The lines have blurred between B2B and B2C marketing, do you agree or disagree?
Of course they have. It’s an entirely different world today. It is governed by the web, social networks, mobile devices and digital means where information access, decision making, buying, sharing experiences and opinions are all happening in a ‘connected environment’!
What is one trend that will define the future of IT marketing?
Narratives around the right “connected” storytelling tools are the order of the day. Don’t leave customers to their own devices – guide them! The campaigns must be designed to succeed across multiple devices where each digital experience, while created for different channels, speaks to a common storyline – in a Connected World, with Connected Solutions. Because the feedback loop can completely re-shape a brand story, the digital marketer must be ready to embrace a new course. One way is to design a brand discourse that is flexible from the start. By building these bendable storylines, CMOs will be ready to co-opt a better narrative if one emerges. Agile narratives can allow you to take advantage of positive trends or even a world-changing event.
Can you point out one aspect where most IT marketers go wrong or are not paying attention to?
Being prepared is of the utmost importance. Be sure to free up resources after a campaign hits the marketplace so that if something resonates with your customers, you can allocate funding accordingly and focus aggressively on what unexpectedly or not is taking root. Create content worth sharing. “Shareability” is now a key ingredient, as India’s largest mobile phone brand says (in Hindi) – jo tera hai woh mera hai! (what is yours is mine and vice versa). When TED Talks, the world listens. Consumers trust brands that trust them. Today’s connected marketer has a harder job than the CMO of the past. But ultimately it’s a more exciting one. As chief storyteller, you have more opportunities to develop compelling and relevant brand identities by including your customers in the narrative creation process right from the start. And consumers have shown time and time again that they trust brands that trust them. And while sometimes scary, that can’t be a bad thing.
