Marketing Technology Breaking The Technology Barrier

I guess it’s my turn now to throw my hat into the ring even though there is nothing much left to share after some inspiring posts and summary from great thought leaders like these ones:

• 9 big takeaways from MarTech conference by Scott Brinker
• Highlights from MarTech by Patrick Spenner
• And Of course Interesting Images & Content from the Day’s Action summarized here

Don’t think I can add any more value than already done across these posts and many others out there but I do have a few thoughts that lessons learned I took back with me from San Francisco that I would like to share.

But before that I want to congratulate Scott and rest of the Third Door Media team for how far the “idea” has come in such a short period, not in terms of the reach which was never a question but more in terms of the content, the landscape it is covering and most importantly the value it is adding in managing the complexities of “Marketing In a Digital World”. Here are some thoughts:

1. Marketing Technology Is Breaking Down the Technology Barrier – For long both technology and technologists have fallen short of breaking the technology barrier, we all have been too fascinated and isolated by the technology bling. But it was clear at the event, the isolation and barrier is breaking down. It was evident from the number of marketing technologists who spoke about things relevant to the world of marketing other than pure “technology” but instead, how technology intersected and inspired content, creativity, the broader experience and ultimately overall marketing. This is the new world of marketing and no doubt a new beginning and a mindset around technology which is opening up new horizons and expanding the impact that technology will have on businesses and human life.

2. This Is Just The Beginning, Tip of the Iceberg – There was a point last year where I had this perception that the world of Marketing Technology will converge itself into broader marketing and brand planning & strategy. But I was clearly wrong, there is still SO MUCH that is yet to be figured out, we have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg here. With the amount of innovation, the proliferation of marketing technology platforms, the evolution of cloud technology and the expansion of new channels, touch points and content types will continue to make Marketing Technology a mainstream discipline, way more than today. It will continue to strengthen itself as a necessity and not as an option for brands and organizations to not even excel and compete but even to survive.

3. No Single Recipe To Feed The Need | It’s Not The Number of Technologies But More About How You Apply Them – It was fascinating to see how technology is inspiring creative and content but interestingly enough, how leaders are getting creative to “Manage the Marketing Technology Explosion”, I call it strategies and frameworks to put some “Cadence Around the Chaos”. Some are aligning the marketing technology strategy around capability focus areas, some have it lined up against their consumer journeys and others around consumer needs and behavior that need to be changed. Ultimately though, there is a strong realization that it is:

• Not about the NUMBER of marketing technology platforms and tools you have
• Not about whether they are LOCAL or GLOBAL solutions
• Not about whether they are in the cloud or perhaps in your backyard

It is more about:

• How you apply these different marketing technologies to solve consumer needs and desires
• How you use these to first identify and then change consumer behaviors that prevent your growth
• How these pieces of the puzzle come together to complete the puzzle and not to create a pile of technologies

4. It Was Always About Her, The Human and NOT The Channel – At the end of it, it is very simple. It was never about the technology, it was NEVER about the channel, it was always about HER, the HUMAN. I consciously call it a HUMAN or a PERSON and not a user or a consumer, simply because that reduces the scope of our thinking, the scope of her engagement with the digital world which should not be restricted to just when she is shopping or using a product but also moments of her life that go beyond that, when she is just a mom, a house wife or whatever else.

It’s time to break the channel barriers, the channel silos. No longer “mobile first”, it’s always “her first”. David Raab’s quote:

AdTech + MarTech = MadTeh

In many ways is a reflection of how we need to think beyond the channel. We can no longer continue to isolate experiences, technologies or even data by artificial buckets like Ad Tech which is considered “media technology and closer to advertising” and Mar Tech which is considered to be “digital technology”, closer to marketing. But from HER perspective, her journey goes across these touch points and to be honest, she probably does not even know or understand the difference and shouldn’t even need to.

She wants the best product, at the best price, at a location, time, moment and context of her choice and need.

We can only make that happen when data, content, media and TECHNOLOGY or MAD TECHNOLOGY (not ad tech, not mar tech) all CONNECT and come TOGETHER and deliver ONE CONNECTED EXPERIENCE.

5. Ignore Marketing Technology As A Conscious Investment At Your Own Risk; Adopt OR Perish – Last but not the least, a conscious investment in Marketing Technology is no longer a luxury, no longer an option, no longer a competitive advantage. It is a NECESSITY, either adopt it or perish.

You can view all the great content shared by some fascinating speakers at the official martech site.

I was lucky enough to find a slot on the agenda, so if you have nothing better to do, here is a sneak peek into my thoughts on a belief that

“It Was Always About Her, Always About The Human”