Digital No More
After a relatively quiet summer, the fall schedule has been so far quite hectic with conferences, talks, bar brawls and the like. What is different this year though, is how marketers and industry experts alike are talking about Marketing in a more holistic way.
The term “Digital” is now being left out of “Digital Marketing” more often than not. The term “Social Media” seems to be giving space to “Social Business”. And Accountability and ROI seem to have finally become top of mind for the CMO. Are these the early signs that we are truly moving towards an integrated Marketing organization?
It does seem like all these disruptions are becoming the new norm. And there are many examples we can learn from: so many revolutions in the past have caused havoc, but then became an integral part of the larger ecosystem. Think about the retail revolution and the rise of the department stores at the turn of the 20th Century; that’s not so different from the massive etail disruption we are living 100 or so years later. And if the electricity revolution is any indication, Social Media and Big Data will also become commoditised and fully integrated in everyday business practices. As such, all of the disruptions we are trying to make sense of today, will have to integrate with standard ways of working; all we have to do is embrace them and adapt to the changes they bring.
And we seem to be doing just that. Many of the case studies and testimonials we’re seeing seem to support that new business norm. Organizations on the path towards digital transformation are becoming more social and more integrated. Silos are breaking down and teamwork is now encompassing larger teams.
While this is true for large corporates, SMB’s are still struggling to adapt. But it shouldn’t be that difficult. The key to a successful evolution and ultimately to survival is to manage the disruption as part of the overall strategy rather than in a silo and to always think in terms of how to integrate that disruptive medium into the larger business organization.
October 28, 2013 by Adele Ghantous
Hi Adele,
Interesting post and completely agree with you that ‘disruption is the new norm’ – I see evidence of this every single day, from the commercial property market, to software development – even the call centres are coming back to the UK!
One trend I’ve noticed is how, parallel with the breakdown of silos, new challenges have emerged. I was at a breakfast gathering of Marketing Directors recently, and what struck me was how they all suddenly recognised themselves as Data Controllers, and how they each felt uncomfortable with the new responsibilities.
For this reason, we’ve refocused the business on online privacy and the need to use Big Data responsibly, and are sharing these insights on http://www.cookiepedia.co.uk – let me know what you think!
You’re absolutely right Gilbert, there are changes everywhere and the impact of data ownership on the Marketing organization is absolutely a top of mind challenge for many. I wrote a short article about that for the Digital Marketing Show; it’s also on my blog: http://www.lapisangularis.com/blog/posts/what-does-the-future-hold-for-the-marketing-organization/ would love to hear what you think.