Gallifant.com

Dispatches from the corporate frontlines: technology, business, and my personal musings.

Tag: digital strategy

April 28, 2014

Emotion and Personal Value for B2B Marketing

by Caleb Gallifant

A fundamental difference between a B2B and B2C buyer is that a B2B buyer makes decisions on behalf of an organization (or group of individuals) while a B2C buyer tends to make decisions for one person (him or herself). This has led to the assumption that B2B buyers care more about the numbers, ROI and corporate alignment than whether he or she personally identifies or connects with the service or product offered. But the folks at Kapost want to challenge this notion arguing that B2B marketing may not be as pragmatic and left-brained as many have supposed. In fact, Kapost proposes that emotion, personal value and individual connection is a profitable tool to be wielded by B2B marketers.

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March 27, 2014

Your Winning Digital Strategy

by Caleb Gallifant

Moto 360 WatchWe’ve been told that 2014 will be the year of wearable technology or the year of the Internet of Things (IoT). Regardless of whose Kool-Aid you’re drinking, there is no denying that digital is the oxygen of our day. McKinsey & Company’s recent report on digital disruption is important, therefore, to develop a winning digital strategy that will appropriately harness the latest online and mobile technology. McKinsey notes that we must first understand six digital shifts:

1. Device Shift

2. Communications Shift

3. Content Shift

4. Social Shift

5. Video Shift

6. Retail Shift

Understanding these shifts sets the backdrop for effective digital planning. For example, a failure to understand the role of mobile and tablets in personal computing will leave your plan shallow and deficient. So how do we formulate a winning plan? McKinsey offers 5 considerations:

  1. Stay close to users by investing in customer insight. Customer behavior is rapidly changing, demanding strong market intelligence and customer insight functions.
  2. Build a competitive edge with deep analytic skills. As segments get smaller and more distinct, the need to use data to optimize product development and marketing will only grow.
  3. Make business models more robust to reflect consumer diversity. Focus and breadth are both needed.
  4. Ensure investments are clearly aligned with consumer shifts. Executives need to clearly communicate the “what” and the “why” of strategy and operations and tie this to current opportunities.
  5. Reward superb execution skills. A potential downside of big data and analytics is that the analysis goes on too long and the market opportunity evaporates or is seized by a competitor.

Read the full article here.

Image: Moto 360 Watch with Android – Credit Motorola

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January 2, 2014

Great Marketing According to Gary Vaynerchuck

by Caleb Gallifant

Gary V Great Marketing Quote

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June 19, 2013

10 Tips For Managing Creatives

by Caleb Gallifant

Evan Fry and Dan Swartz – Taken by Fast Company

“There is an art” writes Rae Ann Fera of Fast Company, “to getting the most out of your teams of creative professionals. When the job is to conjure the next brilliant idea out of thin air, against deadline, via a combination of inspiration, hard work, experience, intuition, and confidence, getting the best work out of creative people on a consistent and efficient basis can be tricky business.”

Fera outlines 10 tips that Evan Fry and Dave Swartz put into practice in their roles of managing creatives at Crispin Porter + Bogusky:

  1. Set the Bar
  2. Identify and Leverage Traits of Individuals
  3. Cater to Strengths
  4. Keep Your Hands Dirty
  5. Suggest–But Don’t Necessarily Impose–a Process
  6. Create Healthy Confusion
  7. Encourage Switching Off to Switch On
  8. Keep Them Reproducing
  9. Make Retention a Conscious Choice
  10. Know When To–And Be Able To–Speak The Tough Truth.

Our atmosphere today is a digital one. These are therefore helpful guidelines for any organization regardless of one’s industry.

Read the full article here.

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