Usually when one travels to London, you can expect gray, cold weather, marginal food, reserved people and things that work quietly. At the MarTech Europe 2016 conference in London, we had the opposite experience: bright sunny days, very good food, upbeat people and a presentation clicker that did not work. What was the attraction? Catching up on the trends in marketing technology. In case you don’t have time to review the presentations, here is a summary of the major themes.
Marketing technology is not the problem.
Marketing used to be about messages and media. Now it’s an exponential combination of marketing, media and mechanisms. This complexity has created the need to adapt; the tools are not creating the complexity. Check out Shawn Kanungo’s presentation, “Beyond Creative Destruction.”
Marketing technology is not the solution.
In historical surveys, the top issues for years were better integration and better analytics. In a recent Walker Sands survey, the top issue for 2017 is making better strategy. Now that the tools and systems are improving, it is clear that agile, adaptable and quick-learning strategies are top of mind. Ulrike Eder, chief commercial officer of drie Secure Systems, did a great job presenting this topic.
Marketing technology does not devalue people.
Although technology has moved to the forefront, most marketers do not have great technology training. We are taught the Four Ps, not artificial intelligence. To make any program work stills requires people to monitor and manage these new systems. If you really make an investment as a marketer, people will learn—making your investments all the more impactful. Give a close read to “People: The Important Piece of Martech Integration” by Brian Harte from Tourism Ireland and Sophie Wooler from iProspect.
Marketing technology was not over-hyped.
The addendum to this clause should read: “for the first time at a conference.” After years of the promise of a “golden era” fueled by technology, people are aware now that it’s not enough to buy stuff. You have to be prepared to change structure, process, and culture. Don’t miss “10 Myths Martech Vendors Perpetuate” by Theresa Regli from Real Story Group.
Marketing technology takes a multi-dimensional commitment.
Not only does management need to be prepared for a multi-year transformation, it needs to be prepared for other changes as well. Cross-functional teams will need to work together. Agencies and consultants will be de-emphasized. Decision-making processed will need re-engineering. Organizational change will be comprehensive. “Industry Perspectives from Marketing Tech Disruptors” is an excellent discussion. It features David Hurley from Mautic, Patrick Tripp from Redpoint Global and Will Senior with Google.
There was a call from keynote speaker and conference chair Scott Brinker for a single application to bring all these pieces together for strategic support. In his review of the industry that includes about 4,000 companies, he identified the need for a company that uses complexity science and other advanced methodologies to predict emergent outcomes that influence strategy.
This article first appeared in www.brandchannel.com
Author: Greg Silverman
Greg Silverman is CEO and Co-Founder of Concentric, a software company based in Cambridge, Mass., that measures and predicts the return on investment of business and marketing initiatives.
