Marketing Management

The following is an approximation of my opening presentation at the MarTech Conference this morning in San Francisco. Over 1,000 people are there, participating in the largest independent conference exclusively focused on marketing technology and marketing technologists. I am so happy that spring is here. It was a pretty crazy winter in Boston this year. This is a picture of the six-foot mountain of ice that I shoveled through on my sidewalk. Before I had …

Springtime in #MarTech — $25.2 billion blossoming Continue Reading »

The second MarTech Conference is just a little more than two weeks away, March 31 – April 1 in San Francisco, and I’m starting to feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. There’s an amazing set of speakers who are coming to share their experiences and expertise. There’s also a fascinating cross-section of marketing technology companies who will be exhibiting (note: that link describes 50, but we actually have over 60 now). I am immensely …

Who’s coming to MarTech? A very impressive community Continue Reading »

Possibly the most exciting phenomenon in the professional world today is the intermingling of disciplines. Certainly the intersection between marketing and technical roles — IT, software development, “industrial” operations — is one of those important junctions. But there are many more. Even marketing and technology are no longer merely a two-way crossroads. Increasingly design is an equal partner in that synthesis of customer experience. Of course, marketing had long leveraged graphic design, albeit often in …

A magical junction of design, technology, and leadership Continue Reading »

If there’s one overarching theme to the upcoming MarTech Conference in San Francisco, March 31 – April 1, it’s crossing boundaries: Discipline boundaries between marketing, engineering, design, and user experience Departmental boundaries between marketing, IT, sales, and other functions Operational boundaries between front-office and back-office “silos” Hierarchical boundaries between CMOs, VPs of digital marketing, heads of marketing technology and innovation, and front-line leaders of marketing operations Technology boundaries between dozens of “adtech” and “martech” categories …

Asking the right questions about marketing technology at MarTech Continue Reading »

It’s truly an incredible time to be working in marketing — and, even more so, marketing technology. As I mentioned in my post on the latest marketing technology landscape earlier this week, the innovation happening across this industry is staggering. Yet it is still merely a reflection of the broader transformation that’s happening in marketing overall. I’m really excited about our next MarTech Conference, coming up March 31 – April 1 in San Francisco, where …

Lowest rate for MarTech conference expires Saturday! Continue Reading »

We’re about 95% complete with the agenda for the next MarTech, taking place in San Francisco this spring, March 31 – April 1. But I’m so excited about how this is shaping up, that I can’t wait any longer to give you a first look at the program. First, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who responded to our call for speakers. We were blown away by the amazing suggestions that people …

First look at the MarTech 2015 San Francisco agenda… Continue Reading »

I want to share an idea with you that’s been in my head for a while. It may sound fairly obvious — and perhaps it is, to most of you. It is how I’ve seen people make choices with marketing technology that materially alters the outcome. But I suspect that they’re not always consciously aware of it. I call it: the frame and the field. The Frame: The Label That Shapes Your Decision Space The …

The Frame and the Field: the art of making marketing technology decisions Continue Reading »

The marketing technology world is on fire! And I mean that in a good way. Billions of dollars in investment. Billions of dollars in revenue. Big IPOs. Big partnerships. A new generation of marketing leaders. Hundreds of software programs entwined in marketing’s “new normal” of daily operations. And those are just a handful of stories that I’ve touched on over the past two months since our last MarTech conference in Boston. Imagine how much further …

Call for speakers for MarTech 2015 — share your brain! Continue Reading »

Almost everyone you meet in technology is an advocate of more STEM education — science, technology, engineering, and math. We appreciate that (a) technology careers are relatively stable and pay well; (b) the demand for technologists exceeds their supply, which is a real challenge when you’re looking to hire more technology talent; and (c) our future as a nation and a global community will depend on the breadth and depth of these capabilities in our …

A STEAM engine to create marketing technologists for the future Continue Reading »

Last month, the CEB assembled a two-day meeting of “chief marketing technologists” from nine Fortune 500 consumer brands to have a confidential exchange among peers. I was the only outsider who was permitted to participate, as I facilitated the segment of their discussion around marketing technology stacks — in particular, exploring issues around single-vendor suites, open platforms, and point solutions. With permission from the group, they agreed to let me share some of the insights …

How 9 brands think of their marketing technology stacks Continue Reading »