In our leadership panel, the CMOs of Lenovo, Check Point, and Accenture helped us make sense of everything that’s going on in the post-covid, pre-recession world of marketers. Here’s a glimpse of the insights and predictions they shared.
In recent years, as the world became more remote and virtual, marketers went out of their way to grab customer attention and lock down engagement. In that quest, no webinar, online event, or live stream on social media was spared, along with emails, ads, and campaigns.
Is it time marketers slowed down? Yes, if you ask Peter Alexander, Check Point’s CMO:
“We’ve all really gone after customers in a digital sense very aggressively in the last couple of years, and we need to look at what that means for how the customer experiences each company.”
Instead, marketers should show more control. They need to take a minute to understand what meaningful engagements look like and how they form – then act on their insights, according to Emily Ketchen, Lenovo’s CMO. Tailoring intimate experiences that fit customers’ real needs and requirements is a sure win-win all around. For that to happen, we not only need to be able to scale but also provide an in-person element for those who want it, adds Peter.
As Jill Kramer, Accenture’s Chief Marketing and Communication officer, put it:
“We must learn from digital experiences and muscles and better apply them to events… there’s a world of improvement that can be gained…how many events you have, which ones are are critical, which ones you do need to be in-person for, or have an in-person component and why, and then which ones you don’t need to… We can give ourselves permission to go back to our strategy”
A safe way to decide between virtual and in-person is by looking at it as local vs global, says Peter. A global message and story simply don’t play out that well when you get into local markets.
Can hybrid events act as a bridge between the physical and virtual? Probably, but both must be optimized for the medium they operate in, not try to blend them together.
Ultimately, as Emily pointed out, we must consider the customer’s journey and what is right for them in the stage they’re in vis-a-vis what we’re hoping to get out of it.
Quality content is always key, she adds, but in the case of virtual events, having it delivered by dynamic speakers who make the audience feel like they’re a part of the conversation is critical. Check Point has also decided to shift to 20 mins TED-style talks to make the experience snappier and more energetic. And even if the content is pre-recorded, they insist on live hosting and chat, so that it doesn’t feel like “watching television.”
Jill goes on to say that virtual event architects can try to carry over those magical moments and interactions that happen so naturally in physical events – to virtual ones. Emily adds that
“Accessibility to technology has the power to really open up endless possibilities and much level the playing field for those folks who are typically marginalized”
How does all that meet the current economic climate and budget cuts? The general sentiment among the panel was that marketers will just have to be more productive and “nimble.” In other words, marketers must account for every dollar spent, without compromising on the engagement and long-term impact it creates.
Furthermore, marketers need to become change agents within their respective companies. They need to look for new technologies to bring in, ways to perfect the sales cycle, and really understand the metrics and technicalities involved, while continuing to deliver great creative, of course.
Watch the full video, “Leadership panel: The turn of events. The age of engagement,” here:
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