Chandar Pattabhiram says, “In my last post, I expanded on the concept of the “Engagement Economy,” today’s world where everything and everyone is connected. This world presents a new playing field for marketers trying to engage people within their organization, as well as partners and customers. I frequently cite the statistic that only 13 percent of marketing leaders are working to retain and grow customer relationships through improved customer experiences. But in the Engagement Economy, keeping a customer becomes more important than acquiring them. This is because the Engagement... [...]

Barry Levine says, “SMS text messaging is undergoing a major renovation, with the announcement late last week of an expansion in the initiative by Google, carriers and manufacturers to launch a new standard, Rich Communications Services (RCS) for Android. The initiative itself was announced a year ago. A new Android Messages application — which supports SMS and MMS, as well as RCS — will replace the current Android native messaging app, Messenger for Android. It’s a direct response to the capabilities offered by such messaging apps as Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger, Apple’s iMessage,... [...]

Kristie Colby says, “Account-based marketing (ABM) is a trending topic in B2B marketing, building in popularity over the past few years. In 2016, more than 70 percent of B2B companies had staff dedicated to ABM programs, compared to just 20 percent the previous year, according to a study by SiriusDecisions. In 2017, B2B marketers are looking to refine their approach, leverage new tools, and better focus their investment on critical key accounts. The concept of ABM hinges on the convergence of Sales and Marketing — two historically divided sectors — working together to define key accounts... [...]

Justin Freid says, “In late January, Amazon made the announcement that they are looking into how to monetize their Echo and Dot smart home devices through paid advertising. This sent the advertising industry into a state of excitement. With Amazon having sold more than 5 million devices since launch, there is ample opportunity for advertisers to reach consumers. With so many functionalities of devices like Amazon’s Echo and their competitor, Google Home, the possibilities for advertisers seem endless. But how exactly could Amazon allow advertisers to engage their user base? Promotion of... [...]

Peter Isaacson says, “We’re just a couple of months into 2017, and you may already be sick of hearing about the latest overhyped marketing trend: artificial intelligence (AI). Before you sigh and think, “Really, another one?” let’s take a few minutes to explore how this trend will actually translate into results for your company. AI’s promise for B2B AI can mean a lot of things, from self-driving cars to Siri and Spotify. But basically, AI is really about taking basic tasks that humans do and automating them. And since there are a lot of hands-on processes in B2B marketing, there’s... [...]

Barry Levine says, “If you’re a marketer rubbing your hands together in anticipation of the virtual campaigns you’ll run in virtual reality, you may want to take a breath. The title of a recent Forrester Research report will likely slow you down: “Virtual Reality Isn’t Ready for Marketing Yet.” (Fee required for non-clients.) The study finds that “critical-mass consumer adoption of high-end VR headsets is five years away,” although 360-degree video “will flourish on low-to-mid-end VR devices in the meantime.” Generally, VR is defined as immersive and generated environments... [...]

Barry Levine says, “Live-streamed video took another step toward becoming a new kind of broadcasting with the release today by Traction Labs of its Live Suite. The San Francisco-based company offers a platform for connecting influencers and bloggers with video content. As part of that service, it began providing simultaneous distribution of recorded video streams to multiple sites and social networks. Last June, it offered the first distribution to multiple destinations of a live video stream, for a rally that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held in San Francisco. Today, it has productized... [...]

Erik Matlick says, “Outsiders often describe the business of MadTech (marketing and advertising technology) as the “Wild West” — and with good reason. The companies in this industry push boundaries to innovate, and as a collective, often push back against attempts to standardize or regulate that innovation. Take viewability as an example. The drive toward viewability standards was initially met with fear. Reports about fraud and hidden pixels sparked some very uncomfortable conversations between advertisers, agencies and publishers — but they also led to the growth of a new facet... [...]

Brent Sleeper says, “Marketers sometimes get a bad rap for not understanding the basics of the products we sell. You know, the idea that marketing is the easy A of Silicon Valley. If you’re a tech marketer, I’m sure you’ve encountered it at least once over the course of your career. While I won’t get into the stereotypes that let that notion linger, I think it’s safe to say there’s a bit of a “marketers are from Venus, engineers are from Mars” thing going on. That’s a shame. Not just because it relies on a caricature of what marketing is all about, but also because of the... [...]

Barry Levine says, “Marketers sure love them some artificial intelligence (AI). Even if they’re not quite sure what it is or whether they are already using it. That was the big takeaway from a December study by B2B targeting platform Demandbase, which itself has implemented AI in its platform. And that’s a key conclusion from another recent study, conducted by Forrester Consulting for Adgorithms, which has created an AI-driven marketing platform called Albert. (Forrester author Nick Phelps told me that, while Adgorithms had input on the report, Forrester had the final editorial control.) The... [...]