Most business leaders still view marketing as a collection of tactical tools—a series of ads, a social media calendar, or a well-oiled sales funnel. This is a dangerous miscalculation. In reality, marketing is the operating system of commerce, and it has undergone six radical “software updates” since the 1950s. If your current strategy relies on 20th-century playbooks, you are essentially trying to run modern, high-bandwidth applications on a mainframe computer.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as “the great accelerator,” a global stress test that rendered traditional marketing models obsolete overnight. It compressed a decade of digital transformation into months, forcing brands to realize that simply being “online” is no longer a competitive advantage—it is a baseline for survival. We have entered an era where the boundary between technology and human values has dissolved, requiring a complete recalibration of how we define value.To survive the emerging “Digital/Immersive” age, we must embrace a series of counter-intuitive shifts. This journey takes us from the factory floors of the 1950s to a “phygital” reality where machines handle our data so that humans can finally handle the nuance of empathy. The goal is no longer just to win a transaction, but to orchestrate a transformative experience for every soul your brand touches.

The Great Migration: From the Factory to the Living Room

The evolution of marketing reflects a massive shift in power. In the era of Marketing 1.0, the factory was king; the goal was simply to produce as much as possible for a mass audience hungry for the fruits of the Industrial Revolution. By the 1970s, Marketing 2.0 arrived, and power shifted from the factory to the living room. This was the birth of the consumer-centric model, where segmentation and positioning became the tools used to meet the specific “needs and wants” of a smarter consumer.However, the real revolution began with Marketing 3.0, which pivoted from the consumer’s wallet to the human spirit. In this era, marketers realized that people aren’t just “buying units”; they are whole human beings with minds, hearts, and spirits. This set the stage for Marketing 4.0, the digital bridge that combined offline and online interactions to drive brand advocacy. Today, consumers demand authenticity over token PR stunts. They look for a “North Star”—a purpose that aligns with universal values and social sensitivity.

The Synergistic Paradox: Harmonizing Data and Empathy

Marketing 5.0 represents a “synergistic paradox”: the integration of “Next Tech”—AI, NLP, robotics, IoT, and blockchain—with deep human empathy. Heavily inspired by the Japanese concept of “Society 5.0,” this phase seeks to harmonize deep digitization with physical reality. It is a direct response to three systemic challenges: widening generational divides, extreme economic stratification, and the digital divide between the tech-savvy and the tech-resistant.

To navigate this landscape, the  Five Features of Fifth Generation Marketing  provide a new framework:

• Data-driven:  Every communication is personalized through the surgical use of customer data.
• Predictive:  Using machine learning to forecast campaign results before a single dollar is spent.
• Contextual:  Delivering the right message at the precise physical and digital touchpoint where the customer resides.
• Augmented:  Using virtualization to enhance the customer experience while automating repetitive tasks.
• Agile:  Deploying interdisciplinary teams to react to market shifts in real-time.Crucially, in Marketing 5.0, machines are not replacing marketers; they are augmenting them. By delegating data processing and administrative “clerical work” to AI, human marketers are freed to focus on high-touch, empathy-driven consultation. It is about using technology to imitate human behavior so we can deliver value more effectively across the entire purchase path.

The Metamarketing Frontier: Living in a Phygital Reality

As we move into Marketing 6.0, we enter the realm of “Metamarketing.” This is the native environment of Gen Z and especially Gen Alpha, for whom there is no distinction between “online” and “offline.” For these generations, reality is a single, continuous, and “interchangeable” experience. Marketing 6.0 goes far beyond “omnichannel” integration; it creates total immersion, where digital experiences feel tangible and physical spaces are digitally enhanced through AR, VR, and the Metaverse.In this “Phygital” world, the traditional “Five As” (Aware, Appeal, Ask, Act, Advocate) are no longer a linear funnel. Instead, they form an immersive loop. In social immersion, “Advocacy” often happens simultaneously with “Awareness” as users share their multisensory spatial experiences in real-time.”The framework of metamarketing consists of three layers: the five technological enablers (IoT, AI, spatial computing, AR/VR, and blockchain), the two distinct environments (physical and digital), and the three customer-facing experiences (multisensory, spatial, and metaverse).” — Marketing 6.0 Framework

The Stakeholder Pivot: Marketing 7.0 and the Partner in Creation

The frontier of Marketing 7.0 marks a radical shift from customer obsession to  stakeholder obsession . This concept argues that a brand cannot truly satisfy a customer if its employees are underpaid, its distributors are squeezed, or its suppliers are ignored. To succeed tomorrow, a company must satisfy the entire ecosystem.We are moving toward a “Human + Machines” co-creation model. In the Marketing 7.0 landscape, customers will use 3D printing and generative AI to co-design and co-market products themselves. The brand’s role shifts from being a “provider” to a “partner in creation.” This is the embodiment of the “North Star” philosophy championed by leaders like Paul Polman at Unilever, who sought to double business growth while decoupling it from environmental impact. By embedding purpose into the supply chain, brands create “believers” rather than just “buyers.”

The Circular Mandate: Sustainability and the Challenge of Degrowth

Perhaps the most counter-intuitive evolution is the rise of “degrowth” and the “Circular Economy.” In an age of an overheated planet, marketing’s role is shifting from encouraging endless consumption to protecting the “Common Good.” We have a moral responsibility to address the systemic health and environmental issues our industry helped create—from the food industry’s reliance on salt and sugar to the oil industry’s carbon footprint.Sustainable marketing must meet present needs without compromising the ability of Gen Alpha and beyond to meet theirs. This requires a commitment to the “Circular” imperatives:

• Recover
• Recycle
• ReuseSuccess is no longer measured solely by sales volume, but by a company’s ability to advance societal well-being. Marketing must now empower consumers to use water carefully, minimize plastic, and choose public transportation, proving that profit and the preservation of the planet are not mutually exclusive.

Conclusion: The Unfinished Symphony

The journey from Marketing 1.0 to 7.0 has been a grand evolution from the factory floor to the human heart, and eventually into a phygital reality where stakeholders are co-creators. We have moved from selling mass-produced “stuff” to orchestrating immersive experiences that respect the common good.As we stand on the precipice of this new era, we must ask ourselves: Can we integrate AI and immersive technology so deeply into our lives that they enhance—rather than erode—the authentic human connections that define our existence?”Marketing is still an unfinished symphony. So much is happening in the field, so much new thinking is called for.” — Philip Kotler

Marketing 4.0 is a strong foundation that links Marketing 1-3 and Marketing 5-7. Learn more about it here..