Back To The Future Of Marketing
Great scott! The ceo of ADMA, Jodie Sangster discusses how marketing has evolved since Back to the Future II release in 1989 (and bemoans the lack of flying cars).
Many column inches this week have been devoted to Back to the Future II related musings. For those of you who haven’t seen them, today marks the precise day that Doc and Marty smashed into future in that movie — well technically at 4.29 pm Californian time which is Australian tomorrow for the data focused amongst us.
Whilst I’d like to use this time to bemoan the lack of flying cars and the prescience the movie showed in terms of predicting smart homes, wearables, sophisticated gaming and multi-channel TV, it is today’s marketing efforts surrounding the date and how this compares to marketing at the time the movie was issued that are worth noting.
Toyota, for example, is tapping into the zeitgeist to launch its new ‘futuristic’ car, the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai. It will hit the market today and last week the brand released a short video featuring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd having a conversation about what has and hasn’t come to fruition from the movie’s imagining of 2015 with the full film being released today. As is typical for 2015 it has been posted on YouTube, promoted via Facebook and Twitter and has a microsite and teaser videos, including fake Toyota dealer ads and a 1800 number that gives consumers further information.
https://youtu.be/K1mbmH2B3-E
It is striking in the number of available and cross-channel consumer touch points the campaign will to reach today versus the number that existed when the movies was released in 1989. Digital, social, video and mobile were, in some cases, decades away (CEO of Snapchat Evan Spiegel was yet to be born) and the idea brands would have access to terabytes of data, most of which has been generated in the last few years alone, would be as fanciful as Marty’s hover-board.
But always-on cross-channel opportunities are today’s marketing reality. The ubiquity of ‘big data’ is such that we rarely hear the phrase anymore; is just ‘data’ now. That marketing should be increasingly data-driven is consequently a given for most brands, but the process of digital transformation and the development of the required skill set and talent in marketing teams is often easier said than done.
I can write this authoritatively as we are well into ADMA’s own digital transformation process. Clearly given our remit we have to walk our talk, but even being in the enviable position of having some of the industry’s best known experts on hand to advise, our small size and limited budget have offered plenty of challenges.
Key to success is ensuring a whole of business approach that has a solid strategy in place before the process even begins. Platforms and structures need to address current need but should also have one eye on the future (which in the near term is likely to include Internet of Things related technology, advanced beacon technology and robotic interactions).Emerging platforms and technologies are hitting the market all the time. At the risk of be labouring the movie analogy, when the film was released who would have guessed that wearable technologies would be a reality but self-adjusting clothes would not?
The next is in investment in the people that you have – and those you will recruit – in the data-driven skills that the marketers of today require. The reality is that senior marketers were likely in university or in their first jobs in 1989 when the movie came out. At that point in time, one of the most innovative pieces of marketing was the job that Pepsi did in its product placement deal with the studio that enabled Pepsi Perfect to be become part of the script (incidentally there was a terrific piece in last week’s US AdWeek on this which also talks about how Pepsi is releasing 6,500 limited edition bottles of Pepsi Perfect to coincide with today’s date).
So the task of overseeing emerging practices and ensuring that the right people are in place is a considerable one that has involved a steep learning curve, not least as technology is often outpacing the education and training available. We are seeing a huge upswing in our industry meet-ups as marketers from competing organisations are collaborating to share learnings. There is no cut and paste rule book to fall back on so the collective pooling of knowledge with competitors is often a better option than failing to move forward at all.
Education – and looking at what the industry requires in our post digital transformation world and how training can keep abreast, if not ahead of technology – has taken up the majority of ADMA’s thinking in 2015. Whilst we won’t be able to predict when marketers can beam branding to the underside of hover boards, we can ensure that they are better equipped to successfully leverage the available channels to them in 2016 and beyond and work to share the learnings of still nascent skills and practices to advance marketing skills across all levels of the marketing function.
We look forward to sharing how marketers can get their skills back on track to meet the future of marketing very shortly.
Please login with linkedin to comment
brand engagementLatest News
History Has Arrived: It’s The Cairns Crocodiles Inaugural Shortlist
Pen the acceptance speech and ready your best thongs and muumuu, because the Cairns Crocodiles shortlist has arrived.
IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement
Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a market integration with Roblox, a global immersive platform for connection and communication. Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their Immersive Ads within […]
Fast And Furious: Top Gear Australia Launch Thrilled Motorheads, Car Entusiasts And Guests
B&T is still no closer to knowing who the new Stig is, except that she is a woman and a ridiculously fast.
TV Ratings (02/05/2024): Seven’s The 1% Club Wins The Night
The 1% club did not live up to its name when it comes to TV ratings last night.
TRA Welcomes Raft Of New Hires; Bolstering Expertise Across Markets
Insights and research agency TRA announces slew of new hires. Still no news on the return of marble wash denim, however.
CX Lavender Hires Boston Consulting Group’s Kim Verbrugghe as Chief Strategy Officer
CX Lavender announces new strategy hire and channels 'acoustic folk act at local RSL' for the publicity pic.
Opinion: Community standards, will they be the death of us?
This columnist is talking community standards. Sadly not those people who put dogs in trolleys in supermarkets.
Tegel gets heads bobbing with new free-range chicken platform
Sure, there's a lot of moral considerations when buying a chook. Yet, not as baffling as buying eggs or canned tuna.
Study: 66% of Aussie men believe masculinity is under attack
Two-thirds of Aussie blokes say masculinity's under attack. That said, sales of Solo lemon drink appear robust.
‘Equal Writes’: Canyon reveals new campaign and refreshed brand for women and non-binary writers
As this brand redesign again proves, nothing beats black on white. Well, white on black in this instance.
Icon Agency bolsters consumer and integrated offer with major hires
Icon Agency unveils new recruits. As press photo confirms office moustache competition now a lay-down misère.
Clemenger launches agricultural graduate program
Has Farmer Wants A Wife triggered an interest in dagging & hay balers? This grads program may resonate.
Levi’s Appoint UM As Global Media Agency For $217m Account
Levi's are the jeans for rockstars, models & the cool kids. Although that's not stopped dads from ruining their image.
QMS Nabs Sean Rigby From oOh!media
Things set to get spicy at the next Outdoor Media Association dinner and dance as a rival gets poached.
Bumble Reveals New Brand Identity To Usher In New Era Of Dating
It's ironic that all the dating apps market themselves as having no weirdos, freaks or mummy's boys like their rivals.
Stay In The House From Up! Airbnb Introduces Icons
Airbnb is now letting people stay in "iconic" places that sadly doesn't include the house from Silence Of The Lambs.
Changing The Conversation: The Role Of Media In Ending Violence Against Women
Governments are finally waking up to the DV crisis. Here, B&T chats with Jasmin Bedir on the role media can play.
“If You Want To Listen To Something Else, Go For It”: Fifi Box On Blocking Out The Noise & Focussing On What Works
No one is at the coal face of Melbourne radio like Fifi Box. Here, she chats with B&T without coughing up a lung.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Ferrari Signs Landmark New Title Sponsor
B&T continuing our series on sports sponsorships. And, yet again, there's little good news for the ten pin bowlers.
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Not since Wonka opened the factory has there been such a hot ticket in town. Here's how to make the most of Cairns.
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Quip boss calls out her highlights of the Cannes agenda. We're assuming B&T staff b-boy demonstration was an oversight.
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?
Future & Taika Waititi Feature In Striking New Global Belvedere Campaign
Not only does drinking vodka make you cool like these dudes, it also has great weight loss properties for the bone idle.
The Fall Of Bonza: A Case Study In How To, And Not To, React In A Crisis
Does the collapse of yet another budget airline hark back to a gentler time of 17 hours spent on a Greyhound bus?
Opinion: Agencies, Be Unique – Stop Using The Word “Unique!”
Trinity P3's Ellie Angell says agencies are overusing the word unique. You could add omnichannel & holisitic to that.
Ex Marketing & Advertising Exec Releases Melanoma Memoir
Ex-adlander Anne Gately has penned a tome to skin cancer. Which is a handy reminder to check your moles, people.
Mamamia Appoint Danni Wright As New Head Of Strategy
Danni Wright takes up Mamamia's strategy reins with a feng shui expert called over positioning of office chaise lounge.
From The Bureau: Championing Competency & Cross-Industry Collaboration
The IAB's Jonas Jaanimagi calls for more specialisation in adtech. Meaning you'll understand it less than you already do.