Back when the nuclear family was still a reality and the media palette was limited to radio, TV and newspapers, mapping the 'customer journey' could well have been a straight line from A to B.
Fast-forward to the current era, and the layers of complexity look like a Spirograph on speed.
As society becomes ever-more atomised, and media more fragmented, pinning down the points on the customer journey can tax even the sharpest marketers.
Two points become clear. First, as one disappears into the mists of mapping, it is easy to lose sight of the broader context. In the desperate attempt to understand the journey, it remains vital to also appreciate what might have caused the journey in the first place. With that knowledge, the marketer is better equipped to leverage that stimulus.
Second, while the multiple metrics of the customer journey will always be fascinating, this is one area in which we may be able to return to the simplicity of our imagined 'golden age'; I refer to the measurement tool known as the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Essentially, there is one question: would you, consumer, recommend our product/service or not? So NPS would certainly find favour with those who have a particular interest in word- of-mouth marketing techniques. That's a natural marriage.
Nonetheless, the quest remains to link NPS to profitability. At that point, marketers could at last demonstrate their effectiveness to even the most hard-nosed chief financial officer with a previously undreamt-of clarity and conviction.
Noelle.McElhatton@haymarket.com