As a marketeer, I like to keep up-to-date on latest trends and how they impact marketing. One that I find interesting is the idea of a ‘Third Space’ that has been evolving, as per Marketing. We are used to the idea that over the past 10 years, work has started to intrude more on our private lives – the email from the US for those in the UK at different times of the day, that need a response. The phonecalls in the evening or early mornings, depending on who you work with.
But what we have heard less of is how the reverse can happen – that ‘life’ can start intruding on ‘work’ and the lines are more blurred. This does pose a challenge for marketers that are used to approaching people’s different personas, depending on which mindset they are in at the time. For example, if targeting businesses and individuals within that business, you may focus more on the business message and product, how it benefits them from a work perspective. But increasingly, companies are starting to bring ‘life’ into the workplace. And it is an interesting concept, to think for one, how this might affect your own business and how you might motivate internal employees. But also, from an external perspective, of how your solution, if being sold to businesses for example, could have an element of the private life brought into it.
The article states: “The blurring of lines between leisure and work poses a challenge to marketers. Work and play are no longer clear-cut and this means targeting that third space. How can products or services make life support work and work resemble life?…As technologies further blur the lines, products, services and businesses will need to specifically and effectively serve that space, and those that serve only one extreme or the other will find themselves pushed toward the margin.”
What is also interesting, is that as a marketing consultant, working with small businesses and being flexible in the hours and time I work for clients, that this mix is very relevant – except I only charge while I am focused on that client, which would be the difference from full-time employees. I have also read many articles about the Y generation that will not want to be 100% focused on a company , all day, 5 days a week.
