Can technology make marketers suck less?

One could argue that social media - for all of its wonders - has created a new breed of marketer. A hybrid. Ones that aren't solely focused on the creative in the ads, but rather ones that act as holistic brand ambassadors in a real-time environment. From tweets and posts to online videos to mobile apps and games, there is no doubt that the role of marketing continues to evolve well beyond its intended state. Recently, I had the pleasure of spending some time with Ragy Thomas. Thomas has built a fortune (and some significant companies - like Epsilon) pushing technology to help marketers. His latest venture is Sprinklr, a company focused on the next evolution of social media by helping big brands get social at scale. He hopes, in time, that the tools he can provide to brands - that helps them manage the social experience - will be able to go even further. This concept of "further" is the fascinating next-stage of context: pre-emptive social signals.

Think about that.

Going from "someone isn't happy about us and they're complaining on Twitter," to "We've had 25 customer service issues that were resolved without any human intervention."  It's like the Minority Report of marketing. We go from fighting crime to stopping it even before it happens. Precog Marketing, anyone? It makes sense and seems closer than we might imagine. Marketers are both Mad Men/Women and Math Men/Women. We are collecting data points and information about our consumers that we could have never imagined possible even a short while ago. As this data becomes more accessible and easier to work through (don't say big data... don't say big data...), it makes sense that the technology to resolve customer service issues without human intervention is just on the horizon. Think of it as the IBM Watson of marketing.

A real life example of marketing without humans.

Let's look at how this might unfold in terms of historical context: In the past, a consumer has an issue with your product or service so they call your customer service center. Whether they got a proper resolution (or not), they feel snubbed. What next? A letter to the CEO? A letter to the local newspaper? In this, traditional, instance the consumer probably tells people they know via word of mouth. Perhaps the story becomes more public, but more often-than-not, it dies in a letter in the filing cabinet of the brand. A more contemporary example: a consumer has an issue with your product or service, so they tweet about it, rant on Facebook, blog about it or create a nasty video on YouTube. A brand reacts. Some brands have a formal structure around this (team and technology like Sprinklr), while others have a few team members moderating these social and public spaces. These issues get resolved (and quickly) and lean in favor of the consumer, because the last thing a brand needs - in this day and age - is a digital legacy of negative brand sentiment. If it doesn't get resolved, a lot of those disappointments get drowned out in a mass sea of social media complaints. Where this could go: a consumer has an issue with your product or service and it get resolved (maybe even before they realize that it's happening) without any human intervention. The product/service offers social signals, and through technology, resolves the issue.

How does this come about?

We have mass amounts of devices, appliances and technology that are/are going to be connected. Not just to the Internet (as we know it to date) but to one another. The ability for these devices (and their software) to self-diagnose, correct course and then inform the user of the fix is not an unreasonable thought. What makes this most fascinating is that social media came into popularity under the notion that technology was enabling a more human (and more humane) way for us to connect - to one another... and to brands. In a world where a product knows it's about to break (or is broken) and is able to remedy the situation either through updates (or by organizing and notifying the consumer of a drop-off, maintenance appointment, etc...) is an inevitability. While some may scoff at this idea, imagine layering in the ability to rate that experience or notify the manufacturer - in real-time - whether the outcome was satisfactory? It's hard to imagine a world where people are complaining about service, if repairs and updates are built into the product. These devices will be both self-diagnosing and social in their consumer interactions.

Things move fast.

While we're still in a nascent stage, the shift from call center to social media to social and self-diagnosing products and services seem evident. Right now, the software is enabling us to better respond to human needs and, in the not-so-distant-future, human brand managers may well simply be managing and organizing the workflow, as the machines become even more social and interactive with each other and consumers. The limitations of your current social media and customer service teams becomes obvious. Imagine that. Products that are always optimizing and have the historical inputs and analytics to understand everything from usage to repair and beyond. 

As scary as that sounds, this sort of marketing innovation makes big date feel kinda minor.

The above posting is my monthly column on marketing innovation for Strategy Magazine. I cross-post it here with all the links and tags for your reading pleasure, but you can check out the original version online here:

• Strategy Magazine -When social media meets Minority Report

Tags: advertising appliances big data blog brand brand ambassador brand manager brand sentiment connected devices contextual marketing creative advertising customer service data digital legacy epsilon facebook ibm ibm watson internet of things mad men marketer marketing math men minority report mobile app online video precog marketing ragy thomas role of marketing social at scale social experience social media sprinklr technology twitter web analytics youtube

Do you define yourself as an authority in your industry?

Does it really even bear repeating that if you're the only one who is recognizing yourself as an authority that you may, in fact, not actually be one? We see it all of the time. On LinkedIn, on Twitter bios, on Facebook, when individual's are being introduced to speak at conferences and beyond. I cringe. Not just for you... but for me as well. Have you ever had someone introduce you to present in front of a live audience? Maybe it's me. Maybe it's my inferiority complex at play, but it makes me feel so uncomfortable. It reminds me of when my mother would run into a friend and gush over whatever it was that I was doing at the time with me standing right there. Squirm! This is not about humility. This is not about ego. This isn't about getting two (or more) third party endorsements. This is about doing the work (the hard, hard work) and letting the accolades follow (from those others... the real authorities).

I don't know how to define who is an authority, but I know it when I see it.

There's a famous story of Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart's description of pornography. He defined it as: "I know it when I see it." Authority seems, feels and acts just like that as well. You can put whatever words that you want in a bio, resume or byline that pumps your tires, but unless everyone else who connects with you knows it... and feels it, it comes off as hollow (at best) and super-negative (at worst).

What can you do instead?

• Be knowledgeable. But that's not enough. Be open to always sharing that knowledge.  
• Be a problem solver. But that's not enough. Don't take credit for solving any problems, let your team take all of the accolades.
• Be someone who knows and does the research. But that's not enough. Anyone can read and follow research. What's your take? What makes it unique? What makes it better than the person next to you? How have you implemented it successfully?
• Be a leader. But that's not enough. Anyone can be a called a "leader" but to truly lead, you have to be someone admired and respected in your business, in your community and, yes, even with your family and friends.

Being an authority isn't much of a title.

I'm not sure why anyone would actually want to call themselves an "authority" verses letting other people use that term to describe them, but humans are a fascinating bunch. Fully recognizing that individuals may be wondering, "well then, what's a more interesting term to describe myself?" The only prudent advice I can offer, is to leverage media opportunities and the words of others. I would never call myself a "rock star," but my bio has this line it: "Marketing Magazine dubbed him the 'Rock Star of Digital Marketing' and called him, 'one of North America's leading digital visionaries.'" I don't feel like I'm peacocking by quoting what a credible industry trade publication wrote about me. And yes, the more credible and respected the publication, the better is it. The main idea is to let your bio be honest and true, and bulk it up with credible references. This way, you don't have to call yourself an authority, because it is abundantly clear just how credible you are based on what others (that may have more credibility) are saying about you. Don't believe me? Do you think Malcolm Gladwell is an authority? Of course, he is. Still, if you look at the back of his latest book, David And Goliath, you will see a slew of endorsements from notable thinkers and publications waxing poetic about just how authoritative Gladwell is. Social proofing. It's huge. Even for someone like Gladwell. He doesn't have to declare himself as one of the most popular and bestselling non-fiction authors in the world (which is he and could credibly claim). Even with his proven track record, having other media sources and individuals do it for him is the way he's going. If it's classy enough for Gladwell, it's probably relevant to you (and me) as well.

So, instead of calling yourself an authority, maybe it's better to focus on becoming one, and letting others bestow those words upon you?

Tags: authority figure bestselling author byline conference credible reference david and goliath digital marketing ego endorsement facebook humility inferiority complex leader leadership linkedin malcolm gladwell marketing magazine media media opportunities notable thinker potter stewart publication recognized authority resume trade publication twitter

If there is one deck of slide that marketers should be paying attention to, it is this one.

Marketing nerds (like me), wait for Mary Meeker to deliver her annual Internet trends report. The Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers venture capitalist has been putting together these annual trends for a long while, and they are - without question - the definitive view on what's happening online (and how this affects business). It should come as no surprise, that the biggest shifts are happening in two spaces:

1. Mobile. Mobile data traffic is up over 80% (not a typo) and video is one of the major drivers behind this. Now, more than ever, consumers are highly connected, untethered and watching/engaging with video everywhere. Mobile usage and growth is very strong.
2. The Non-North American Growth. Internet usage is seeing its fastest growth in India, Indonesia and Nigeria. Smartphone subscriber growth is fastest in China, India, Brazil and Indonesia. Now you know why Google and Facebook are flying drones and balloons up into the sky, in the hopes of connecting the entire planet. In order for companies like that to truly scale, they need to connect this massive, last mile.

Overall Internet usage is slowing. This should not come as a surprise.

In my second business book, CTRL ALT Delete, one of the five movements that have changed business forever that most brands are doing nothing about,is something that I call, the one screen world. It's not about three (or four) screens (TV, computer, mobile and tablet). The only screen that matters is the the screen that is in front of me. We are currently living in both the post-PC and post-Web browser era. The data and insights in Meeker's Internet Trends 2014 validates this reality. The world continues to grow in terms of connectivity and usage, but it's predominantly happening on mobile screens. Globally, mobile accounts for more than 25% of all Web usage, and - most important for marketers - it is taking a bigger share of Internet advertising (with lots of potential future growth). The stats look a lot like the early days of the Internet. In 2013, consumers spent 20% of their time on mobile, but only 5% of the ad spend is happening there. Those were the same issues/opportunities that the Internet experienced close to a decade ago. Logic would dictate that brands are not going to make the same mistake twice, and that the equalization of consumer time spent and ad spend will come together at a much quicker clip.

What about advertising?

One of the more fascinating components of Internet Trends 2014 is the growth of video. It turns out, that apps are taking over from regular TV channels as a preferred medium for watching video. 41% of Americans (aged 16-34) watch their TV live (that's scary, when you really think about it). With that, YouTube continues to dominate as consumers increase their love of short-form videos. Meeker reports that, "consumers even love ads." Let me translate this for each and every marketer reading this: if your ads are good, people will - proactively - go to YouTube, watch them, share them and talk about them? How many brands take this into consideration at the creative development phase? If a TV commercial posted on YouTube can generate millions of views (from people proactively looking at them), what is the value? On top of that, brands can post these ads for free (no hefty media costs and worries about time and placement). Oh, and if that wasn't stunning enough, over 20% of video watching globally happens on mobile devices.

That's just the beginning.

You could spend hours with Internet Trends 2014 and still just be scratching the surface. You probably should (I know that I am). Here are all 164 slides of Mary Meeker's research and insights. Dig in, dig deep and get to work...

Tags: ad spend advertising business book caufield byers computer connectivity creative development ctrl alt delete digital media digital media trends drones facebook four screens google internet advertising internet trends internet trends 2014 internet trends report internet usage kleiner perkins kpcb marketer marketing marketing nerd mary meeker media spend mobile mobile data mobile traffic mobile usage mobile video one screen world online video post pc era post web browser era short form video smartphone smartphone subscriber growth tablet three screens tv tv commercial venture capital venture capitalist youtube