Disruption from A to Z in the Marketing Industry

Disruption is everywhere in the marketing and communications industry.  It's being driven by consumers, technology, brands, agencies, mobile, social, data, and platforms.  Fasten your seatbelts, and come along for my "alphabet of disruption."

A: Agencies

Everybody’s crashing into everybody else, claiming the strategic high-ground, “lead” agency, and award winners. Your new competitive set has a dozen flavors now (here's a recent post on the topic.)

B: Brand

It matters more than ever before, and if you don’t build brand currency, you’ll pay for it (think JetBlue vs. American in a snowstorm).  Think about the power and destruction of social media.  Think about recent brand fails.  And never forget that your employees are your best Brand Ambassadors.

C: C-Suite

It used to be easy – the CMO ran the brand, CCO ran the communications, CTO ran IT, and CFO ran the financials. No more. Everybody is integrally involved, and the best companies have the CEO truly owning the brand.  CMO and CTO are inextricably linked around data, security, and privacy.

D: Digital

Not even sure what that means anymore. If you’re an agency without “digital” what are you? If you’re a digital agency, you only have half of the equation. If you have “digital” in your title, work to eradicate the partitioning in your company.  Great McKinsey post here on this disruption.

E: Email

It still is powerful when it’s done well. Check out Quartz. It’s brilliant. And if you want “must-click” content, check out how OnStar and the Vehicle Diagnostics works, and how financial services create powerful alerts.

F: Facebook

Because it’s on a roll, dominating brands, agencies, content, video, mobile, and storytelling. Deal with it as a frienemy before your economics are destroyed.

G: Google

See Facebook. It too is on a roll, not going away, and has more talent, properties, innovation, and energy than your company will. Embrace it. Now.

H: Holding Companies

Phase 1 was gathering assets. Phase 2 was integrating offerings for cost savings. Phase 3 has to be about agility, speed, and better results for clients or the walls will begin to tumble down.

I: International

If you’re talking about mobile and have never been to India or Japan or Korea or China, you’re missing the real story. Get out there and get immersed. Get people with truly diversified experiences. There are more brilliant marketing, content, and experiential examples from outside the US than from within.

J: Jerks

They are everywhere, and if they’re in leadership positions, the business will falter. At some point, teams will become dysfunctional if jerks are allowed to thrive. Address it, or leave and pick the next place based on the people and the culture – you’ll be happier.  See what Netflix does about it here.

K: results are KING

(Ok, I cheated). But it’s not about awards or Lions or mentions or shares or AdMeters. It’s about driving business results, now and in the future. Hold your agencies accountable, and hold your teams accountable. Everything else is fluff.

L: LinkedIn

I know, the mobile interface is lame, despite the changes. But it is the single most powerful community of individuals --- for business purposes, for networking, and to find talent. And if you’re not active, well you have no one else to blame.

M: Mobile

Go anywhere in Asia. Go look in any classroom at any university. Go to any airport or restaurant. It’s a mobile world. Nothing else matters – your strategies, ideas, bets, and dreams need to scream mobile.

N: Noteworthy

Every day another “new agency” is formed and touted. And with the blurring of the lines it’s hard to sort them out. I recall Laura Desmond guiding leaders to describe what’s “First, Best and Only” as the only way to truly differentiate an agency.

O: Opportunities

Yes, there’s more disruption than ever before. But man oh man, if you’re curious, energetic, and adventurous, the opportunities have never been better!

P: PR

There’s good PR and bad PR. There’s fake, paid for PR and real PR. There are PR firms trying to change their stripes, and ad agencies trying to claim they do PR. Done well, it’s the best storytelling and engaging content in all forms. Done badly, well you fill in the blanks.  Wonder if this phrase, like "digital", will cease to exist in the future.

Q: Quickness

No longer is it acceptable to take 4-6 months for a website rebuild, or 4 weeks to do a set of interviews or field some research. It’s about speed, testing, sampling, and adapting. Think about the descriptions that are resonating these days:  Sprints. Agile. Hackathons. Go fast, go smart, or go home.

R: Relationships

Sometimes people forget that it’s a people business. That procurement manager? Human being. That “tough" client? – guarantee that he or she is an interesting individual if you spend the time to connect. And your teammates? Learn from them and embrace their unique qualities. This should be the fun part of your job.

S: Snapchat

No it’s not for kids. No it’s not for sexting. No it’s not another fad. It’s proving that people want video, want to restart their “connection” list, and love simplicity.

T: Team

Sorry, but this big sandbox of brands, agencies, consulting firms, partners, tech companies, platforms --- it’s a team sport. If you want to hole up on your own, you may be in the wrong field.

U: Uber

Go ahead, make fun of the logo change. And then realize how brilliant the business model is, and how much you love using it everywhere around the world. And then get back in a yellow cab and compare. Nuff said.  The beast of the "Sharing Economy" is paving the way.

V: Video

There’s a great book called Sisimo by Kevin Roberts, the former CEO of Saatchi. Sight, Sound and Motion have never been more important in this age of mobile, huge bandwidth, and smartphones.

W: Why?

Still one of the best words in the English language. Remain curious, and dive into the Whys. And go ahead – watch Simon Sinek’s brilliant TED Talk on how great leaders inspire action (one of the most popular TED talks ever with over 25mm views.)

X: eXtra

(Ok, I cheated again.) But in today’s craziness, doing just enough isn’t enough. I always loved the person who came into the office on Monday and said “so, I was playing around with the idea this weekend, and…” Go the extra step. Bring unexpected ideas to your clients as gifts. Invest to unlock better solutions.  Do one last rehearsal.  Spend 5 more minutes to make it great.

Y: You

Oh yeah, it’s a people business. What’s your personal story? What’s your elevator version? Bring positive energy to your team. Be proactive – with your clients, with your team, with your manager, and with your career.

Z: Zero-Based

Yes, it’s in the news because Unilever announced they will be doing zero-based marketing budgets. The outcry began. But wait – that’s actually what every agency should want – do brilliant work, be an amazing partner, drive great results for the client, and you’ll win. You shouldn’t have to fight against 100 years of an AOR to gain a little share if it’s truly zero based.

Which was your favorite?  Have some different ones?  Share your thoughts here or follow me on Twitter at @Glennengler.

(Image from the Flaneurs turtle blog)