In many ways, mobile devices served as a catalyst for the marketing revolution I so often blog and speak about. Track the arc of marketing change over the past few years, and you’ll see it parallels the development of smartphones and tablets in stride with the emergence of the empowered consumer. Of course, the launch of the iPhone 5 last week marks the natural extension of this trajectory . . . but, for me it’s something even more. I see the iPhone 5 as a metaphor for what lies ahead, a symbol for what happens next, after the marketing revolution.
Think about it. The iPhone 5 includes the interactive experience of Siri, plus:
● a larger screen
● a thinner profile
● a faster processor
● less weight
. . . all of which could be considered the new essentials for marketing success. In other words, to drive revenue growth going forward, marketers need to focus on the consumer experience while leveraging:
● improved optics into the world
● a lean business strategy
● real-time, data-driven insights
● the agility afforded by less baggage
In addition, since most marketers use smartphones, it’s easy for us to recognize that the iPhone 5 and all that it connects to (social networks, Hulu, Spotify, etc.) represent the new frontier. What consumers find there will/should be conceived of and created by marketers who are ready to accept the challenges of an innovative, one-to-one omnichannel customer experience.
Yes, for me, the iPhone 5, with its metaphorical and yet incremental changes, represents the final tipping point, a signal that the marketing revolution is nearing an end, and that we’re entering a new phase. But what typically comes after a revolution? According to the history books, it could be peace, destruction, more revolution . . . or something completely different, like a renaissance.
I favor the last option because I believe marketers are poised for reorientation, or a “renaissance,” of sorts. I see the near future as our Phoenix-phase, when the industry rises from the confusion of the past few years to flourish again. Of course, that’s not to say that it’s going to be effortless –or even easy. The Renaissance was a period characterized by inquiry and creativity and growth, and I’m expecting the same as marketing continues to mature. I’m sure that during this renaissance, we’ll be facing difficult new questions, ones that will force us to re-think the very ways we work to build our brands:
1. How do we (re)organize? One of the biggest challenges marketers face is integrating, analyzing and acting on the strategic business wisdom flowing in from an organization’s always-proliferating array of customer channels. Marketers must continue to tear down silos so they can effectively access, analyze, share and act on this information.
2. How do we now define ourselves? A truly optimized customer-centric experience goes beyond the transaction to the creation of an emotional relationship that generates the business outcomes on which marketing is ultimately judged (i.e., revenue, positive peer review, word of mouth, share of wallet and customer retention). Marketers need to reconnoiter now that customers want to be delighted, engaged --and even empowered --to play a role in outcomes, such as product/service development and delivery.
3. What are the new functions of marketing? Marketing truly is the company because marketing functions now permeate the enterprise. CMOs are becoming CEOs. Tech-savvy CMOs are becoming CIOs (or at the very least, they’re exerting more pressure on tech spending than ever before). Functions and job titles are blending and evolving, and yet all this movement is grounded in one consistent thread: Marketing must claim more business responsibility throughout the enterprise.
4. What role does technology play? Sophisticated echnology like the iPhone 5 has become mainstream, and virtually everyone embraces it. Still, the marketing renaissance must not be only about technology. Instead, it must be about the experience –and NOT the tech experience, but the customer experience. Case in point: the Radian6 Social Marketing Cloud doesn’t use technology for technology’s sake. It uses technology to transform how companies listen, analyze and engage with customers and prospects on the social web.
The launch of the iPhone 5 motivated me to peer out beyond the marketing revolution, and I saw an exciting, productive time of renaissance and reorientation. Do you agree? Where do you see our industry headed? Some say the launch of iPhone is a PR moment we'll all remember, but I think we’ll look back and realize it was an inflection point for the marketing revolution, as well.
