When to invest in new technology?

A very interesting article looking at some basic philosophy that SHOULD be part of your basic business model already.   As she notes it starts with the idea not the technology.  the Page Group has always stressed that it starts with understanding the consumer and then building the marketing experience to connect with each specific consumer group.   Then you know what new technology to adapt to your needs.     Technology is going to continue to evolve, but most of our companies cannot afford to invest in every new technology that comes along.  We will be hard sold, and our agencies will try to motivate us to spend in new area’s, but we need to understand what the consumer wants and needs well before we INVEST in any new technologies because the marketing and fiscal costs both are to great to make a mistake in todays ever changing marketplace. 

 

 

Marketing Can-Do’s: 3 Important Technology Takeaways Emerge From Cannes

 

by Anita Newton 
VP Of Corporate Marketing 
Adknowledge

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I’m fresh back from the French Riveria and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where agencies, brands, and technology companies gathered to celebrate the best creative work during the dayand to revel in the best nightlife into the wee hours of the morning.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Today’s smartphones have a processing speed that rivals the fastest computers in existence 20 years ago.
  • While technology has expanded the creative possibilities for advertisers, good marketing must first begin with the idea.
  • In the coming years, consumers should expect “custom moments.”

Attendees also had the opportunity to attend hundreds of workshops, panels, and seminars. The best minds in technology, marketing, advertising, culture, and politics came together to speak about industry trends they’re seeing.

Following are three big ideas that permeated the sessions. For even more, read the article I wrote late last week about five marketing lessons that came from celebrities attending Cannes.

Technology Has Changed Everything—And It’s Only The Beginning
Tech rock stars including Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer, Ben Silbermann, and Dick Costolo all spoke during the festival. These luminaries made clear that we are in the early stages of a massive technological change.

“Think about all the technologies that have disappeared over the past 10 years. DVDs? Camcorder? DSLR cameras? Looking back, these changes seem obvious,” said Nikesh Arora, chief business officer at Google. “Now think about the next 10 years: What technologies will disappear? Printers? Laptops? It isn’t so obvious.”

Technology is creating platforms that at one point felt like science-fiction: self-driving cars, glucose checks via tear ducts, even medical codes on pills. MIT Media Lab’s Andy Lippman summed it up this way: “We at MIT can build anything you want in six months … the only constraint is imagination.”

Indeed, the pace of change is accelerating. “In the last five years, the industry has changed more than in the last 25. It has created chaos,” said Unilever CMO Keith Weed.

Nowhere is this idea more pronounced than mobile. Our mobile devices are supercomputers in the palm of our hands. Today’s smartphones have a processing speed that rivals the fastest computers in existence 20 years ago. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo had this take on mobile: “The attention that is driven to mobile is extraordinary; it’s clearly going to be a place where rich content is viewed, and there is a massive opportunity there.”

From a marketing standpoint, these new strategies and technologies (whether it’s native video, new networking sites, or Oculus) create new platforms where we can more easily share great ideas.

Start With Idea, Not The Technology
While technology has expanded the creative possibilities for advertisers, good marketing must first begin with the idea. “You can have great technology, but you can’t program a human to watch your ads,” said Dave Droga, head of Droga5. “[In fact], we are the only industry where people have invented technology to avoid consuming what we create.”

While technology provides the opportunity to experiment with new ideas, it means nothing without a powerful brand connection. P&Gglobal marketing officer Marc Pritchard  suggested to, first, start with something true–a human insight–that really touches people. Second, consider why anyone would give a crap about your idea. And, third, make sure your brand matters. Starting a conversation with consumers that isn’t authentic is pointless. Marc Pritchard cited the P&G Pantene “Shine Strong” campaign as an example of one that resonated because it addressed, head-on, the topic of negative female stereotypes.

So what is the ultimate litmus test of good advertising in a technologically driven world? Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO, said the difference between good and great advertising depends on the amount of Oxytocin that is dispersed. Oxytocin is the naturally occurring chemical in our bodies that induces feelings of empathy and bonding. In a cynical world, this “chemical of nice” can inspire people and, if done in an authentic way, can motivate customers to buy. Great examples, Paul pointed out, include Honey Maid’s Love campaign, P&G’s Because of Moms, and Grand Prix winner 24 Hours of Happy.

The best marketing induces emotion, and that is far more interesting than bits and bytes. Yasu Sasaki, executive creative director at Dentsu, summed it up this way: “The key is not in using technology for efficiency, but to create emotion to move people.”

Data And Advertisers Have Reached Their ‘Moneyball’ Moment
As stories find their way to the Internet, consumers are leaving pieces of data about themselves that can help advertisers target them more effectively.

Advertising has reached its “Moneyball moment,” as Mindshare chief strategy officer Jordan Bitterman put it. In the coming years, consumers should expect “custom moments.” “Each time we surf, post, tweet, click, or swipe, we leave our digital footprints, and much of that information is available to marketers either publicly or through partnerships,” Bitterman said. “In the right hands, this allows brands to reach audiences, sequence creative, and drive brands like never before.”

With social platforms, such as Facebook, marketers can scale personalization messaging to any target–advertising doesn’t have to feel like mass marketing, said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer. If it feels impersonal, advertisers run the risk of being ignored. “We’re not at the point where every ad on Facebook is a delightful experience, and we want to get there,” Sandberg said. This personalization at scale is made possible by blending technology and targeting to be relevant to the audience.

But to do so requires advertisers to use data to learn. Increasingly, CMOs should be aiming to define a clear correlation between marketing activities and shareholder value creation. “It is now possible to use data to identify your universe of current, potential, and lost customers, along with the lifetime value of each segment,” said Ben Legg, CEO of Adknowledge. “Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—along with ever-improving data—have made it possible to personalize your advertising message based on consumer demographics and context.”

Welcome to marketing in the digital age.

 

About Anita Newton

Anita Newton (@AnitaBNewton) continues her entrepreneurial work by sharing insights on Kauffman Founders School and assisting startups such as MightyGreenSolutions, Ligo, and Trellie.

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