Business growth is not a marketing problem, or technology problem – it’s everyone’s problem and the line between CMO, CTO and CIO is certainly blurry.
The drive is excelling in terms of customer experience and their overall interaction with a company or brand, with all communication channels and client service platforms, AI enabled bots, online and in-store experiences all needing to work towards turning each micro-moment in a customer’s path to purchase into a win for organisation A over competitor B.
Who's driving the change?
Gartner predicts CMO spend on technology will outstrip that of CIOs – not in the near future but today.
“While customer experience very much remains a team sport, marketing often funds these cross-functional CX initiatives, sets the strategy, and designs the desired-state experience itself,” says Jake Sorofman, writing for Gartner.com. In many organisations, marketing owns and controls a growing preponderance of customer touchpoints.”
The other side of the story, of course, is that the CIO role is changing to one that drives revenue and contributes innovation to the business environment. . .
Is that so different to a CMO role?
The reality is that digital marketing is changing to marketing in a digital world – and it really doesn’t matter who is driving change as long as (growth-focused) innovation is leading the charge.
It's tough and getting tougher.
In retail, for example, the struggle for survival, let alone growth, is very real – however the fight is not necessarily with online-only stores but with finding (and understanding) new ways of engaging with audiences.
Even in a downturn economy like South Africa is experiencing at present.
It’s not true that consumers are not spending . . . they are just more conscious of where, when and how they spend their hard-earned cash and are they asking themselves a fair few questions before committing budget to anything from a pair of shoes to a new car purchase.
Consumer questions need answers and/or added motivation to push them along their buying cycle. Certainly, technology can play a major role in helping consumers along their path to purchase.
One such technology – as exhibited at CES and Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2018 in Cape Town is the HYPERVSN 3D holographic system (incorporating CMS, content and a 3D display).
Be Relevant, Unique and Memorable (Be RUM)
To refresh memories of everyone who saw the technology at Gartner, or for those seeing this for the first time, the applications of HYPERVSN include Digital Out of Home (OOH), Events, Digital Point of Sale (POS), Digital Signage and, pretty much – any reality where “capturing eyeballs” is at a premium . . . and it is always at a premium.
HYPERVSN can be used in various configurations including “Solo” or “Wall” – with HYPERVSN Wall, surely, the most interesting prospect when looking to create a “wow-worthy” moment.
Who's used it?
Companies such as Coca-Cola, Renault and Louis Vuitton have all enjoyed great success through innovative use of the technology.
“HYPERVSN is a new digital channel,” says Cornel van Lingen, CEO of local tech company PDT and South African Distribution partners of HYPERVSN.
“It’s a breakthrough in branding, promotional and customer communication – providing companies with a new and exciting way of monetising excitement and curiosity.”
It's time for "extraordinary"
HYPERVSN’s tagline is “see extraordinary” and while that certainly rings true for this solution it’s overall message can easily be adopted by CIOs and CMOs – or whoever is tasked with driving business growth in their respective organisations.
In tough economic times it is “the extraordinary” that will win the day – anything short of that will be considered “lazy” by a cash-conscious buying public who expect to be wowed at each touchpoint of their engagement – be it with brand or company.
HYPERVSN is but one cog in that engine . . . but what a cog it is.