We’re in a constant state of digital disruption. Agencies must adapt to continue to stay competitive and deliver dynamic experiences to their clients.
Last month in Austin, technologists, digital marketers, and entrepreneurs came together for the inaugural WP Engine Agency Summit to discuss issues around digital disruption and the future of technology.
The sessions were centered around empowering agencies to thrive during this period of digital transformation by providing insights on marketing and technology trends, including open source, real-time web experiences, data-driven creative, and more. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways for agencies.
It’s time to embrace new technology
There is an upcoming shift in the expectations of the consumer as our lives become more integrated with technology, such as personalized web experiences and voice control. WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner suggests brands must find a way to connect socially and globally to create a this type of real-time web experience.
“I think over the next decade we will see an unleashing of technology like we’ve never seen before that is really going to change what success online looks like,” said Brunner.
ReelFx’s Kevin Althans prompts marketers to rethink how you can better leverage emerging technology, like VR, in new and exciting ways. He said once VR becomes normalized for the mass, marketers will be able to glean huge benefits from the new technology. But companies need to start exploring VR early because if you wait until the masses are there, it’ll be a giant land grab and you could get lost in the noise. Althans points to the branded VR work ReelFX did with American Express for the 2015 US Open as an example.
VR can be used in tandem with other emerging technologies to create more connected, immersive experiences.
Tomorrow’s consumers will have different expectations
If you think millennials are tech-savy, just wait until you meet the generation behind them. Tomorrow’s consumers will have different expectations. Brunner suggests they will expect more personalized, real-time web experience where they are constantly connected.
A panel of 12-year-olds who discussed their expectations of the future confirmed this by expressing the importance of video and automation in their everyday lives.
“Our digital youth has rising expectations for us about what looks good online. They’re expectations are super high. They are unconsciously competent relating to digital,” Brunner said.
From an early age, today’s youth is integrated into everything they do. “Their digital intelligence is increasing and increasing and this is our future audience,” she said.
Open source will win
Open source is buzzing in the technology world.
J.J. Toothman, Web Strategist at NASA emphasizes the importance of open source, noting that it as much about the product as it is about the community. This means that because open source projects are a community effort, the product is only as healthy as the community. Across the board, there is extreme value in open source technology.
Founder and CTO at WP Engine Jason Cohen highlights the importance of open source technology to create real-time web experiences, accrediting this to its agility and open background.
Open source allows technology to be quickly adapted to fit the needs of the user and provides a superabundance of customization options. The day after it was released, there were already three free WordPress plugins to make your content available through Google Glass. Now that’s agility.
Content is king
“Content should be the centerpiece of marketing,” Cohen said. “People on Facebook share content, not home pages.”
The importance of publishing agility is comparable to brands rushing to get on the internet in the 90s, Cohen said. Today, brands are getting more creative with their content. It’s a global market, and to compete brands are creating integrated global campaigns. This requires that content is consistent and on-message for a variety of different platforms and media types, and requires an understand of context and timing.
Home Away’s SVP of Brand and Integrated Marketing Kristen Nolte used the timing of the 2016 UEFA Euro’s in Paris, France to framework a contest to win a night at the Eiffel Tower Apartment in Paris, a campaign that made PR history.
Nolte said the biggest challenge for content is creating interesting ways for people to talk about their company, that means making shareable content and suggested using more editorial and email marketing methods.
“Everything is becoming a more direct conversation with customers and technology is allowing us to do that,” said Nolte.
Creativity still has a place in marketing
In a world with an ever-growing data and analytics presence, it’s hard to remember what lies at the base of marketing — human creativity.
“It doesn’t matter what the technology is if the creative isn’t there,” Cohen said. He added, “at the same time, if you have the best ideas in the world, but it costs 50 thousand dollars and two months for a test campaign, that also won’t work.”
Technology and creativity must be bonded in order for the partnership to work.
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