We, as marketers, know that, now more than ever, we need to build committed bonds with our customers. This is not easy. In my book, Brand Rituals™: How Successful Brands Bond with Customers for Life, I discuss the societal epidemic of time-starvation and the reasons for it. This is an issue that needs to be addressed to make relevant connections with your customer. Here are the causes:

• People moved. The American lifestyle continues to sprawl out from central cities to expansive suburbs, transforming a decidedly stay-at-home form of life to one in which people were constantly on the go. With traffic congestion continuing to worsen, time on the road continues to increase.
• Families moved. Promising opportunities might be down the street or across town, but they might as easily be halfway across the country. (Or all the way around the world). We live in a Global Village and a lot of us are finding new opportunities in different places.
• Generations moved. All this movement has segmented society by age. Once, several generations of a family could be found clustered around a hometown or region for decades. Now, the family unit is fragmented as our children (like we did) go off to seek their fortunes essentially anywhere in the world, and without being restricted by geographic lines or time zones or family traditions.
• Offices moved. It is no longer necessary to live where you work. I met a Consultant for Oracle who lives in a town of 800 in Texas but manages teams and engagements around the world. His office is in his home, in a hotel room and on a plane.
• Expectations moved. The American “revolution of rising expectations” is again making its presence felt. After a decade of living in a society of scarcity, people are beginning to believe in a paradigm of prosperity. And, they’re willing to work for it.
• Ideas moved. Information no longer is gleaned from the written word in solitary confinement. It is available in hi-def across all our screens and when we want it. We now spend more time consuming content than in any other activity.

No wonder we feel time-starved. Why we want and need marketers to make it easy for us to shop, buy and use their brand. Provide compelling sound-bites and bond with your customers to build your Brand Ritual™.