|
|
Engage 2007
BY Jacquie Ang
BY Jacquie Ang
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Lucy Johnston
TAXI >> You are frequently invited to be a keynote speaker at international conferences, and you also take part in think-tank sessions and competition judging. What has been the greatest cultural influence in marketing?
Lucy Johnston >> The greatest cultural influence in marketing? That is a sweeping question! I think though that, generally speaking, social culture has the most impact on marketing now. It is all about how people interact with the brand and with each other – through the brand.
People want to be connected and engaged, so brands must align their marketing with that desire, to remain relevant to new socially-orientated consumer audiences.
TAXI >> Brand gurus have been putting their money in Asia, but Asia has fostered less than 10 Asian global brands outside Japan. Given your expertise, Asian brands versus Brand Asia: where should strategists bank on?
Lucy Johnston >> Again, a big question! And difficult to answer as the industry is changing so fast. I think at the moment Brand Asia is the way the industry is developing – it is a huge market with space for many brands.
However, there is starting to be some really interesting movement towards Asian brands building influence around the globe. Asia is becoming a powerful market for design and innovation. I think there will be many more interesting innovations coming from Asian brands in the near future.
TAXI >> Some critics have been pretty vocal about the constant use of the term "innovation" as a poor euphemism for design, and the negative stereotyping that the design industry frequently encounters. In your opinion, what is the relationship between innovation and design?
Lucy Johnston >> Most people expect design to be innovative, which is analogous to saying 'create something new'. Design is much more than that. Design is all about understanding. Understanding the needs, values, desires, culture of people. Understanding technology, business, retail and trends. Designers that truly understand a problem and are able to communicate that understanding are able to create something special.
TAXI >> Has the advent of Web2.0 overhauled traditional marketing strategies, or is it a matter of adapting the tried-and-true in new media channels?
Lucy Johnston >> Not really one for my expertise, but in general I think yes, Web 2.0 is causing brands to rethink their marketing strategies accordingly. However, this must not be at cost of more traditional channels. It is still possible to reach consumers through all channels – it needs careful balancing to ensure the best combination.
TAXI >> At a time when consumers, shareholders and investors are demanding a sense of reality, brands are going virtual. Mercedes-Benz and IBM have set up shop and BBH has an ad agency in Second Life. How has virtual interactivity changed the way we do business?
Lucy Johnston >> Virtual has definitely opened up more possibilities for connecting and collaborating more easily. However, it should not be adopted at the sacrifice of physical interaction and brand activity. Again, consumers respond well to physical interaction – I believe that to focus too much on virtual will actually result in cutting audiences.
TAXI >> Subscribers of the Global Innovations Report include creative directors, marketing directors, vice presidents and CEOs of international brands including Moet Hennessy, MAC, Nike, L’Oreal and Sony. In this fast-paced knowledge economy, what do you think is the one thing global marketers should hold on to?
Lucy Johnston >> They should remember to listen to and learn from the collective social conscience and not jump into ‘the latest fad’ too quickly. And remember to keep strategies simple – those are the best and most engaging ideas. Those ideas that conjure a ‘smile in the mind’.
TAXI >> The Global Innovations Report provides insights into the latest consumer and creative trends. Since you’re in the business of predicting the future, could you share with TAXI what you see in your crystal ball? What are the innovations in marketing can we expect in the future?
Lucy Johnston >> Well, you saw some if it in my presentation at Engage 2007. In a nutshell, marketing will continue to gain effective grounding if it is real, focuses and simple – and if it is about real people, demonstrating a keen awareness of social culture. Not necessarily involving user-generated content but responding and relating to changing social concern.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Lucy Johnston >> Ooh, tricky one. Words come and go so quickly in this industry!
How about... SENSITIVITY.
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Nic Fillingham
When we look back 10 years from now, we will view the technology we see as revolutionary today as actually quite archaic. This is a broad problem - as well as an opportunity - for product developers, where innovation can make such an enormous difference; and that is exactly the kind of challenge that gets us excited at Microsoft. Upgrades to older technologies fuel the drive and passion in developers to come up with more innovative ideas, exciting the consumer who is always in anticipation of what is to come, ultimately preparing them to readily embrace new tools as they are released to the market.
TAXI >> When Microsoft launched Xbox 360 console, no one expected it to be mentioned in the same breath with Sony’s Playstation and Nintendo, much less hitting 11.6 million sales worldwide with 34 million original Xbox systems sold to date. Do you think this success story is reflective of the professional gaming industry on the whole? Has gaming become an influence in marketing communications?
Nic Fillingham >> It’s the consumer response that will ultimately be the deciding factor. Xbox 360 offers the high-definition, connected entertainment experiences that gamers crave, and consoles continue to fly off the shelves. We’re offering more games, a better, more advanced online experience, all at a price point that actually makes sense to the consumer.
Xbox 360 has a growing software library of must-own titles - more than 300 by the end of the year globally - and features the widest array of games available anywhere. There are more than 7 million users of Xbox LIVE today. Furthermore, Xbox 360 acts as an entertainment hub: you can connect your MP3, stream your favorite TV from your PC, connect your digital camera, watch DVDs and even HD DVD with the HD DVD Player.
TAXI >>They say that there has never been a better time to make and play games. With game development proceeding full steam ahead, coupled with rising numbers of gamers, what do you foresee in the future of game development?
Nic Fillingham >> Xbox and its partners are propelling the video game industry forward. Consumers are spending more money on games, accessories and digital entertainment on Xbox 360 than any other platform. Whether it’s our lead in console sales, record setting games and accessory attach rates or our leading online service, evidence shows that Xbox is thriving everywhere.
Xbox 360 is a great entertainment value offering a selection of consoles and variety of games like Rock Band, Scene It, and Viva Pinata Party Animals—which appeal to the whole family. With an ever-expanding entertainment portfolio of movies, TV shows and film shorts available from the most recognized studios in the world, no other system delivers living room entertainment like Xbox 360, where everyone is invited to join in on the fun.
TAXI >> Google made international headlines with its acquisition of YouTube. News on the grapevine foretell of an Internet TV service by the founders of Kazaa and Skype. Will the Internet kill the TV and radio stars?
Nic Fillingham >> People want to access their media on a variety of devices and in a variety of forms –the Internet now brings us a daily media mix of television, print and radio. The challenge is not that Internet will kill TV or radio, but is more a question of how quickly traditional media can adopt and gain new audiences that are on the Internet.
TAXI >> In the wake of the great Web 2.0 phenomenon, Microsoft is launching Popfly, an application that creates mashups in minutes. But what, in your personal opinion, gives a mashup its edge?
Nic Fillingham >> This Web 2.0 technology allows for great community features that anyone – even beginners - can create fairly quickly, going hand in hand with the user-generated content trend we see today. Mashups, in its essence, help enhance the experience of the World Wide Web, and allows developers to build off of what others have contributed.
When Microsoft originally launched BASIC for the Altair 8080 in 1975, tools like BASIC and Visual Basic 1.0 democratized development by enabling users to easily build applications on DOS and Windows. Following from that success, Microsoft has come up with Popfly – which we believe will be a great tool for building and sharing applications on the Web. Popfly is targeted at all non-professionals ranging from users with no programming experience who want a visual way to create dynamic Web experiences, to Visual Studio Express developers who want an easy way to share their Windows applications.
TAXI >> With SecondLife, MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn leading the way for social and professional networking, online community groups have become a phenomenon in itself. What’s your view on the growing influence of these virtual worlds in real-life marketing and brand architecture?
Nic Fillingham >> This online media revolution happens to be a great source of new branding opportunities. Online is the marketing platform where viral marketing manifests itself in the likes of popular blogs, instant messaging, social networks and file sharing. Key influencers are emerging and holding a significant position within these communities, playing a critical role in Word of Mouth Marketing.
Despite cultural and behavioural differences across the globe, Internet campaigns can be applied across the region, reaching a targeted, multi-market audience simultaneously. By working with global media partners who will enable marketers to launch campaigns simultaneously in many countries around the world, the delivery of a global approach becomes a reality.
Once elusive and unimaginable, the opportunity to influence Word of Mouth is now possible through these popular online networking services. With this kind of potential to promote corporate image, influentials must be boldly engaged online. Everything from building awareness, to brand building, to customer engagement, to sales, to customer relationship management and retention, can all be done online.
Real time and trackability allow for instant feedback and micro-analysis of online consumer behaviour, giving marketers the opportunity to better understand their online audience. It is no surprise that we see many digital advertising platforms today being built on strong technological investment, where we are witnessing the blurring of technology and advertising industries.
TAXI >> Richard MacManus of Read/WriteWeb predicted that the Attention Economy is one of the Top 10 future trends. Indeed, with so much vying for one’s attention, the consumer should be empowered to decide where to spend their attention. What are your thoughts on this idea? Do you think that the concept of empowering consumer itself is a trend?
Nic Fillingham >> Consumers have always reserved the right to decide which medium to engage with, and will always have this privilege. At the end of the day, the idea of empowering consumers depends on the quality of choices offered to them.
Consumers are naturally attracted to compelling and relevant content, which means that marketers no longer have the power to define the way a brand or product is conceived. What we need to do, and what I think Microsoft does very well, is provide consumers the tools so that they can engage with a brand in a new way.
Having the user in control is giving more choices and more freedom for them to decide what they watch and read, and when they do so. At Microsoft we believe that advertisers have to make their consumers an integral part of their brand communications strategy, providing a greater degree of interaction and allowing for individuality, flexibility and ownership.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Nic Fillingham >> Integration -- collaborating and cooperating so that we can share a dialogue, so that we can create the best creative experience and develop the most exciting offering to our end consumers.
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Marc Landsberg
If companies aren’t honest with their consumers, they stand to lose everything as they’ll be found out sooner or later.
TAXI >> You have held several positions at Leo Burnett, including executive vice president and director of corporate/Internet strategy and innovation. Do you see stronger confidence in online advertising in recent years, or are clients still holding on to the security blanket of traditional media? Does Internet advertising have what it takes to lead a campaign alone?
Marc Landsberg>> There’s no doubt that almost all companies, across categories, understand that digital marketing must play a role in their marketing mix. The key is that online advertising must be defined as only one component of any company’s digital marketing arsenal.
We must simultaneously consider more distributed digital experience – from mobile devices to social networks to consumer-generated content to sponsored media and search. Increasing the scope of our definition helps us to better leverage the array of digital marketing tools available to marketers.
No doubt, campaigns can be launched and sustained via online channels only. This is of course contingent upon the category, the dynamics of the purchase funnel, and consumer behavior all along the supply chain. There are an increasing number of global marketers taking the leap of faith and experimenting with online only campaigns – IKEA being the latest.
TAXI >> Arc Worldwide has 37 offices in 31 and serves a savvy clientele the likes of Coca-Cola, General Motors, McDonald’s, Visa and Proctor & Gamble. In your personal opinion, what is the most viable New Media channel today that catapults household names into global brands?
Marc Landsberg >> I believe the most important new media channel will be via mobile devices – the entire spectrum of mobile tools, content, distribution, and personalization. The biggest change in mobile marketing will be the fact that increasingly, mobile marketing will enable Local marketing.
Ultimately, household names become global brands by being relevant in all the neighborhoods around the world in which those households exist. And the way to do that is by making your message, your experiences, and the value you deliver as a brand local.
Given the advent of GPS, location-aware devices, mobile social networks, and the increasingly personalized nature of content developed explicitly for mobile devices, marketing will be much more local – and though seemingly contradictory, this is the precise key to brands becoming Global.
There is no more top-down approach to building global brands – instead, the strongest global brands will be those that are strongest in each market in which they compete. And the more local, the more relevant they will become.
TAXI >> You served as Kellogg School of Management’s associate dean for four years. During the time, you directed the External Relations department. What are the implications of modern marketing strategies on consumer relationship management?
Marc Landsberg >> Consumer Relationship Management, or CRM, is a rather broad catch-all. I like to think of primarily as the approach through which marketers can tailor their messages, offers, and experiences to deliver measurable value for individuals.
This is different from building “relationships.” I make the assertion that most individuals don’t want a relationship with the brands they purchase and consume. Instead, they want fair value for the money – expectations of product/service performance met or exceeded.
For instance, as I’m writing this I’m on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to San Francisco, where I will be meeting with our Visa client. At this very moment, I’m struggling to get the flight attendant’s attention to freshen my glass of ice water. I have no grand expectation of personalization – her knowing that I prefer my water without ice – even though I have the highest possible status on the airline. Instead, I simply want my water glass filled, now.
The digital revolution, more than anything, has enabled marketers to deliver better service, better product value, and respond more quickly to the expectations individuals have for product and service performance. This will only increase, as switching costs are lower and lower with perfect information afforded by the Internet – so marketers must be on their game, use data to deliver unparalleled value for the individuals whom they target.
TAXI >> Topshop has a MySpace account. American Apparel has set up shop in Second Life. In fact, I hear that Arc Worldwide has graced Second Life with its presence too. What are your thoughts on these new marketing channels?
Marc Landsberg >> No doubt, we experimented with Second Life as well as with other virtual environments. I believe one of our primary responsibilities in continually delivering value for our clients is being on the edge of the leading edge – immersing ourselves in new technologies and experiences so that we can provide context for our clients.
Ultimately, we have to answer a very basic question – what does this new world mean for our clients, and how should they proceed (including what percent of their marketing budgets they should allocate to each emerging channel/technology).
With specific respect to Second Life, I think we’re beginning to conclude that in fact, it’s not right for every marketer. Again, it depends on a range of variables – target audience composition, transactional nature of the category, and so on. Virtual worlds, at this juncture, tend to attract very specific audiences, and in too few numbers generally to create the kind of scale our clients seek relative to impact for dollars spent.
TAXI >> In the rush to push brands into social networking sites and virtual worlds, is value creation lost? Do the rules of marketing still apply or are they re-written?
Marc Landsberg >>Value creation can never be lost. Our job is to continually focus on the individual and to ensure that our clients are enriching their lives in relevant ways.
For us, we never forget one simple rule – be human. People talking to people, vs. marketers persuading consumers. And this simple rule helps guide our value equation in everything we do – ensuring that the ideas, experiences, and actions we develop for our clients enrich people’s lives and deliver value that matters to the individual – as defined by the individual!
I relish, and am inspired by, the fact that the rules are being re-written. It’s trite to simply say consumers are in control and we must yield control or they will take it anyway. As far as I can tell, as consumers we’ve always been in control. No one forced me to watch TV programming, TVCs, or choose one product vs. another.
What’s more important is the fact that as information is democratized, marketing becomes more transparent, forcing marketers to be more authentic, relevant, and honest. This is the new value equation, and we are relentlessly focused on delivering this value equation for our clients every single day.
TAXI >> You were the co-founder of Digital Knowledge Assets, an Internet start-up that developed a web-based knowledge-management platform. What do you think is the best investment for companies to leapfrog over competitors in the digital age?
Marc Landsberg >> Without doubt, it’s not a technology, platform, tool, or channel. Instead, the best investment a company could make would be developing a human behavior research lab – to explicitly understand consumer behavior, and how to best use digital technologies to deliver on individual needs and wants.
The more technology advances the more transparent it will become. And in a seeming oxymoron, the more sophisticated digital marketing becomes, the more we have to revisit and focus on the most fundamental principle of marketing – that ultimately, it’s about understanding and delivering value for people. Because the more human we are as marketers, the more successful we’ll be. Full stop.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Marc Landsberg >> Human.
..........................................................................................................
Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
Steven Heller, Chip Kidd & Stefan Sagmeister
Sara Little Turnbull & Darrel Rhea
Adelia Borges & Linda Fu
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Interview with Lucy Johnston
 | TAXI >> Hello Lucy. Global Innovation Report’s quarterly publications have been a great channel to watch innovation and creative excellence unfold across the international retail industry. While packaging design has been making breakthroughs, is visual merchandising undervalued? Do you see an evolution in its role in recent times?
Lucy Johnston >> Yes, absolutely, I would agree that in recent times visual merchandising has tended to be given less attention than other areas, in terms of retail innovation. However, brands are re-awakening to the fact that this is a critical area of retail get maximize on – in terms of improving the physical retail experience for consumers. I think a lot of this improvement has to do with advances in use of technologies at the point of sale, which naturally make these visual touchpoints more engaging for customers. |
TAXI >> You are frequently invited to be a keynote speaker at international conferences, and you also take part in think-tank sessions and competition judging. What has been the greatest cultural influence in marketing?
Lucy Johnston >> The greatest cultural influence in marketing? That is a sweeping question! I think though that, generally speaking, social culture has the most impact on marketing now. It is all about how people interact with the brand and with each other – through the brand.
People want to be connected and engaged, so brands must align their marketing with that desire, to remain relevant to new socially-orientated consumer audiences.
TAXI >> Brand gurus have been putting their money in Asia, but Asia has fostered less than 10 Asian global brands outside Japan. Given your expertise, Asian brands versus Brand Asia: where should strategists bank on?
Lucy Johnston >> Again, a big question! And difficult to answer as the industry is changing so fast. I think at the moment Brand Asia is the way the industry is developing – it is a huge market with space for many brands.
However, there is starting to be some really interesting movement towards Asian brands building influence around the globe. Asia is becoming a powerful market for design and innovation. I think there will be many more interesting innovations coming from Asian brands in the near future.
TAXI >> Some critics have been pretty vocal about the constant use of the term "innovation" as a poor euphemism for design, and the negative stereotyping that the design industry frequently encounters. In your opinion, what is the relationship between innovation and design?
Lucy Johnston >> Most people expect design to be innovative, which is analogous to saying 'create something new'. Design is much more than that. Design is all about understanding. Understanding the needs, values, desires, culture of people. Understanding technology, business, retail and trends. Designers that truly understand a problem and are able to communicate that understanding are able to create something special.
TAXI >> Has the advent of Web2.0 overhauled traditional marketing strategies, or is it a matter of adapting the tried-and-true in new media channels?
Lucy Johnston >> Not really one for my expertise, but in general I think yes, Web 2.0 is causing brands to rethink their marketing strategies accordingly. However, this must not be at cost of more traditional channels. It is still possible to reach consumers through all channels – it needs careful balancing to ensure the best combination.
TAXI >> At a time when consumers, shareholders and investors are demanding a sense of reality, brands are going virtual. Mercedes-Benz and IBM have set up shop and BBH has an ad agency in Second Life. How has virtual interactivity changed the way we do business?
Lucy Johnston >> Virtual has definitely opened up more possibilities for connecting and collaborating more easily. However, it should not be adopted at the sacrifice of physical interaction and brand activity. Again, consumers respond well to physical interaction – I believe that to focus too much on virtual will actually result in cutting audiences.
TAXI >> Subscribers of the Global Innovations Report include creative directors, marketing directors, vice presidents and CEOs of international brands including Moet Hennessy, MAC, Nike, L’Oreal and Sony. In this fast-paced knowledge economy, what do you think is the one thing global marketers should hold on to?
Lucy Johnston >> They should remember to listen to and learn from the collective social conscience and not jump into ‘the latest fad’ too quickly. And remember to keep strategies simple – those are the best and most engaging ideas. Those ideas that conjure a ‘smile in the mind’.
TAXI >> The Global Innovations Report provides insights into the latest consumer and creative trends. Since you’re in the business of predicting the future, could you share with TAXI what you see in your crystal ball? What are the innovations in marketing can we expect in the future?
Lucy Johnston >> Well, you saw some if it in my presentation at Engage 2007. In a nutshell, marketing will continue to gain effective grounding if it is real, focuses and simple – and if it is about real people, demonstrating a keen awareness of social culture. Not necessarily involving user-generated content but responding and relating to changing social concern.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Lucy Johnston >> Ooh, tricky one. Words come and go so quickly in this industry!
How about... SENSITIVITY.
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Nic Fillingham
 | TAXI >>Hello Nic. Your position with Microsoft puts you in the forefront of new products. With this bird’s eye view on the digital industry, how are product developers shaping the world and its infatuation with digital entertainment?
Nic Fillingham >> Today, product developers see the need to increase portability and availabity of digital media and entertainment, and are coming up with creative solutions to bring this into reality for every consumer, simply and effectively. We are now entering an era where everyone – product developers and public enthusiasts alike – has a hand in determining the path and future of digital technology. While there has been tremendous innovation in the digital entertainment industry over the past year, we believe that this industry still has plenty of potential. |
When we look back 10 years from now, we will view the technology we see as revolutionary today as actually quite archaic. This is a broad problem - as well as an opportunity - for product developers, where innovation can make such an enormous difference; and that is exactly the kind of challenge that gets us excited at Microsoft. Upgrades to older technologies fuel the drive and passion in developers to come up with more innovative ideas, exciting the consumer who is always in anticipation of what is to come, ultimately preparing them to readily embrace new tools as they are released to the market.
TAXI >> When Microsoft launched Xbox 360 console, no one expected it to be mentioned in the same breath with Sony’s Playstation and Nintendo, much less hitting 11.6 million sales worldwide with 34 million original Xbox systems sold to date. Do you think this success story is reflective of the professional gaming industry on the whole? Has gaming become an influence in marketing communications?
Nic Fillingham >> It’s the consumer response that will ultimately be the deciding factor. Xbox 360 offers the high-definition, connected entertainment experiences that gamers crave, and consoles continue to fly off the shelves. We’re offering more games, a better, more advanced online experience, all at a price point that actually makes sense to the consumer.
Xbox 360 has a growing software library of must-own titles - more than 300 by the end of the year globally - and features the widest array of games available anywhere. There are more than 7 million users of Xbox LIVE today. Furthermore, Xbox 360 acts as an entertainment hub: you can connect your MP3, stream your favorite TV from your PC, connect your digital camera, watch DVDs and even HD DVD with the HD DVD Player.
TAXI >>They say that there has never been a better time to make and play games. With game development proceeding full steam ahead, coupled with rising numbers of gamers, what do you foresee in the future of game development?
Nic Fillingham >> Xbox and its partners are propelling the video game industry forward. Consumers are spending more money on games, accessories and digital entertainment on Xbox 360 than any other platform. Whether it’s our lead in console sales, record setting games and accessory attach rates or our leading online service, evidence shows that Xbox is thriving everywhere.
Xbox 360 is a great entertainment value offering a selection of consoles and variety of games like Rock Band, Scene It, and Viva Pinata Party Animals—which appeal to the whole family. With an ever-expanding entertainment portfolio of movies, TV shows and film shorts available from the most recognized studios in the world, no other system delivers living room entertainment like Xbox 360, where everyone is invited to join in on the fun.
TAXI >> Google made international headlines with its acquisition of YouTube. News on the grapevine foretell of an Internet TV service by the founders of Kazaa and Skype. Will the Internet kill the TV and radio stars?
Nic Fillingham >> People want to access their media on a variety of devices and in a variety of forms –the Internet now brings us a daily media mix of television, print and radio. The challenge is not that Internet will kill TV or radio, but is more a question of how quickly traditional media can adopt and gain new audiences that are on the Internet.
TAXI >> In the wake of the great Web 2.0 phenomenon, Microsoft is launching Popfly, an application that creates mashups in minutes. But what, in your personal opinion, gives a mashup its edge?
Nic Fillingham >> This Web 2.0 technology allows for great community features that anyone – even beginners - can create fairly quickly, going hand in hand with the user-generated content trend we see today. Mashups, in its essence, help enhance the experience of the World Wide Web, and allows developers to build off of what others have contributed.
When Microsoft originally launched BASIC for the Altair 8080 in 1975, tools like BASIC and Visual Basic 1.0 democratized development by enabling users to easily build applications on DOS and Windows. Following from that success, Microsoft has come up with Popfly – which we believe will be a great tool for building and sharing applications on the Web. Popfly is targeted at all non-professionals ranging from users with no programming experience who want a visual way to create dynamic Web experiences, to Visual Studio Express developers who want an easy way to share their Windows applications.
TAXI >> With SecondLife, MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn leading the way for social and professional networking, online community groups have become a phenomenon in itself. What’s your view on the growing influence of these virtual worlds in real-life marketing and brand architecture?
Nic Fillingham >> This online media revolution happens to be a great source of new branding opportunities. Online is the marketing platform where viral marketing manifests itself in the likes of popular blogs, instant messaging, social networks and file sharing. Key influencers are emerging and holding a significant position within these communities, playing a critical role in Word of Mouth Marketing.
Despite cultural and behavioural differences across the globe, Internet campaigns can be applied across the region, reaching a targeted, multi-market audience simultaneously. By working with global media partners who will enable marketers to launch campaigns simultaneously in many countries around the world, the delivery of a global approach becomes a reality.
Once elusive and unimaginable, the opportunity to influence Word of Mouth is now possible through these popular online networking services. With this kind of potential to promote corporate image, influentials must be boldly engaged online. Everything from building awareness, to brand building, to customer engagement, to sales, to customer relationship management and retention, can all be done online.
Real time and trackability allow for instant feedback and micro-analysis of online consumer behaviour, giving marketers the opportunity to better understand their online audience. It is no surprise that we see many digital advertising platforms today being built on strong technological investment, where we are witnessing the blurring of technology and advertising industries.
TAXI >> Richard MacManus of Read/WriteWeb predicted that the Attention Economy is one of the Top 10 future trends. Indeed, with so much vying for one’s attention, the consumer should be empowered to decide where to spend their attention. What are your thoughts on this idea? Do you think that the concept of empowering consumer itself is a trend?
Nic Fillingham >> Consumers have always reserved the right to decide which medium to engage with, and will always have this privilege. At the end of the day, the idea of empowering consumers depends on the quality of choices offered to them.
Consumers are naturally attracted to compelling and relevant content, which means that marketers no longer have the power to define the way a brand or product is conceived. What we need to do, and what I think Microsoft does very well, is provide consumers the tools so that they can engage with a brand in a new way.
Having the user in control is giving more choices and more freedom for them to decide what they watch and read, and when they do so. At Microsoft we believe that advertisers have to make their consumers an integral part of their brand communications strategy, providing a greater degree of interaction and allowing for individuality, flexibility and ownership.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Nic Fillingham >> Integration -- collaborating and cooperating so that we can share a dialogue, so that we can create the best creative experience and develop the most exciting offering to our end consumers.
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Marc Landsberg
 | TAXI >> Hello Marc. New media has put the emphasis on transparency in corporate culture. Rising numbers of companies are publishing blogs, with both staff and CEO posting entries. As the head of a global marketing services company, how has doing business in the buff changed the face of marketing? Have secrets become over-rated in business?
Marc Landsberg >> The biggest change is that all companies are now forced to be completely transparent in all of their activities. This is especially true of marketing communications – no longer do we live in a world of guile and persuasion. Instead, the focus must be on value creation for the individual – how can a manufacturer/marketer enrich your life, and be honest about it? It’s this totally transparent notion of a value exchange – what’s good for the individual and good for the marketer – that will guide successful companies. |
If companies aren’t honest with their consumers, they stand to lose everything as they’ll be found out sooner or later.
TAXI >> You have held several positions at Leo Burnett, including executive vice president and director of corporate/Internet strategy and innovation. Do you see stronger confidence in online advertising in recent years, or are clients still holding on to the security blanket of traditional media? Does Internet advertising have what it takes to lead a campaign alone?
Marc Landsberg>> There’s no doubt that almost all companies, across categories, understand that digital marketing must play a role in their marketing mix. The key is that online advertising must be defined as only one component of any company’s digital marketing arsenal.
We must simultaneously consider more distributed digital experience – from mobile devices to social networks to consumer-generated content to sponsored media and search. Increasing the scope of our definition helps us to better leverage the array of digital marketing tools available to marketers.
No doubt, campaigns can be launched and sustained via online channels only. This is of course contingent upon the category, the dynamics of the purchase funnel, and consumer behavior all along the supply chain. There are an increasing number of global marketers taking the leap of faith and experimenting with online only campaigns – IKEA being the latest.
TAXI >> Arc Worldwide has 37 offices in 31 and serves a savvy clientele the likes of Coca-Cola, General Motors, McDonald’s, Visa and Proctor & Gamble. In your personal opinion, what is the most viable New Media channel today that catapults household names into global brands?
Marc Landsberg >> I believe the most important new media channel will be via mobile devices – the entire spectrum of mobile tools, content, distribution, and personalization. The biggest change in mobile marketing will be the fact that increasingly, mobile marketing will enable Local marketing.
Ultimately, household names become global brands by being relevant in all the neighborhoods around the world in which those households exist. And the way to do that is by making your message, your experiences, and the value you deliver as a brand local.
Given the advent of GPS, location-aware devices, mobile social networks, and the increasingly personalized nature of content developed explicitly for mobile devices, marketing will be much more local – and though seemingly contradictory, this is the precise key to brands becoming Global.
There is no more top-down approach to building global brands – instead, the strongest global brands will be those that are strongest in each market in which they compete. And the more local, the more relevant they will become.
TAXI >> You served as Kellogg School of Management’s associate dean for four years. During the time, you directed the External Relations department. What are the implications of modern marketing strategies on consumer relationship management?
Marc Landsberg >> Consumer Relationship Management, or CRM, is a rather broad catch-all. I like to think of primarily as the approach through which marketers can tailor their messages, offers, and experiences to deliver measurable value for individuals.
This is different from building “relationships.” I make the assertion that most individuals don’t want a relationship with the brands they purchase and consume. Instead, they want fair value for the money – expectations of product/service performance met or exceeded.
For instance, as I’m writing this I’m on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to San Francisco, where I will be meeting with our Visa client. At this very moment, I’m struggling to get the flight attendant’s attention to freshen my glass of ice water. I have no grand expectation of personalization – her knowing that I prefer my water without ice – even though I have the highest possible status on the airline. Instead, I simply want my water glass filled, now.
The digital revolution, more than anything, has enabled marketers to deliver better service, better product value, and respond more quickly to the expectations individuals have for product and service performance. This will only increase, as switching costs are lower and lower with perfect information afforded by the Internet – so marketers must be on their game, use data to deliver unparalleled value for the individuals whom they target.
TAXI >> Topshop has a MySpace account. American Apparel has set up shop in Second Life. In fact, I hear that Arc Worldwide has graced Second Life with its presence too. What are your thoughts on these new marketing channels?
Marc Landsberg >> No doubt, we experimented with Second Life as well as with other virtual environments. I believe one of our primary responsibilities in continually delivering value for our clients is being on the edge of the leading edge – immersing ourselves in new technologies and experiences so that we can provide context for our clients.
Ultimately, we have to answer a very basic question – what does this new world mean for our clients, and how should they proceed (including what percent of their marketing budgets they should allocate to each emerging channel/technology).
With specific respect to Second Life, I think we’re beginning to conclude that in fact, it’s not right for every marketer. Again, it depends on a range of variables – target audience composition, transactional nature of the category, and so on. Virtual worlds, at this juncture, tend to attract very specific audiences, and in too few numbers generally to create the kind of scale our clients seek relative to impact for dollars spent.
TAXI >> In the rush to push brands into social networking sites and virtual worlds, is value creation lost? Do the rules of marketing still apply or are they re-written?
Marc Landsberg >>Value creation can never be lost. Our job is to continually focus on the individual and to ensure that our clients are enriching their lives in relevant ways.
For us, we never forget one simple rule – be human. People talking to people, vs. marketers persuading consumers. And this simple rule helps guide our value equation in everything we do – ensuring that the ideas, experiences, and actions we develop for our clients enrich people’s lives and deliver value that matters to the individual – as defined by the individual!
I relish, and am inspired by, the fact that the rules are being re-written. It’s trite to simply say consumers are in control and we must yield control or they will take it anyway. As far as I can tell, as consumers we’ve always been in control. No one forced me to watch TV programming, TVCs, or choose one product vs. another.
What’s more important is the fact that as information is democratized, marketing becomes more transparent, forcing marketers to be more authentic, relevant, and honest. This is the new value equation, and we are relentlessly focused on delivering this value equation for our clients every single day.
TAXI >> You were the co-founder of Digital Knowledge Assets, an Internet start-up that developed a web-based knowledge-management platform. What do you think is the best investment for companies to leapfrog over competitors in the digital age?
Marc Landsberg >> Without doubt, it’s not a technology, platform, tool, or channel. Instead, the best investment a company could make would be developing a human behavior research lab – to explicitly understand consumer behavior, and how to best use digital technologies to deliver on individual needs and wants.
The more technology advances the more transparent it will become. And in a seeming oxymoron, the more sophisticated digital marketing becomes, the more we have to revisit and focus on the most fundamental principle of marketing – that ultimately, it’s about understanding and delivering value for people. Because the more human we are as marketers, the more successful we’ll be. Full stop.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Marc Landsberg >> Human.
..........................................................................................................
Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Most-read over the past week
- Top 10 Most Popular Stories over the Past Week
- Top 10 Most Popular Stories over the Past Week
- Top 10 Most Popular Stories over the Past Week
- Top 10 Most Popular Stories over the Past Week
- Car Company Awards The Worst Driver In Paris
- IKEA Does Banksy-Style Graffiti On Its Own Ads Along Milan Subway
- Designer and Filmmaker Hillman Curtis Has Died At 51
- iPhone 5 Likely To Be Launched In October
- Bill Gates To Become Comic Book Hero
- To Safely Deliver Pizzas, Domino’s Scooter Makes Human-Made Engine Sounds