I read an article on CMO.com about a variety of marketing execs highlighting the needs to move to a digital experience.
Now this was from the recent Ad Age Digital Conference so keep in mind that the main focus is still on ads but at least it’s on ads that provide an experience. In reality, a digital experience would include much more than that like:
- Useful content rather than just ads
- collaborative sites to gain information and answer questions (relevant to some but not all of you)
- mobile apps and responsive sites to meet you where you happen to be
- A true unified experience regardless of which channel your customer touches (social, web site, mobile app, etc.)
That said, I like a lot of what was said in this article. Here are a few quotes that drive what it really takes to create a digital experience:
Hyatt is currently on a transformation journey, according to Sandra Micek, SVP, global brands. It is moving from making promises around the brand to engaging consumers via digital touchpoints and delivering on the brand promise through those engagements.
According to MasterCard’s Cress, data is driving the transformation within her company and is the biggest opportunity for brands and marketers to connect with consumers.
AOL CMO Allie Kline talked about the fact that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to providing engaging experiences, especially at a company such as AOL, which has so many different brands, with very different target audiences. But true for all AOL brands across the board, she said, is the focus on shortening the distance between where the consumer is and where the brands are.
Again, the focus is on the digital experience as it relates to ads but the three quotes above highlights some great elements of digital transformation in general.
- The need for a transformation, not just a small change
- Data is a core part of this. Inherent in that is a lot of back end or business optimization changes.
- All of this will result in a tailored customer experience in any channel.
