What does postmodernism mean to your business? Discover four fascinating postmodern marketing examples after understanding the definitions, context, and characteristics.

Super-smart philosophers smoking pipes out of Parisian cafés, wearing turtlenecks, and drinking coffee coined the period between the 1950s and early 2000s as the “postmodern” era.

So as a critical theory aiming to explain the arts, media, society, and anything else falling within mainstream modern culture, this idea of postmodernism must play a role in marketing too, right?

Read on to discover how ideas of postmodernism relate to marketing and how you can hone your marketing efforts with an understanding of the so-called “postmodern world”.

What is postmodern marketing?

Postmodern marketing can be defined as a marketing style that applies specific modernised techniques to meet the evolving development of consumer values, beliefs, and expectations.

Founded on modern marketing techniques (Think Mad Men, 1960s style advertising), postmodern marketing represents a new nimble, agile, and reactive age, shifting from one individual consumer to the next with non-definitive perspectives and messages across various forms of content.

A definitive catalyst for postmodern marketing was the mainstream accessibility of the internet. Essentially, our mass online invasion has individualised consumer experiences. This individualism is seen even more prevalently with the rise of social media.

But what is a postmodern world exactly?

Theorists claim postmodernism came after the so-called “modernist” era, beginning in the engine rooms of industrial Britain and ending on the battlefields of Europe (1830ish – 1940ish).

So, you can see postmodernism as a way of thinking, communicating and essentially, being. Basically, after a couple of world wars, people began to feel a bit fed up and started to question the so-called“ powers that be”.

People began to ask, “So, what’s in it for me?”.  

Then in the mid-twentieth century, initial ideas of postmodernism started to appear in works of literary fiction before eventually materialising into the daily lives of mainstream western culture.

So, what makes something postmodern?

Postmodernism has multiple characteristics that go from simple to complex, with individualism at the heart. However, with this piece relating to marketing, we’ll focus on the following three for now:

1. Relativism

Knowledge and morality are not absolute but determined by context (Culture, history, society).

2. Scepticism

People will doubt the truth behind any statement or belief without personal interpretation.

3.    Intertextuality

Content creators deliberately intermingle and reference other influences in their work to intensify the experience by adding further layers of meaning.

How do postmodern ideas relate to marketing?

Despite postmodernism being born in the late 1940s, postmodern marketing truly established itself in the 1990s:

1.    Relativism = Personalisation

How does a product or service relate to the consumer on a personal level? Marketers now offer custom experiences, with broad market generalisations becoming increasingly obsolete.  

2.    Scepticism = Content marketing (inbound)

Consumers will research something before they buy, emphasising a demand for quality and valuable content to provide purchase incentives.

3.    Intertextuality = Content creation

Marketing mirrors other forms of content prevalent in the arts and entertainment industry to help add meaning and develop deeper connections with their consumer.

Okay, I think that’s enough “isms” for one day.

Let’s bring back some brass tax and reveal howpostmodernism matters to your marketing methods.

4 postmodern marketing examples

Before checking out our four postmodern marketing examples, just know you may never look at marketing or the world quite the same again.

Ready?

Let’s go!

Navigating a “cynical” consumer landscape

Consumers require more than a flashy visual and catchy jingle before they decide to buy something. Similar to how postmodernism forced people to think twice and assess their options independently, the same mentality has transcended into consumer culture.

For example, 85%of consumers will research before making an online purchase. So, as a brand, providing valuable content to inform your consumer buying decision is essential to ensure they choose you and not your competitor.

Integrated marketing campaigns

Marketing efforts have become more personalised to appeal to the individual consumer rather than multiple consumers on mass.

And it works! Reported integrated marketing campaigns across at least four channels out perform single or double-channel campaigns by over 300%.

“Sheesh!”

Now marketers target their consumers by combining multiple channels such as email, social media, blogs, and printed design to maintain a consistent message and appeal to individual buyers at different stages of their journey.

Intertextual marketing

Beyond the complex themes, postmodern characteristics can appear simple, such as a deliberate combination of influences and symbols, known in the postmodern world as “intertextuality.”

Take a symbol on its own such as the distinctive Nike tick or “swoosh”. While it maybe recognised globally now, when it was first designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, there was little meaning behind it. 

But with years of promotion and billions of dollars of advertising and marketing investment, now that Nike swoosh means a whole lot of different things to a whole lot of different people.

Therefore, through ceaseless commercial promotion and assigning numerous connections with popular culture, Nike has created a profound symbol by pumping colossal meaning behind the logo.

Whether you see Cristiano Ronaldo performing stepovers or Rafael Nadal serving at Wimbledon, the intertextual power of Nike has taken the symbol of a tick/swoosh to symbolise infinite forms of meaning, connotations, memories, and inspiration.  

Mythological brands

Taking us nicely to our final point of the day, intertextual techniques in marketing help create mythological brands like Nike.

In Roland Barthes’s postmodern book ‘Mythologies’, the famous French thinker discussed how myths are born in society through communication as “messages received rather than read”. Brands can apply the same process, transcending products, services, and entire industries with their branding to become mythological.

For example, ask yourself, what does Red Bull mean to you?

Do you taste an energy drink or visualise a formulaone team?

Extreme sports?

A man skydiving through space?  

More, is it a sense of adventure or a feeling of excitement?

Beginning with the myth, “It gives you wings”, through relentless brand exposure and focusing its sponsorship efforts on businesses that produce history, such as elite sports teams, Red Bull has manufactured its very own mythology. 

Is there a stage after postmodern marketing?

As we sit precariously at the edge of the Metaverse and virtual reality, some are calling the next stage after postmodernism –“metamodernism”.

Early definitions of metamodernism suggest a movement based on the development of contemporary culture with an emphasis on change caused by environmental issues, economic crashes, and unstable geopolitics.

So, if postmodernism ideas are based on a hyper-reality, then metamodernism is a stripped-back alternative, forcing people to think collectively rather than individually.

But with postmodern marketing coming decades after postmodernism, we can expect the same style of marketing for a little while yet.

Need advice managing your marketing in a postmodern world?

Understanding the consumer landscape is the only way to produce effective marketing campaigns that engage your target user.

At Content Chef, we enjoy keeping our ears to the ground on the latest trends while forming creative ideas and content strategies that can relate to your audience.

For more details about how we can help your business improve its marketing performance, get in touch.  

Written by Archie Edwards

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