Monthly Archives: November 2021

Design thinking inspired Marketing & IT with Organizational design unlocks ROI

Design thinking inspired Marketing & IT with Organizational design unlocks ROI

Houston! We have a problem. A note from the Chief Digital Officer

“We have invested in Digital marketing technology to enable and fast track our digital marketing efforts but the expectant ROI is under par, blowing up our forecasts.We have invested heavily in Digital marketing technology to enable and fast track our digital marketing efforts but the expectant ROI is blowing up our forecast

The rise of the millennials and digital disruption continues to refocus attention towards Customer centricity, Customer experience, Design thinking, Customer journeys, Agile, Lean, DevOps – bringing efficiency, rapid innovation with the customer in the center.

Well, it is easier said than done. 

Marketers have evolved from ‘Don Draper’ of ‘Madmen’ fame relying on behavior, psychology and creativity alone. The not so new digital marketing world is technology-fueled, is data-driven, with a laser focused eye on campaign optimization, nudge marketing infused. It is daunting for most marketers – a smart marketing spend strategy, with lists, personas and segments cleansed and optimized, ready for Demand generation, Direct response, Lead generation, D2C and Omni-Channel retail. Then, filtered by digital identity, delivering personalized experiences, all measured by clicks and tags with KPI driven dashboard displays using the latest BI tools.

Martech & Data contribute to Machine learning, then AI kicks in auto-pilot

The marketing technology works as advertised and is getting better at delivering personalized experiences for prospects and customers which are simple, pointed and perceptive. 

The key enablers to maximize the return lie in plain sight. 

Human/Digital marketing employee – place the Digital marketer in the center

The road to global digital marketing maturity from humble nascent origins to an omni-experiential state lies more so in key human factors which confine digital marketing technology maturity, than any other. It is the human digital marketing employee psyche which needs assurances and support. how business units/segments/departments/cost centers are traditionally setup which are at times present barriers to personable collaboration.

Below: Fig1: The mind of a digital marketer when Martech is continually introduced

Fig1 above: The mind of a digital marketer when Martech is continually introduced

A Digital Marketer lens POV powered by Design thinking – Abstract

While all the attention is on the ‘customer’, there is a risk of alienating internal customers. These customers/partners are very tightly aligned in a mature state of digital marketing. This is low hanging fruit with a bang. Establishing close relationships pays off.

Add a 30% + ∆ on campaigns delivering optimization

Technology enablement

Organizational structures for Cost centers, Departments, Segments & BUs

How business units/segments/departments/cost centers are traditionally setup which are at times present barriers to personable collaboration.

Coalesced Workplaces translate into high performing digital marketing teams

Imagine a redesigned open workplace, co-located digital marketing team members encouraging conversations, building and nurturing crucial cross-functional relationships with digital marketing technology, analytics, tagging, data science, optimization & reporting team members. For high performing digital marketing teams to prosper, key organizational, workplace alignment, technology and data human capital residing in close vicinity lend to successful digital marketing programs.

Retail is much further along in digital marketing technology maturity

Top digital marketers can visualize complete customer journeys blindfolded. They are drawn to data-driven outcomes, shepherd data integrity with tagging governance, rapid to optimize ongoing campaigns, working in close quarters with technology partners, product managers, reporting and data science members.

Legacy Workspaces a dichotomy to Digital Marketing Technology maturity

We could dispense with the cube-driven workspace culture designed for operational efficiency which seemingly limits the key cross-functional interaction needed to see the entire marketing campaign journey in 3D & 360º; ejecting the rectangular office furniture projecting postured face-offs rather than the desired bi-directional discussion. The legacy workspace is a dichotomy to the vision and desired outcome for success. An ideal colocated workplace lends to organic innovation, relationship building & collaboration while leveraging technology and data together, with common values and goals as denominators.

Leverage common values to enrich relationships with technology enablers

“Pull here, in case of an emergency approach is best suited for successful digital marketing technology programs”

Where does the Marketing Technology Budget reside?

Embedding a Tech savvy Marketing technologist within the Marketing Cost Center is key

The new CMO is tech savvy with a left-brained and right-brained persona. The shift has occurred gradually with smart spend budgets- mostly digital and now with Ad-tech, OTT and Programmatic spend delivering on KPIs makes it even more critical how media spend is distributed between Owned / Earned / Paid. Organizations use the POEM (paid, owned, and earned media) model to drive brand awareness, distribute content, engage prospects, and guide them through the sales funnel.

Continuous learning is critical for Marketers as Technology overpowers Marketing metrics reliant on Personalization, Segmentation, Identity and delivering experiences to targeted personas.

Author: S. Ernest Paul – Say Hello – 336.287.1085

Design thinking inspired IIOT Business focused Use Cases propel Marketing success

Digital transformation is built upon Business Use cases. Selecting and prioritizing them to drive real business impact which deliver a solve for all stakeholders and begin an era of a lasting legacy is a critical first step.

From the outset, it’s essential for business KPIs to lead IIoT transformations, and for each potential use case to be tested against the business value that it is trying to create. In some cases, the best solution may not be a technology play at all.

Design thinking IIOT inspired digital transformation does not sideline the excitement of advances in quantum computing, utilizing digital-twins versus legacy simulation with real-time – huge technology WOW factors. This future gravitas would render itself surmountable value if we included real customers, marketing and sales stakeholders in the product innovation and audience discovery sessions amplified by design thinking.

It is easy to get excited about the role a digital-twin can play and being at the advent of an impending 5G rollout. It is prudent for manufacturers to steer away from technology in mind and then try to build a business case around it, and this sets them up to fail. For marketing and sales to deliver the messaging and articulate each use cases to a potential customer, it’s essential for business KPIs to lead IIoT transformations, and for each potential use case to be tested against the business value that it is trying to create. In some cases, the best solution may not be a technology play at all.

Selecting Design thinking driven Use Cases with KPI driven business impact are critical before the handoff to Marketing and Sales

The following image, one of my personal favorite creations when I switch to my marketing outfit serves as a constant reminder and nudges to never forget the customer. After all, the audience segments which IIOT serves and the beneficiaries and recipients of the advances brought about by digital transformation we owe a responsible stewardship of the message delivered by the marketing and sales team to put a shine on the north star.