The Rise of the Platform Marketer

At the start of my career in marketing - a long time ago... - I used to work for ACNielsen and Ipsos, two multinational research companies. Their business was based on the premise that scarcity of consumer data represented a competitive advantage for corporations able to pay for "filling the gap". It was also the time in which marketing leaders knew by heart what "Consumer Want". "Intuition", "Creativity", "Genius" were key words, and considered as "antithetical" to the grey world of market research.  Things have changed a lot - as we all know - and we live now in the Era of Big Data, where the "Democratization of Knowledge" is just a given!

This book is all about this fundamental change. As every single aspect of the relationship between People and Brands is now fully monitored, the marketing skills needed to nurture and enhance that relationship have changed. We are now in the "Age of Customer", where a full understanding of each single customer's needs and wants ("The Segmentation of One") and the ability to address them individually is key to success. 

The 24/7 Connected Consumer - characterized by mass access to digital media - have changes the purchase journey, the media landscape, the way comms strategies are built and even the "untouchable" Marketing Funnel was transformed in the "New Addressable Marketing Funnel". Are "Brand Awareness" and "Consideration" still important in a world where e-shopping journeys could last just the space of a click? Mysterious processes and disciplines - like CRM, real-time bidding, programmatic advertising, CLTV ... - took the lead, having all a Common Denominator, Data.

Therefore, the Platform Marketer's skill sets is based on the ability to use/manipulate/analyze data in order to build and implement marketing programs. 9 key competencies are identified, grouped into three categories: Platform Data (essentially, the "digital" version of "targeting", "segmentation" etc.), Platform Executions (this is about media and retail data, including the "new" digital and social landscape, source of mass amount of data on customer behavior) and Platform Enablers (this is about Data Integration, Planning and KPIs' Definition and Monitoring). The ability to manage such complexity, to choose the right mix of consultants/agencies and to  optimize their efforts is key for success in this New Marketing World.

While the authors are, in my view, a bit over-confident that Data is the Only Way Forward, 3 points they made are crucial and true.

1. Even if we all experience the "Paradox of Privacy" (Should I give away my personal data for a tangible advantage, or not?), the Platform Marketer will have to make sure that customer personal data are well protected and used properly, as this will be the key driver of building and keeping "Brand Trust"
2. While behavioral data are nowadays key to profile customers, a proper targeting work has to be holistic, with the inclusion of motivational and attitudinal data and...
3. creativity is NOT dead, but it has to work in a world where ideas and scenarios can be continually tested, changed and fine-tuned. A a good creative mind has to embrace the grey world of data, more than "fight" against it, like in the past. A quire significant change!

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