There are many times in our lives where it is almost impossible to step back, take a deep breath, assess the on going event or phenomenon, and analyze with a bit more critical thinking. In many respects, technology and data driven marketing are one of those times where the pace is moving so fast that it is difficult to pull yourself away and recognize that we are really in the early stages. That the future for technology related to marketing is boundless.
Columnist David Booth reported on Martech Today that he recently had a chance to attend Advertising Week, where he was able to meet with many of the leading minds. Among his many discussions, the future of marketing and technology were top talking points in these conversations. From these conversations, David made several predictions that were rather intriguing.
David’s first prediction is that technology will be global and at the same time invisible. He points out that currently, we are in such the early stages of this digital revolution, that we spend a significant amount of time configuring, running updates, writing new code and performing massive integrations. He points out that in the future, we will rely on a small number of providers and trust the hardware, the software, and the algorithms. He writes, “Marketers won’t need to spend their time writing code or architecting complex systems; they’ll just need to know how to drive the machine. And this will allow them to focus completely on the ways consumers of the future interact with their brand”.
His second predication is that marketers will no longer target devices like cell phones or certain websites, but rather actual people. We are already seeing the death of the spray and pray method of yesteryear. Smart people aren’t just throwing their money at wasteful ads in hopes of some returns. David predicts that in the future, marketers will target people and their actual, up to date behaviors, attitudes, and actions. Privacy issues that society is currently struggling with will sort itself out, given that the youth of today is already very comfortable with sharing information openly and freely on social media and other platforms.
David Booth’s final look into the future shows a world where offline will still exist and will actually be thriving. Amazon recently released that it will be opening a physical store. Start-ups are already exploring the Research online-Purchase Offline (ROPO) effect and working in that space. Believe it or not, people still want to test drive a car before they buy it, and lay down on a mattress before they sleep on it. Many goods and services could potentially take hold of the ROPO effect and flourish in the digital age. Booth believes that what we are seeing at this moment is just the beginning of the pendulum swinging to bring back balance to the digital age.
These predictions may or may not happen, but there is no denying that we truly have only discovered the tip of the iceberg when it comes to technology and marketing. This is why it is key to align oneself with agencies that are constantly willing to be adaptable and grow with the waves. And as one of those companies, we sure know how interesting that ride can be.
