Earlier this year at#CES2020 I had the chance to listen to social media legend Gary Vaynerchuck speak about the future of digital marketing. He brought up something that I have often told clients and colleagues – something that usually doesn’t go over well. While it’s important to have data, marketing has become so obsessed with metrics and KPIs that we’ve created an often-unhealthy reporting culture. Two things happen when this occurs - we let numbers replace common sense in making campaign decisions; and we become obsessed with chasing the cheapest solution, usually to the detriment of content and creative.
Vaynerchuck (and I’m paraphrasing here) made the point that while it may be an uncomfortable conversation to have, Ad/Social/PR teams need to talk about the danger of that race to the bottom. Nobody consumes cheap content – it’s not helping brands, it’s hurting them. Smart, creative-driven campaigns that respond to data and are shaped by common sense are going to be the most effective.
This isn't completely virtuous - brands can grab a lot more data from a customer while perfecting the "experience." But, hey, with the exchange of just a little understanding, ordering pizza is a whole new... experience.
