Dear Ken Wheaton, I read your editorial from October 3, Martech Is So Boring — and It Should Stay That Way, and felt compelled to respond. First, let me say how influential AdvertisingAge has been to me. Growing up in the 80’s, when my parents ran a small agency, I eagerly read copies at their office each week. (Yeah, I was a strange kid.) AdAge seeded my fascination with marketing, and I’m grateful for the …

An open letter to the editor of AdAge on boring martech Continue Reading »

Good news! Marketing technology — as a sector and a discipline — is starting to mature. “Massive vendor consolidation?” you might ask hopefully. Well, not necessarily — at least not in aggregate. I’ll let you know if we’ve finally passed peak martech (as I not-quite-predicted last year) once I start working on the 2017 version of the marketing technology landscape. But ancedotally, I continue to learn about new marketing technologies every week. In computer science …

Marketing technology utilization takes a major swing upward Continue Reading »

The rock singer Jim Morrison once said about life, “Nobody gets out of here alive.” As the world continues its digital metamorphosis, we could riff on that: “Nobody gets out of here undisrupted.” Digital will disrupt your business. Odds are, it will happen sooner, faster, and to a far greater degree than you dare to imagine. The only question is who will be your disruptor. An industry insider or an industry outsider? An incumbent firm …

Everybody has a plan — until they get digitally disrupted Continue Reading »

We’re only six weeks away from MarTech Europe in London, November 1-2, and I’m thrilled with the program — an incredible roster of speakers bringing deep insights and experience across the intersecting fields of marketing, technology, and management. I’m excited to give you a preview of what the conference will deliver, but first… If you like what you read below and want to attend, register before September 30 in order to receive the “beta” discount …

MarTech Europe preview: here’s what to expect in 6 weeks Continue Reading »

“Medicine, law, business, engineering — these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life,” declares Robin Williams’ character, John Keating, in the movie Dead Poet’s Society. “But poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for.” With the latest data from a study on effective personalization by the CEB, I’d riff on that: Data, technology, strategy. These are necessary elements to make personalization function. But people — the importance placed on developing …

High-performing marketers emphasize people over data, technology, strategy Continue Reading »

We’re now less than two months away from MarTech Europe, which will take place in London on 1-2 November, and my anticipation is building. The high-velocity exchange of ideas and experiences at MarTech always teaches me so much about the rapidly evolving practice of marketing technology in B2B and B2C organizations. Above is an overview of the agenda, which features 25+ sessions — one more special, closing session to be announced soon — covering a …

MarTech Europe is just 2 months away, don’t miss out Continue Reading »