Forty five years ago one of the most historic flights in the history of passenger aviation occurred when Concorde flew for the first time. The name Concorde was famously picked to represent the unlikely alliance of Great Britain and France in developing a plane that could fly at twice the speed of sound, getting passengers across the Atlantic in just three hours.
So, how is this relevant to Digital Marketing? Well, too much of the on-line advertising we consumers see every day is largely irrelevant or worse still, it has a negative impact. At Acxiom we work with clients and partners from both Digital Marketing and CRM Marketing teams as both endeavour to build better customer relationships for their brand by providing a connected experience across all channels. The data and technology required to do this is becoming a reality but it seems that many brands aren’t quite ready or able to take this prodigious leap forward, particularly when it comes to on-line display. In terms of Digital Marketing, it seems many brands haven’t yet joined the supersonic age.
Going back to the original analogy, back in 1960, teams from the UK and France met to evaluate working together to build a supersonic jet. The UK team’s delta wing design had already been leaked by the British Government to their French counterparts (to help improve Anglo-French relations). So unsurprisingly, the two teams shared a similar technical vision and the French had already also decided they needed British engines. Cultural differences and language barriers were put aside and by collaborating Britain and France were successful in what was the biggest project in the world outside the US space programme.
Similarly, CRM and Digital marketing teams often talk a different language or at least have their own vocabularies as evidenced by the confusion caused by the term “Data Management Platform”. A quick glance at the LUMAscapes for Ad Tech and Marketing Tech shows how complex and seemingly impenetrable their respective technology stacks are, so it’s hardly a surprise that people stick to what they know and understand. Their behaviours (or cultures) differ as a product of their diverse heritage. However, just like the Concorde teams they have a common goal for their brands and each has key technology and datasets needed to make the vision a reality.
Another learning from the Concorde project is the role played by the political leaders at that time, with the deal being agreed between Macmillian and De Gaulle and then carried through by the likes of Tony Benn making tough decisions when needed. C-level leadership within brands have to give their backing and support for the organisational changes sometimes needed. Senior sponsorship is vital to break down the silos and find the win-win situations for both teams. The complex technologies and data that each group relies upon can be connected together. By doing this, brands will benefit from the decades of experience that the CRM teams have in direct marketing being applied to Digital. For Digital Marketing to go supersonic it needs to incorporate the best principles of direct marketing and the future of direct marketing is digital marketing.
To conclude, in order to provide each consumer a connected experience of your brand the principles of direct marketing need to be evident in every channel. Having a unified organisational approach means data, technology and processes can be leveraged for the benefit of both the brand and consumer.
Ian Fremaux (another Anglo-French winning brand name)
Marketing Technology Consultant, Acxiom UK
