CMO Insider Emerging AI, Technology and Marketing tune-up
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Houston! We have a problem. A note from the Chief Digital Officer
“We have invested in Digital marketing technology to enable and fast track our digital marketing efforts but the expectant ROI is under par, blowing up our forecasts.We have invested heavily in Digital marketing technology to enable and fast track our digital marketing efforts but the expectant ROI is blowing up our forecast
The rise of the millennials and digital disruption continues to refocus attention towards Customer centricity, Customer experience, Design thinking, Customer journeys, Agile, Lean, DevOps – bringing efficiency, rapid innovation with the customer in the center.
Well, it is easier said than done.
Marketers have evolved from ‘Don Draper’ of ‘Madmen’ fame relying on behavior, psychology and creativity alone. The not so new digital marketing world is technology-fueled, is data-driven, with a laser focused eye on campaign optimization, nudge marketing infused. It is daunting for most marketers – a smart marketing spend strategy, with lists, personas and segments cleansed and optimized, ready for Demand generation, Direct response, Lead generation, D2C and Omni-Channel retail. Then, filtered by digital identity, delivering personalized experiences, all measured by clicks and tags with KPI driven dashboard displays using the latest BI tools.
Martech & Data contribute to Machine learning, then AI kicks in auto-pilot
The marketing technology works as advertised and is getting better at delivering personalized experiences for prospects and customers which are simple, pointed and perceptive.
The key enablers to maximize the return lie in plain sight.
Human/Digital marketing employee – place the Digital marketer in the center
The road to global digital marketing maturity from humble nascent origins to an omni-experiential state lies more so in key human factors which confine digital marketing technology maturity, than any other. It is the human digital marketing employee psyche which needs assurances and support. how business units/segments/departments/cost centers are traditionally setup which are at times present barriers to personable collaboration.
Below: Fig1: The mind of a digital marketer when Martech is continually introduced
Fig1 above: The mind of a digital marketer when Martech is continually introduced
A Digital Marketer lens POV powered by Design thinking – Abstract
While all the attention is on the ‘customer’, there is a risk of alienating internal customers. These customers/partners are very tightly aligned in a mature state of digital marketing. This is low hanging fruit with a bang. Establishing close relationships pays off.
Add a 30% + ∆ on campaigns delivering optimization
Technology enablement
Organizational structures for Cost centers, Departments, Segments & BUs
How business units/segments/departments/cost centers are traditionally setup which are at times present barriers to personable collaboration.
Coalesced Workplaces translate into high performing digital marketing teams
Imagine a redesigned open workplace, co-located digital marketing team members encouraging conversations, building and nurturing crucial cross-functional relationships with digital marketing technology, analytics, tagging, data science, optimization & reporting team members. For high performing digital marketing teams to prosper, key organizational, workplace alignment, technology and data human capital residing in close vicinity lend to successful digital marketing programs.
Retail is much further along in digital marketing technology maturity
Top digital marketers can visualize complete customer journeys blindfolded. They are drawn to data-driven outcomes, shepherd data integrity with tagging governance, rapid to optimize ongoing campaigns, working in close quarters with technology partners, product managers, reporting and data science members.
Legacy Workspaces a dichotomy to Digital Marketing Technology maturity
We could dispense with the cube-driven workspace culture designed for operational efficiency which seemingly limits the key cross-functional interaction needed to see the entire marketing campaign journey in 3D & 360º; ejecting the rectangular office furniture projecting postured face-offs rather than the desired bi-directional discussion. The legacy workspace is a dichotomy to the vision and desired outcome for success. An ideal colocated workplace lends to organic innovation, relationship building & collaboration while leveraging technology and data together, with common values and goals as denominators.
Leverage common values to enrich relationships with technology enablers
“Pull here, in case of an emergency approach is best suited for successful digital marketing technology programs”
Where does the Marketing Technology Budget reside?
Embedding a Tech savvy Marketing technologist within the Marketing Cost Center is key
The new CMO is tech savvy with a left-brained and right-brained persona. The shift has occurred gradually with smart spend budgets- mostly digital and now with Ad-tech, OTT and Programmatic spend delivering on KPIs makes it even more critical how media spend is distributed between Owned / Earned / Paid. Organizations use the POEM (paid, owned, and earned media) model to drive brand awareness, distribute content, engage prospects, and guide them through the sales funnel.
Continuous learning is critical for Marketers as Technology overpowers Marketing metrics reliant on Personalization, Segmentation, Identity and delivering experiences to targeted personas.
Author: S. Ernest Paul – Say Hello – 336.287.1085
