Individuals not demographics - the evolution of customer engagement

In a global market-place of unlimited information and choice, the ‘always-on’ consumer is here to stay….and in the driving seat! As the AOC becomes more important so they become more demanding of the brands that are looking for a share their wallets. In a very short period of time Marketing has had to shift from a Brand Promotion to a Customer Engagement approach to keep pace with this changing landscape.

The age-old mantra of the right information, in the right format, at the right time via the right channel has never been more important as brands seek to deliver a seamless and integrated message and experience across an increasingly broad and diverse range of channels. Whilst all the time, recognising that the consumer wants to be treated as an individual, not a demographic.

So, as the battle to deliver brand consistency across a multi-channel environment hots up, the complexity that Marketing has to deal with is increasing accordingly. Where once Creative held the campaign power, today we are seeing a new breed of agency rising to the challenge – Customer Engagement Agencies are building on the creative element to integrate Data (big and small!), Insight, Profiling and Targeting to connect brands and individuals, through one-to-one communications.

Whilst digital is seeing a significant slice of this action print remains a key pillar of the wider marketing mix. Digital print technology remains ideally positioned to deliver the targeted and personalised on-demand communications that B2B and B2C organistions alike are looking for. In the wider print world, significant R&D dollars are being invested in technologies that ensure these organisations can continue to capture their fair share of the marketing budget.

Moving forwards into 2015, as the Customer continues to drive brand behaviour, marketing and the wider industry that supports the marketing function will continue to evolve. Personalisation, Integration, Localisation and Multichannel will remain key watchwords to shape service offerings across this industry. The transition from Print Management to technology-enabled Marketing Services Providers and the onward evolution of the Agency model are just two developments that reflect this changing landscape.

[This article first appeared in "Procurement Leaders" - issue 54 Jan/Feb 2015]

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