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23.11.2010 "Adaptive marketing" key for brands

Brand owners must embrace "adaptive marketing" to succeed in the digital era, a study by Forrester has argued. The research firm interviewed20 leading executives from across the globe to identify evolving best practices. It suggested the future lies in "adaptive marketing", a "flexible approach" premised on rapidly responding to fluctuating conditions and strictly aligning product and customer goals to build brand equity. "Marketers are stuck in a world between the old rules and the new rules," said Chris Stutzman, a Forrester analyst. "To deal with the new rules of changing media, technology, and consumer behavior, many marketers delegate emerging marketing solutions to a handful of external partners or internal 'experts.'  "In doing so, they have enabled the rest of the organisation to behave much like it did ten years ago, clinging to the old rules."

The first problem is complacency, exemplified by a hesitancy to utilise experimental structures, media channels and technologies. Conformity is a further obstacle, and can only be overcome through challenging the status quo, pursuing differentiating innovation and creating "new brand experiences." Equally, "analysis paralysis" makes companies slow to react when dealing with shoppers and leveraging untested tools. The digital age also requires industry specialists to "empower" all of their fellow employees to "shape the brand experience," such as via social networks like Twitter. Undermining existing silos and boundaries plays a role of parallel importance, by fostering collaboration among departments, from IT and procurement to sales.

B.L. 23.11.2010