The business world is an ever-changing matrix, shifting to reflect every new piece of technology going. To keep up with these changes the industry must remain reactive, creating new ideas almost constantly.
Remain Customer-Centric
The consumer mindset changes almost as often as job roles; both shifting constantly to reflect new trends and opportunities. Customers are no longer willing to wait, instead expecting everything to be available at their fingertips. Brands no longer have the option to use multiple touchpoints; rather, they HAVE to engage in every one of these just to appear relevant in today’s society.
Different generations and genders demand different experiences. The most successful companies will be those who are engaging not only with the black and white of each of these categories, but also all the different shades of grey in the middle. Experts have predicted that over the next five years, 85% of relationships between the business and consumer will be conducted without any human input companies have to resolve to move with the shift, reaching into digital spaces and creating new ways for their consumers to engage with them. As modes of communication develop, so too must our communication with the consumer, finding ways to enhance their experience of the brand.
Real vs. Virtual Environments
Real and Virtual environments are no longer two separate entities. These days, the two have become blurred, working in harmony to ensure the consumer gets the communication they want. The marcomm landscape has shifted and created an explosion in customer experience online as the number of individuals “logging on” shoots up.
Despite this, expert reports show that 82% of Millennial’s would still opt to shop in a physical store, proving that those most active on their mobile devices would still choose a physical store.
Artificial Intelligence is decreasing the demand for human interaction across a huge range of sectors, though the problem still remains – how can a machine create a customised experience for each individual? In answer, it comes down to how we engage and use AI to enhance the consumer experience rather than replace it. The online is working with the physical in so many areas, we fail to see how this cannot be adapted to work, creating a bridge between AI and human intelligence.
New Technologies mean New Jobs
Another stat: it’s predicted that as AI and technology continues to develop, most children in school now will end up doing jobs we cannot yet comprehend.
Though not all job industries are under threat of an AI takeover, there are many whose jobs could be at risk of a technology takeover. For example, farming is a huge worldwide industry, but the creation of more intelligent machinery is making light work of our existing manual labour jobs.
In the marcomm industry, automation of some aspects of work is inevitable, though there is a huge opportunity to embrace and work alongside this. The machines may be efficient and ruthless in their perfect execution, but human intelligence is where the creative ideas lie – and that is why marketing companies must be careful to integrate their employees in with AI.
Integrated Marketing Communications
Basically, this means deciphering exactly what people want to see and hear. It’s an experiential means of communication, which is growing increasingly more interesting and challenging as the variety of platforms for receiving marketing is expanding.
These communications are chosen by profitability, identifying the most profitable means of engaging with the individual and then exploiting this for the good of the brand. The brand message must be seamless across channels, following the individual round as they browse the online world.
It is vital that we see these new developments as opportunities rather than challenges and obstacles. The growth in technology and the current digital transformation has created a world in which we can be innovative in our approach, and the way we work with the technology rather than against it.
