Digital marketing is one of those moving targets in media
but Touseef Mirza and Brooke Vines, Co-Founders, CoreConnect Conference, strive
to hammer home some constants. The CoreConnect Conference, recently held in NYC
offered, as Mirza notes, “best practices for modern digital marketing, how to
understand yourself as a media consumer and empathize to your target audience,
how to connect and get the best work for your team and ultimately how to take
the message out to the consumer in way that resonates.”
According to Mirza, while we are witnessing a time of
amazing digital communication advancement, there has been tremendous focus on
digital outputs at the expense of basic human interaction. But, “technology and
digital cannot solve all of our problems,” she concluded.
Charlene Weisler:
What did you hope to accomplish at CoreConnect?
Touseef Mirza: The conference was created to address the
confusion and overwhelm that people feel when dealing with marketing in the
digital age. We provided insights on how to create impact by focusing on key
characteristics of the human element in marketing as well as best practices of
connection and influence in the digital age. A comprehensive and human approach
is needed to create impact: first by connecting with ourselves to lead
effectively, then by building a strong, harmonious creative team, and finally
by influencing audiences in an authentic way. We showcased how to make confident
marketing decisions in an overwhelming and ever-changing digital world.
Weisler: What were
some of the main speakers' points? Highlights?
Mirza: Keith Reinhard, Chairman Emeritus of DDB, presented
“Digital Disruption or Digital Distraction?” Brand building does not occur by
mainly emphasizing digital and technology initiatives—but instead by stating a
strong and effective brand definition that is consistent across all touchpoints
and by developing a brand that connects with basic human drives and unchanging
human emotions. We are entering an era of the ultimate revelation which will
combine what we have learned from the creative revolution about humanity with
the wondrous technology brought to us by the digital disruption.
Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer of Vaynermedia presented
“Why Focusing on Culture Works.” Corporate
culture has lost its way. We need to realize that people who work in an organization
are human beings, not just “employees”. In order to develop a harmonious team,
to harness innovative ideas, and build a thriving business, it all starts by
creating a space that is safe, both physically and psychologically, to bring
their best selves and by celebrating the uniqueness of every individual in the
company.
As Debbie Millman, Chair of Masters in Branding, SVA and Host
of the Podcast Design Matters, presented in her panel, “Advertising in the Age
of an Awakened Culture.” Branding and advertising as we have known it since the
past century, is dead. It is now democratized and owned by the people and
pushed up to the corporations who have to take notice. This change has
gradually happened since the past 10 years with the advent of the Internet,
social media, and activism. Topics covered included Tapping into the power of
controversy and cultural relevance through the foundation of a human truth; How
concepts of community, identity, and individuality are intertwined in the
digitized world; Translating an abstract system of brand values in a concrete
manner (and internalized in the team members); and Understanding the audience
from a user-centered perspective to create a brand that truly resonates.
Weisler: How can one put
the results of the conference into action in the workplace?
Mirza: From a leadership standpoint, it helps you connect
authentically with your own wisdom and what makes you human to make more
confident and effective business decisions that will influence other humans. You
can apply different strategies on how to create a culture in the workplace that
is safe and nurturing so that the most innovative and creative ideas can actually
sprout—which will help your organization and offerings differentiate itself and
help succeed in a saturated marketplace. Finally, by understanding the consumer
in an objective and truthful way and what they resonate with, companies can
position their products in a more meaningful light that connects with the
audience in a compelling way.
Weisler: What do you
see as the future in media in the next 3-5 years?
Mirza: "Nobody ever got famous predicting that things
would stay pretty much the same." – Bob Hoffman, the Ad Contratian. Strategies
we use today will still be around for the next 3-5 years, although the tactics
may change as the technology evolves. The way we structure and manage teams is
beginning to change. As Gen C, The YouTube Generation, ages, the silos that
have made up the traditional agency model will finally crumble and the people
who will do the best work in getting through to them are the hybrid workers and
departments. It will become increasingly more difficult for the creative
department to concept messaging without working side-by-side with media and PR
and taking channels into consideration.
We will see more authentic influencer marketing as the trend
shifts from big named influencers who don’t necessarily believe in what they
are selling to the micro-influencers who organically build a following on
user-generated platforms. More people will learn how to monitor social conversations
which hopefully means that instead of overwhelming chatter, customers will have
an experience that is much more personal and relevant to them. We are learning
how data serves us and where it doesn’t. It’s getting better every day. Privacy
and having control of your own data is going to continue to be a predominant
issue, which will drive the majority of the marketing decisions we are making. In
the end, it’s still going to be reaching people where they are and having a
conversation with them that is relevant that they opt into.
This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com
