A version of this article first appeared in The Annual 2016 as part of The PhotoEssay series.
I wince as I write at the thought of all the hate mail this is going to incite. But, when asked to speak the name of the elephant in the room, this topic came to mind immediately. So here goes.
Many of my contemporaries on either side of this page will be writing about the virtues of how “digital marketing has transformed their marketing strategy” and “data drives all decisions.” Unfortunately, I don’t agree.
Before you label me a dinosaur, let me protest that, like others, I value the many doors that digital channels open to marketers. The ability to track a customer’s behaviour, to micro−target, to measure ROI on action, and to experiment in this budget−democratic world of digital are qualities I embrace with gladness and are evident in how I’ve committed my precious budgets over the past few years.
But, digital is just a means by which we find and allure a customer, and in and of itself does not a marketing strategy make. The ability the channel affords to track customer behaviour is at once a gift and a curse and in some ways the rise of data−driven decision−making has killed the art of understanding customers.
To truly understand customers is not to only see them as a series of clicks, but to be curious about their hopes, dreams and fears that underlie these behaviours. If you see someone choose for comfort over fashion in their choice of glasses, in the case of OPSM, you might be tempted to put her in the “functional glasses” category. But, you may have missed her underlying fear of making the wrong choice in choosing something more adventurous or her desire to be validated in their unique sense of style and so limited your opportunity with that customer.
You would have missed a host of ways of engaging with the customer, to draw out her confidence in her personal style and unlock the commerciality of selling multiple pairs of glasses, each expressing a different mood or aspect of that style. To stop at the behavioural data is to skim the surface of human interaction and that can make for a short−term and superficial marketing strategy.
A great marketing strategy is an alchemy of insights − informed by data and inspired by the curiosity of people – and courage. To probe beyond what data suggests and to leap with intuition and imagination is what makes marketing strategies valuable to keeping brands alive and pushes organisational cultures. Digital affords one way of expressing this strategy, but I am resolute that it does not, in and of itself, make a marketing strategy.
An additional risk that a deification of digital and its unchecked application presents is the diminishing of differentiation at the expense of relevance. Much of the expansive marketing and advertising technology ecosystem is focused on connecting with one’s customers. But, what about the act of differentiation; separating ourselves from our competitors? That is equally important.
So, woe betide the marketer who hides behind a technical fandangle of a digital strategy and declares it the “new way” in which to transform the brand. Digital is but a tactic and a channel and without the rigour of thinking that knits it into a bigger strategy it is a spark without effect and magic.
There, I’ve said the unspoken, and no doubt the tribes will speak. I await your messages of protest, via courier pigeon please.
By Jee Moon, Luxottica VP of marketing
A version of this article first appeared in The Annual 2016 as part of The PhotoEssay series. The theme this year, was broad. Simply: 'discuss'. AdNews editor Rosie Baker asked marketers to write about 'elephant in the room' topics. The taboo subjects that are a concern, and get talked around - but never fully addressed. What in their businesses are the friction points, the bones of contention - where do they see the industry going to hell in a hand basket.
The photoshoot aimed to capture the heated conversation and boisterous discussion of topics that only emerge in the aftermath of a dinner party. The equivalents of politics, religion and sex in marketing and advertising. These will be the topics that dominate the agenda in 2017. Download the digital version of the magazine for $4.49 to see the whole series.
For more see:
A Marketer's Lens: Print is a key force in our marketing mix, by Domain's top marketer Melina Cruickshank
A Marketer's Lens: Don't grumble over challenges, by Fox Sports head of marketing, brand & social, Chris Gross
A Marketer's Lens: We need a better way of nurturing and celebrating big ideas, by Diageo marketing and innovation director, Adam Ballesty