The future isn’t what it used to be

New frontiers tend to put us, at least for a moment, in touch with the unknown.  

From innovations in space travel and AI to biotech, robotics, energy, sustainability and beyond, many organisations are successfully leading the world into new frontiers, while other companies are still struggling with the daunting operational challenges of everyday. The pressure to innovate is deeply felt for many organisations. However, innovation and new territory can be on any scale, emerging from societal shifts, behavioural change, and evolving regulations.

To be future-fit and ready to confront the changing world, pushing through barriers is an essential part of business. It’s not just about keeping up; it’s about shaping the future. For marketers, the challenge boils down to: how do you turn the unknown into something meaningful and human, something that customers can – and will – act upon?

To overcome the fear, look for simplicity

Author Dr. Rachel Botsman defines trust as ‘a confident relationship with the unknown’. Brands looking to unlock growth in uncharted waters need to build trust to take people on the journey into the unknown; they will benefit from turning ambiguity into optimism.

Marketers must foresee what they don’t yet know; to think about where things might be heading and how that can be made easier, with less friction for consumers. Siegel+Gale’s philosophy is Simplicity. Fear is a human instinct, but the biggest, overriding fear is of not being in control. The fear of not knowing where we are going. So, our role to help people on that journey is to think, how do we make something that feels foreign become familiar quickly? And we do that by removing the complexity; taking away obfuscation and the complicated, so that people can go from not knowing to knowing much quicker.

The role of brands in this journey into the unknown is crucial. Unknowns can be exciting or anxiety-inducing. But the positive approach is to embrace the excitement. With the right marketing strategies, a brand can transform ambiguity into clarity, fear into optimism and speculation into human truths.

Connecting frontiers to everyday lives

Space was once heralded ‘the final frontier’ and it’s certainly the frontier that SpacePharma – a biotech company focused on scientific experiments in microgravity conditions – is aiming at. Among its work are robotic, miniaturised labs being sent to the International Space Station for collaborations with the likes of NASA, ESA and SpaceX.

As well as the obvious challenge of this type of experimentation, there is the fact that most people don’t see space science as relevant to their everyday lives. So, communicating the health benefits space tech can bring to Earth inhabitants is a vital part of SpacePharma’s marketing.

In a more ‘down-to-earth’ example, digital rail platform, Trainline, has had to embrace storytelling and build trust as it faces the frontier of behaviour change. People’s daily travel habits become deeply ingrained – when it comes to commuting, we are creatures of habit, which makes encouraging people to take different options very difficult.

It’s all about finding the emotional connection in how to use storytelling to get into people’s hearts as well as their minds. Businesses often focus on the assets they have or the products they make – but we need to use stories to explore why it matters – to find and build the emotional connection.

It’s time for a reframe

A tool often used by companies is to not just reflect on the change taking place but to shape the narratives of new frontiers. We’ve seen some of our biggest brands do this type of reframing:

Airbnb moving from a fear of strangers to belonging everywhere.

Apple from personal tech to human-centred health and creativity.

Uber going from transportation to accessible, on-demand mobility.

By reframing the story, we can transform outdated, elitist, sterile or escapist narratives into compelling stories of unity, optimism and human potential. They are more positive for the brand and more appealing to consumers.

In this context, SpacePharma is looking to reframe the perception of space beyond exploration and toward health impacts at home. It is leading this by defining space tech as empowering everyday health and inspiring people by showcasing the benefits of space innovation on global healthcare. Meanwhile, as Trainline looks at its role in the future, it is reframing convenience as empowerment, choice as connection and sustainability as the baseline, not the bonus.

Being confident with the unknown

Brands can do this by pulling on three tactical levers.

Lever number 1: is to own the innovation curve – make both familiar and frontier technologies feel relevant, exciting and human.

Lever number 2: is to drive behaviour with branding. This involves using storytelling and design to influence decisions, build trust and speed up adoption.

Lever number 3: is to command clarity in chaos – make the complex simple and cut through noise with messaging that lands immediately. Simplicity isn’t about reductionism. It’s not about making lots of things more basic. It is the art of clarity in chaos: finding the one message that matters and making it impossible to ignore.