If we were to briefly explain what marketing is; we can say that marketing is everything. However, the definition of marketing in its true sense is as follows: "Marketing is the name of all these complex processes that start before a product is produced and continue even after the product is sold." In other words, another answer given unconsciously to the question of what marketing is, which is almost the motto of us marketers, is that marketing is everything. Marketing is Everything, Everything is Marketing. Marketing starts with the selection, grouping, and discovery of the explicit or implicit desires and needs of the target audience. Modern marketing started in the 1950s when people started using much more than printed media to endorse a product. When televisions began reaching people's homes, marketers were able to run all campaigns on multiple platforms. In the last 70 years, marketers have become much more important. Because companies seek to find the best way to reach consumers to maximize their sales success.

Today, we live in a completely new world. We witness a new version of power balances and understanding. Let's start this series by talking about how things that seemed like fiction 10-15 years ago have now become reality and how brands and marketers will position themselves in the future...

G7 countries, an exclusive group of powerful countries, had to involve G20 countries, including China, India, and Indonesia, in solving the global financial crisis. Economic power is now much more inclusive.

Big companies are now in a position to influence like big states. Facebook is larger than China, the world's most populous country with 1.65 billion people. We live in a world where people get breaking news not from major television channels like CNN as before but from citizen journalists, i.e. Twitter.

The Youtube Platform we are currently broadcasting on has influenced Hollywood. Recent research has shown that Youtube stars are more popular than Hollywood stars among people aged 13-18. Sony collaborated with Youtube. This shift in power is now in social groups rather than individuals. In 2014, Time magazine chose Ebola fighters as the person of the year, not American President Barrack Obama, showing that horizontal, inclusive, and social powers overshadow vertical, exclusive, and individual powers. This is also true for end-users, customers. People are no longer afraid of companies and big brands. They like to share their ideas and experiences much more comfortably.

F-Factor

The rules of the game have changed a little. People who were easily influenced by marketers' campaigns in the past are now not easy prey. Most customers rely on the f-factor rather than expert opinions and authorities. Friends, family, Facebook fans, i.e. their friends, family members, Facebook fans, Twitter followers... This trend has led to the growth of community rating systems such as Yelp and Trip Advisor in recent years. In such a world, brands should not see their customers as just targets. The brand-customer relationship should no longer be vertical but horizontal. That is, customers should be able to see brands as peer and friend. The concept of belonging should work here. The brand should be honest about its true value and functions. Then, you can approach that brand with trust like you would trust your friend.

From Individual to Social

We live in a world where customers attach increasing importance to others' opinions. They also tend to share their own opinions. These opinions create a huge database. Together, a general picture emerges about companies and products. This picture can sometimes differ from what brands are trying to create. These opinions are entirely user-based and intimate. The Internet, social media, and mobile devices we all have in our pockets have brought about a great change. Almost everyone and everything has become interconnected. The Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service Forum (UMTS) estimates that mobile traffic has grown 33 times in the last 10 years. For example, while shopping in a store, we can now see from our mobile phones how much the same or equivalent product is sold on other platforms. This has undoubtedly increased the requirement for brands to be transparent and honest. We are at a crossroads between user-friendly brands and others. We can clearly state that the era of user-friendly brands has now begun. Any action or statement that claims your product or service provides more benefit than normal will cause your brand to receive negative feedback. Mobile addiction allows crowds to benefit from wisdom and make better purchasing decisions. Our purchasing decisions have almost become social decisions. The environments we hang out in, the cafes we go to, and our friend groups have changed our purchasing tendencies. Sephora is one of the brands that have identified these inevitable realities. The brand created a social research community and collected every idea on this platform under the Beauty Talk heading, aiming to make it a reliable tool for anyone who wants to share something with other members of the community.

In conclusion, a good product and competitive pricing strategy are no longer sufficient in today's marketing world. Giving confidence on social media and providing more service than expected to the user has become a feature that sets brands apart in competition. In this new environment, brands that are honest about their products and services have nothing to fear, but the situation does not look very promising for others. We live in a transparent, digital world where it is practically impossible to hide flaws or customer dissatisfaction...

In summary, marketing experts need to take on a more horizontal, inclusive, and friendlier, enveloping role.