Don't Believe in Digital Hype. Believe in Marketers. - Lance Neuhauser - MediaBizBlogger

Being a product of the dot-com boom and bust has allowed me the pleasure (and pain) of meeting with countless technologists, publishers, sales-lifers, engineers and yes, the occasional marketer. I've seen companies come up and go down, people come in and go out, ideas burn bright, and money... well, just burn.

However, it was not until last week, over a nostalgic cup of coffee with a group of fellow digital pugilists, that we decided to hash out the issues facing digital media, its supporting technology and the counter-intuitive demands facing the advancement of our industry.

Our conclusion…

Take all the hype, all the 'potential,' all the opportunity for real business advancement and bury it. Shove it right in the ground and forget about it.

Why?

Because if history has taught us anything, it is that the advancement of technology alone does not breed success. It is the rare combination of structured visionaries with the persistence to develop technology-leveraging processes that brings about truly positive change.

Let me make this tangible.

Circular rocks always existed. It took a person to see 'the wheel.' Technology advanced 'wheel' production. It took a structured-visionary to develop the car.

Time to make this relevant.

Digital media bred technology (ad serving) that could measure a real-time consumer response to advertising - good.

Marketers moving to a model of optimization (e.g. cost-per-acquisition), in which decisions were based solely on the data available in the one system - bad.

Digital content has bred the ability to learn consumer preference along the user path (web analytics) – excellent.

Marketers moving to a model of optimization (e.g. conversion %) where consumer experience decisions are not integrated with other non-digital consumer touch points – brutal.

All that being said, there is an array of other examples that predict future disconnects between digital technology and business evolution.

In fact, digital technology has evolved once again and we are at a point where we can:

· Leverage contextual relevance in combination with consumer-graphics (demo, psycho, etc.) to advance advertising messages and brand experiences on the fly.

· Understand social connections and their influence on brand engagement and purchase decisions.

· Determine cross-channel behavioral preference and provide a consistent yet customized event for each consumer.

· Map databases/systems to deliver 360 degree profitability insight.

You'd think we would learn our lesson.

However, I worry that marketers aren't evolving their practice and taking the time to ask the right questions:

· What does the technological advancement mean to my business model and what revenue streams should I anticipate drying up/opening up?

· How should my company be organized/structured given the fact that consumers do not have channel conflict, but rather channel choice?

· Who becomes my competition, and should the answer be based on product/service offerings, or the ability for an organization to influence my customer and share mind?

· Given all this change, WHAT IS IT THAT MY CUSTOMER REALLY WANTS?

Despite our history of latching on to technology before we understand if/how we should be using it, I ask you to reread the title of this rant one more time.

That's right, my money is on the marketer.

Curious as to why?

It's because the new technologies coming into the market aren't actually new. Well, at least not in purpose.

For example: Social mapping = friends' influence (provide a good experience and ask for referrals).

Contextual scrapping = be relevant and timely.

Decision engines fueled by look-alike clustering and 3^rd party data appends = learn what your customers want/like and then give it to them.

These technologies are simply making it easier for the marketer to streamline the best practices they've known for years. We just need to stay focused on good business as opposed to good technology.

But the fact is, the digital pugilists I referred to earlier now have kids and they're balding (or totally bald in some cases). They wear shoes with laces, pants with belts and have E's and C's in their titles. And frankly, they have been waiting for technology to catch up to their ideas. The best part -- they have had time to evolve their ideas and the ideas are now rooted in profitability and practice.

Therefore, if you've read some articles, heard some hype, and/or have become temporarily blinded by the latest shiny-blinky technology and you want to ask your agency about it, I urge that you change your request a bit. Simply ask your resident digital marketing expert, "How is digital changing my consumer's behavior and what do I need to do to change with it?"

I assure you that you'll find an answer that is far more digestible and suitable for the boardroom.

Lance Neuhauser, SVP, Director of Digital at PHD Media, a Division of Omnicom.

Read all Lance's MediaBizBlogger commentaries at PHD Perspectives - MediaBizBlogger.