Media and marketing in a connected world

Paul Berney who is co-founder and managing partner, mCordis and The Connected Marketer Institute, shared expert insights at Digital Innovators’ Summit 2017 for media and marketers in this world.

Paul Bernie ()

To illustrate the future, Paul went back in time to the birth of printing. He explained that when Gutenberg developed the printer people could not get their heads around how the tech would change their world.

“This a common theme,” argued Paul citing a concept called the ‘history illusion’ which decrees that it is way it is easier to think about the past than the future. “Many of us struggle with future shock – too much change in too shorter time,” added Paul.

Paul said that he wanted to focus on change – which he says is at the heart of a concept core to his company  – ‘the connected marketers.’

Paul explains “the more connected devices you have, the more you live in state of connectedness. The more you live in that state the more it impacts on your behaviour. This leads to rise of the connected individual and connected brands and connected marketers.

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“The biggest brands in the world are connected and starting to change because we have changed,” added Paul.

Paul believes that connected marketers understand the needs of connected individuals. They see how successful brands can merge the physical and the digital. He cited as an example Marriott Hotels which enables people to use their app when they stay at the hotel to do everything from check-in through to closing the curtains. Everything is synced together. 

He then gave other examples of where the connected world and the real world meet such as Pokemon Go.

“We know every surface and product will become digital with more and more connections, argued Paul. “Super connected brands add sensorial and emotional experiences.” 

For example Starbucks blend digital experience in the physical world with their mobile order app. The process is designed to speed things up, no more queueing, it is all about developing an emotional connection with you

Paul then looked at how people act. He discussed mobile phones and how they aid discovery making it easy to access content. He also said that marketers need to focus more on the problems they are trying to solve and highlighted how there is no linear journey for most connected individuals.

Marketers and brands need to think “how can I help my audience find, buy or choose something that they love. The language people use changes their mindset.”

Finally Paul made the point that no one likes complexities and proclaimed Amazon as being the king of companies who make things easier for its customers. 

Paul went back to his initial point. He said he believes that “a connected marketer is a renaissance person, they are masters of everything. In the end marketing is a mixture of science and art.”

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