As the marketing industry is evolving at a rapid pace, staying ahead of the curve means prioritizing learning and development more than ever. We recently had the opportunity to attend the local 4A’s NYS Council Annual Event and hear from experts in our space. What did we learn? Check out some of our top takeaways below.
The Future of Creative
With thousands of messages coming at us each day, we as marketers are challenged with breaking through the clutter and connecting with customers. Creative plays a major role in gaining customers’ attention, in fact, based on a Nielsen/Catalina study, creative contributes to 49% brand lift, media contributes to 30%, brand contributes to 21%, and Google ranks creative’s contribution even higher at 73%. As AI continues to make an impact industry-wide, it was also discussed the specific implications in the world of creative. We might begin to see some repetition in brands that use AI tools for their creative because it is all coming from the same data sources. To combat this, marketers need to push themselves to invest in tools that enhance rather than replace their team’s ability to create content that breaks through the noise and truly is differentiating.
Connecting with Customers
It was clear that the theme of the event was relationship building with customers, something that emerging technologies and AI cannot emulate on their own. This included understanding that demographics only define the surface-level of customers, and their ideologies are their main decision drivers. As we continue to get access to more and more data, marketers need to be careful to not mistake information for customer intimacy, instead we need to make meaning of the data, viewing trend spotting research as the “what” and cultural exploration as the “why.”
Customer Feedback
We all see the value of customer feedback but getting meaningful, and truthful feedback is a bit trickier in today’s landscape. Steering clear of incentivized feedback, marketers should instead focus on available mediums like social media platforms or in-person feedback. Hearing directly from customers in authentic ways means optimizing products and services in real time. Ensure that you are evaluating both the feedback and the circumstances surrounding the feedback to get a holistic picture and optimize to the best of your ability.
Overall, while the industry is progressing quicker than ever, one thing has stood the test of time, the customer is still the most important factor to consider. In a world shifting more and more to automation and technology, it is critical to not lose sight of meaningful connections with customers. Learning how to best balance tech and people is not going to be figured out overnight but listening to customers, learning from them, evolving with the data that is available, and continuously looking to optimize will leave you with meaningful connections well into 2024 and beyond. For more information on this topic or to just build meaningful connections with the Butler/Till team, contact us today!
