobile device, or in person at a physical store. [think digital signage].

How will your company’s story be told in 2016? Will anyone listen to her? Regardless of the variety of tactics you can use to engage and engage audiences in your products and services, today’s digital fire pits are where most people are at. say, listen and share their stories After establishing a strong internet and mobile communications plan, digital signage is a perfect fit with an omnichannel marketing strategy, and may well be one of the key differentiators in disrupting disruptors with something that resonates with your lifestyle.