The Future Of Digital Marketing - CEO Interviews (Part #8)

The successful format continues! It's already the eighth article of my interview series. Regularly, I interview CEOs or Managing Directors of digital marketing agencies and senior managers in companies about the future of digital marketing. You'll find the other articles here: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , and Part 7 .

During the last months, I had the chance to discuss with some leaders of digital marketing agencies, executives of relevant companies, or professors the impact of the metaverse, artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, or virtual influencers on digital marketing in the future.

And also in the seventh edition of my interview series, I met some outstanding people. It was an inspiring discussion in every case, and I want to share the findings in this LinkedIn article.

1.) Philipp A. Rauschnabel - Professor at the Bundeswehr University Munich

Philipp A. Rauschnabel is a professor for Metaverse & XR at the Bundeswehr University Munich . I met him in Munich for a beer and to try out Meta's new Oculus Quest 3 glasses. I also asked him what he thinks about the future of digital marketing.

Here are my questions and his answers:

What do you think will the future of digital marketing look like?

As an academic, I am always cautious about making "concrete" predictions. However, from a consumer perspective, I believe that the future of digital marketing will not be digital, but "phygital". AR is the key, supported by VR and marketed under fancy names. Be it "Spatial Computing" or "Metaverse". Why do I believe this? Look for similarities in the evolution of (social) media and consumer technology over the last 25 years. Step by step towards a convergence of digital environments and physical places, objects, or people. Checking in, liking places, or tagging people. So why not just place digital content in the physical world where we need it?

However, it is important to note that marketing is more than just placing brand messages. We don't know what it will look like, but the history of marketing shows that successful content in one medium is not necessarily successful in another. Many iterations of TV commercials with sales promotions were once successful; in social media, they will lead to rejection. We try to address these issues in our daily research.

Is the Metaverse and spatial marketing disruptive?

Is - maybe not. Will it be? Absolutely! If you look at a marketing textbook, marketing is ultimately about the "product mix". AR can be an added value to a product (e.g. Lego toys with AR features or cars with AR customer service) or even a new product. AR can make some physical products obsolete. I suggested and explored this in 2019, and now we see that this is one of Apple and Meta's core value propositions - TV screens and picture frames will be replaced by virtual and cheap AR versions. I'm sure many manufacturers will miss this - like many retailers underestimated the (mobile) internet and slept through it. I will be happy when I can finally do without impractical, space-limited 2D monitors.

Will social media change with the metaverse?

Given the inconsistent definitions, let's just call it the 3D Internet for now and not the Metaverse. I expect the next generation of social media to be a layer on top of the real world. You can decide who can access your content in the physical world (and maybe in a mirrored world in VR). You're walking around town, and if we're friends, you can see my recommendations for restaurants and stores. Just as you can decide whether I can access your Instagram profile, you can decide whether I can access your layer.

Thank you so much for your time, Philipp .

2.) Hannah Ullherr - CEO Muttersprache:Tacheles GmbH

I met Hannah Ullherr in Frankfurt. She is the CEO at Muttersprache:Tacheles? GmbH and a social selling expert. We discussed personal branding and influencer marketing.

Here is her view on my questions:

How important is personal branding from your perspective?

Very, because it makes us stand out on LinkedIn, personal branding drives sales and it is also crucial for human resources. People buy from people and want to interact with them. Good personal branding attracts the right customers and employees and pushes the wrong ones away.

Why should companies invest in corporate influencer programs?

Because it offers economic advantages: Corporate influencers make a company more visible and give the brand a trustworthy face. Especially in B2B marketing the human factor is highly underestimated and its effect on sales results.

What do you think about virtual influencers?

On the one hand, I think they are highly interesting because they work 24/7 for you at low costs. On the other hand, however, they can never compete with the bond a real person influencer builds with their community.

Thank you so much for your time and your answers, Hannah . It was a pleasure talking with you.

3.) Andi Schwantner - Founder of Digital Media Consulting Content & Strategy

I met Andi Schwantner (Founder of Digital Media Consulting Content & Strategy ) and talked with him about the future of digital marketing. Of course, I asked him some questions and you can read the answers here.

Here are my questions and his answers:

What do you think will the future of digital marketing look like?

On the one hand side, AI provides more possibilities. On the other hand side, there's a desire for human interaction and connections. Personalized communication within personal networks creates more trust. My approach is to use employee-generated content from corporate influencers strategically - relevance over reach.

What do you think about virtual influencers?

Interesting question. Virtual influencers in an ever-changing digital world, why not? People decide whom to follow.

Can virtual influencers be part of a corporate influencer program?

As an addition, not a replacement, if companies engage their real employees meaningfully as human corporate influencers for communication, there is nothing against virtual influencers. It's like with ads. Without organic content, it's hardly effective.

Thank you so much for our conversation, Andi . It was a pleasure!

4.) Lars Behrendt - CEO Granny&Smith

I met Lars Behrendt at a Miro Event in Frankfurt. He is the CEO of Granny&Smith and an expert in innovation management. We discussed the future of marketing and during our conversation, I asked him what he thinks about virtual influencers.

Here is his clear answer:

If we don’t want social media to die – we urgently should implement a real-existing-person-proof-process. The same goes for postings. If social media is flooded by automated AI content it will kill the idea of “social” media. The only way to resolve this is by banning accounts of those who do this.

Thank you, Lars, for your time and your answers. I hope to see you again soon.

Summary

I'm really celebrating my format to meet outstanding people in the marketing industry and also from other industries! With this interview series, I always get the latest updates and it's absolutely inspiring. In the meantime, I also get requests from some people who want to contribute to this format. This is awesome!

I hope the interviews and insights I shared are also valuable to you. Please leave your feedback in the comments. I really would appreciate it!

If you are a CEO, Managing Director, or founder in the marketing industry, or a professor at a university, please drop me a message. I would love to discuss with you the future of digital marketing.

About the author:

Bj?rn Radde is Vice President Digital Marketing & Innovation at T-Systems International - one of the world's leading vendor-independent providers of digital services. Before he joined T-Systems he was Director Digital Experience at Sabre and Vice President?Digital Marketing at Trust International. In this role, he was worldwide responsible for all digital marketing products?of the company. Previously, Bj?rn was Director of Digital Marketing & E-Commerce at Okanda, an internet startup in the meeting's business, and Head of E-Commerce at the Steigenberger Hotel Group. After studying economics with a focus on online marketing and e-commerce, he initially worked at T-Online International AG and later at Deutsche Telekom AG within the Products & Innovation business unit.