3 Valuable Takeaways from the 2017 Massachusetts Marketing Summit
12/13/17
Last week I attended the 2017 Massachusetts Marketing Summit hosted by The Boston Chapter of the American Marketing Association and IC Summits. ViewPoint was one of the sponsors. The event brought together a diverse group of Boston marketing and advertising's best and brightest, from companies like Rockport, Life is Good and the Boston Bruins, to discuss everything from branding to social media to delivering an unforgettable customer experience.
I hoped they’d share the key to brand marketing success. What’s the secret to creating the most impactful solution to any marketing challenge?
While of course there is no single right answer, there were some common themes that emerged as to how the speakers’ brands are so successful: connect in meaningful ways; follow business strategy rather than chase the latest trends; and look to technology to enhance engagement.
1. Connect with Customers in Meaningful Ways
Successful brands place an unrelenting focus on the customer and the brand experience they have at every touchpoint. From social media to digital or traditional ad campaigns, these brand champions ensure they have a clear understanding of their customers’ emotional and physical needs before launching any campaign. Ensuring their brand connected with their customers in a deep and meaningful way was the starting point for all of their efforts.
2. Follow Strategy, Not Trends
Successful brands take painstaking efforts to understand not only the competitive environment in which they operate, but also the environment as it relates to their customers. With the proliferation of media, people have so many choices as to where to get information. And they’re exposed to an overabundance of messaging. In turn, they’re more selective about the content they consume. At the same time, marketers are constantly searching for the “next best thing” to break through. Successful brands base their marketing decisions on a sound business strategy rather than simply latching onto the flavor of the month just to make some noise.
3. Use Tech to Make an Impact
Successful brands use technology. Nearly all the panelists said they were currently leveraging some form of tech in their marketing efforts, or were planning to soon. Whether for B2B or B2C, the top brands use tech to stay at the top of their sales game, especially for face-to-face interactions.
The consensus was that emotionally connecting with your audience (by delivering a compelling and engaging experience) is the secret for moving potential customers to buy.
So, maybe there is one right answer!
At the end of the day, I left the summit energized about the opportunity to collaborate with market-leading brands like these, and excited about using innovative, interactive tech to help them more effectively connect with their audiences.
If you want to strengthen your connection with your own audience, give me a ring at 617-512-1100. I'll show you how ViewPoint can make a difference for your marketing program. Here's a brief overview.