Creating value for customers is unlikely to come from marketers. By their nature, most marketers are focused on implementation - carrying out the delivery of brand messages in the hope that 'some'of them will get through. Value is created for customers by really understanding their needs and motivations and responding accordingly. In simple terms, most marketers are too busy carrying out tasks to stop and listen.
The marketng services industry is a very crowded space, particularly at the implementation end, where a self sustaining network of agencies and clients 'spend' budgets rather than 'invest' in innovation. While the music plays the party will will continue - there is a disincentive for either client or service provider to change the status quo. Eventually though, business leaders will begin to question the return they get from established marketing services practitioners and look at more disruptive, user centred ways of creating value. In my opinion, service innovation, experience design and social technologies sit at the heart of the territory where they should be looking for the next era of value creation, or more importantly, co-creation.
I mean no disrespect when I say that most of the marketers I know have little idea what service design, user centred design or user experience are. It is not really their fault when they are under continuous pressure to 'out-market' the competition rather than 'out-smart' them with user led innovation. By and large, the industries they work in and the firms they work for, were created for a pre-digital era so the systems and processes that sustain them are now out of step with the social changes happening around them.
So, as you rightly intone, the game has now competely changed and it will take a huge structural re-think for business to first, learn the new rules (there are none) and second, get really good good at playing (learn by doing).
My answers
Creating value for customers is unlikely to come from marketers. By their nature, most marketers are focused on implementation - carrying out the delivery of brand messages in the hope that 'some'of them will get through. Value is created for customers by really understanding their needs and motivations and responding accordingly. In simple terms, most marketers are too busy carrying out tasks to stop and listen.
The marketng services industry is a very crowded space, particularly at the implementation end, where a self sustaining network of agencies and clients 'spend' budgets rather than 'invest' in innovation. While the music plays the party will will continue - there is a disincentive for either client or service provider to change the status quo. Eventually though, business leaders will begin to question the return they get from established marketing services practitioners and look at more disruptive, user centred ways of creating value. In my opinion, service innovation, experience design and social technologies sit at the heart of the territory where they should be looking for the next era of value creation, or more importantly, co-creation.
I mean no disrespect when I say that most of the marketers I know have little idea what service design, user centred design or user experience are. It is not really their fault when they are under continuous pressure to 'out-market' the competition rather than 'out-smart' them with user led innovation. By and large, the industries they work in and the firms they work for, were created for a pre-digital era so the systems and processes that sustain them are now out of step with the social changes happening around them.
So, as you rightly intone, the game has now competely changed and it will take a huge structural re-think for business to first, learn the new rules (there are none) and second, get really good good at playing (learn by doing).
Sean O'Halloran
www.thisishoop.com
http://twitter.com/seanohalloran