As a digital analyst and anthropologist, I’ve studied over the last 20 years, the evolution of disruptive technology and its effect on business philosophies and models. At the same time, I’ve also studied disruptive technology’s impact on society and human behavior. If I had to share just one thing I’ve learned along the way, it’s that markets are splintering into two notable camps: 1) traditional and 2) hyper-connected aka Generation-C (connected). While this may at first glance seem either obvious…
The Nexus of Digital, IT and Science Fiction in the Future of Work
I have to tell you, I am absolutely loving the Digital Outliers podcast series and I hope you are too. In this episode, I get to talk with Brenda Cooper who among many things, is the CIO for the city of Kirkland, Washington. She is also a futurist and the author of nine science fiction and fantasy books. Her most recent novels are POST (Espec Books, 2016) and Spear of Light (Pyr, 2016). Her other works include Edge of Dark (Pyr, 2015), The Creative Fire(Pyr, 2012), and The…
Customer Experience is the New Marketing and Customer Experiences are the New Brand
My friends Rob Cottingham, Gerard Francis Corbett and I have had some fun lately. One way to gain perspective on our modern reality is to do so through humor. So when a several big brands in the beverage, transportation, banking and airline industries were suddenly in the global media hot seat, we had a laugh and productive conversations behind the scenes. As a result, we set out to build upon these unfortunate opportunities with a couple of pithy but poignant cartoons hoping to spark a bigger dialogue….
Completely Rethinking Marketing Is Essential in Today’s Customer-Centric World
Guest post by Fred Studer (@fredstuder), Chief Marketing Officer at NetSuite As my friend Brian Solis says, “This is a time to question everything.” Let’s start with marketing, because it’s overdue for a revolution. Today’s customers are in the driver’s seat – it’s a buyer’s market and the buyers are better informed than ever. Prior to making a purchase today, customers research and compare products assiduously while tapping into both the opinions of people they know directly and reviews from…
The Expertise Gap is Real and Employees Need Your Attention Now
The biggest challenge is not in the understanding or expertise associated with new technology. We can learn that. The biggest problem is our inability to recognize that the experience we have today is not the experience we need going forward. A notable separation exists between the expertise people have or are learning and the jobs companies need to hire for in an increasingly digital economy. This means that current employees possess expertise to perform jobs that are losing prominence in…
Improving Customer Targeting and Personalization Through Social Identity
Guest post by Andrew Jones (@andrewjns), analyst at Altimeter Group covering Social Media and Customer Experience Modern marketing is about more than just informing prospects and customers about products, but building relationships with them. The contextual insight available in social media offers an opportunity to better know and engage audiences with compelling, personalized content and experiences across channels. The following is a condensed excerpt from a forthcoming report. The Fragmented Customer Journey The customer journey has become incredibly fragmented, moving…
Doing Good Means Good Business: Peter Glatzer and Adrian Grenier Make SHFT Happen
Conversations about the environment and sustainability are important. But, there may be a prevailing sense that those doing the talking might inadvertently create an “us versus them” conversation. Instead, there is an opportunity to consider everyday lifestyle center point to then examine how the choices we make impact society from a personal point of view. Lifestyle is also something that’s aspirational and as such, requires an ecosystem to inform and empower our everyday decisions without reproach. “SHFT Environmentalists Say” SHFT…
Your Brand is More Important Than You Think: BrandSTOKE’s 9 Criteria for Brand Essence
The importance of establishing your brand in the era of Digital Darwinism cannot be overstated. Digital Darwinism occurs when technology and society evolve faster than one’s ability to adapt. Every brand is vulnerable, but no business is too big to fail or too small to succeed. With customers today being increasingly connected, informed, and ultimately empowered, their expectations only escalate. In short, they are more discerning and demanding than ever before. The brand and the brand promise are of paramount…
Small Business Strategy: 10 Trends to Watch
Part of an ongoing series dedicated to small businesses As you read this, the business landscape is shifting right under your company’s foundation. How customers make decisions, how they discover, communicate, and share, how they influence and are influenced, is evolving considerably. In fact, customer behavior is not only changing, it’s fragmenting and opening the door to new touch points. Your business will now have to compete for the customers you know and additionally, a new breed of customers that…
Is Zuckerberg to blame for Facebook’s slumping stock?
As an analyst, that’s the questions that I’m asked over and over again. In fact it was the same question CNN recently asked in its story last week on Zuckerberg, Facebook, and Wall Street. It’s a fair question to ask and CNN’s Heather Kelly wrote a balanced and thoughtful piece on the subject. While it’s only one of many discussions likely to happen, the truth is that Facebook must focus on its business, employees, and now also investors…regardless of technicalities, follies,…
