John Williamson

🚀 The Future of Personalization is Here! Ready to explore what AI-driven personalization can do for your brand? Let’s chat! 📈 #DigitalMarketing #AI #CMOTrends #CustomerExperience #MarketingInnovation

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As one who interacts with CMOs all the time I can tell you this topic is at or near the top of their collective priority list. And while I am skeptical of those who espouse best practices when it comes to generative AI - only because it is so nascent - I felt compelled to share this particular piece from my fellow CMSWire scribe, Tiffany Holland Why? Glad you asked. I felt compelled for the simple fact I agree with everything Tiffany opined on, which she breaks down into four truths, which are below along with my brief commentary. Do yourself a favor and read her piece. ➡️ Truth #1: Inaction With Generative AI in Marketing Is the Greatest Risk Yes, yes and YES. If I could climb the highest mountain I would and bellow this to the masses below. This ain't the time to "sit this one out" whilst the rest of the world, AKA your competition is taking full advantage. ➡️ Truth #2: Generative AI Offers More Value Than Just Operational Efficiency Tiffany deftly writes of the "narrow view" many CMOs and marketers have of Gen AI, which "offers only short-term benefits and overlooks the true power of machine learning." Dating myself big time here but this reminded me of the late 70's campaign professing that orange juice is not just for breakfast anymore. https://lnkd.in/e95uWbex ➡️ Truth #3: Generative AI Solutions Fails in the Traditional Marketing Model "Generative AI won’t deliver its full potential if organizations try to plug it into outdated operating models." Full Stop! Read and re-read that over and over and over and then, for the love of all things Holy, do NOT blame Gen AI if you do not adhere to this sage advice. ➡️ Truth #4: Ethical Governance of Generative AI in Marketing Is Critical I love that Tiffany saved this one for last because it is THE most important truth, by far. Gen AI and AI in general, is very much akin to the wild west right now; no rules of governance other than those self-imposed. Brands MUST self-govern the way they use Gen AI if for no other reason, it is the ethical thing to do. Please share your thoughts on all of this. I love a good conversation and yes, a debate if need be. Jeanniey John Aakansha Srota Manny Shelly Lou Jeff Raja Ted Lee David Alma Dom Rhonda #ai #GenAI #cmo

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The CMO risks losing out to the CIO/CTO...but there is a solve. Unless CMO’s take this latest wake up call to lean in to technology - namely the Gen AI revolution - they will concede territory and influence to the IT department and CIO/CTO. Too many marketers have abdicated responsibility for technology to their teams or partners but Gen AI is so disruptive and transformative that CMO’s must take the lead. Read how you as a CMO can do that in your own organisation and what the significant macro use cases are that you should be exploring and experimenting with. My latest POV for Association of National Advertisers. Thanks for publishing guys.

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Just read in the EMARKETER article: "The role of the CMO has completely shifted to be equally focused on tech, data, analytics, creative, and culture." I can fully relate to Raja Rajamannar, CMO at Mastercard, in this approach. 1️⃣ Tech Today’s CMOs must navigate a complex landscape of technology. My team, for instance, uses around 30 tools in our stack, each serving different purposes. Mastering these tools is essential to optimizing processes and driving results. It's no longer enough to be a good marketer. You need to leverage tech for efficiency and scalability. 2️⃣ Data Every marketing initiative begins with gathering data. Whether it's users' characteristics, customer behavior or market trends, data is the raw material that fuels everything else. 3️⃣ Analytics Raw data, however, means little without analytics. Understanding what you want from the data, creating correct and easy-to-use dashboards, incl. with predictive analytics, provides that 360-degree view of what’s happening. It takes time to learn tools like Power BI or Amplitude, but once mastered, you can make data-driven decisions just by glancing at a graph. Many innovative things were born and passed to the product dep thanks to analytics. 4️⃣ Creative Creativity isn’t about "let's do smth cool/expensive/AI/whatever just because we want it." It’s the key to boosting engagement, making your brand known and stand out in a crowded market and, as a result, increasing sales. This blend of analytics and creativity is what drew me to the CMO role — it’s a perfect balance of strategy and imagination, which I absolutely love. 5️⃣ Culture Culture is often overlooked by marketing heads, though it’s the foundation. While building culture is sometimes attributed to HR, I firmly believe it should be a joint effort between HR, Marketing, and, most importantly, top management. After all, marketing is about shaping or re-shaping perceptions, both internally and externally. #CMO #marketing #marketingchallenges #CMOrole #CMOinsights #strategy #CMOlife

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Customer adapt to disruption faster than most organizations - this is a lesson we have learned during the pandemic. The foundation for business growth lies on enhancing operations and product offer to deliver value-added customer experience (CX). I look forward to the upcoming PRAD - Puerto Rico Advertising Forum - when we will discuss how to bring the best of CX to consumers across multiple markets. #vml #marketdata #data&knowledge #dataforgood

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AI isn’t the future of marketing—it’s happening right now. As The Wall Street Journal reports in this recent article, Taco Bell and KFC’s parent company is using AI to drive personalization at scale, delivering hyper-targeted campaigns that are skyrocketing purchases. This isn’t just innovation—it’s a wake-up call for marketers everywhere. What bold steps are you taking to integrate AI into your strategy? Share your thoughts or experiences—I’d love to hear how you’re staying ahead in this AI-powered era! 💬 Sharing is key in this revolutionary era.

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Notable that the Brands ranked highest for delivering customer experiences are achieving success thanks to AI driven personalization. Coincidentally, I am reading former Google Exec / Northwestern Kellogg Professor Jim Lecinski book, The AI Marketing Canvas, including a Jack Kornfield quote: "The trouble is that you think you have time". Professor Lecinski's book is delightfully customer (vs. technology) centric. He frames AI as a lever to "deliver amazing, highly personalized customer experiences that set brands apart and help them win". Brand leaders aspiring to improve their customer experience would be well served to read this highly practical / action focused book.

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Understanding and integrating the user's intent is how you create more profound, lasting relationships with your users. It’s one of the critical pillars of our Intelligent Experiences. Get a deeper dive from the legend Chidi Achara #IX #Huge

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"The whole premise of the Un-Carrier Movement was about fixing a stupid, broken, arrogant industry." - Jon Freier, President of T-Mobile's U.S. Consumer Group. In 2012, T-Mobile was losing 2 million customers annually and facing a bleak future. The company dared to make radical changes to deliver more value to customers than competitors were willing to offer. This was not just a marketing campaign—it was a strategic overhaul designed to differentiate T-Mobile in a highly competitive market. | "If you treat customers great and you treat 'em | better than your competitors, guess what? | They'll stay." The Un-Carrier strategy involved eliminating contracts, introducing unlimited data plans, and launching innovative programs like T-Mobile Tuesdays. These moves were risky financial bets, but they were based on a core belief: if we deliver materially better value to customers, they will stay longer, buy more, and tell their friends. | "We just decided to have customers win first. | Our employees win second and then our | shareholders ultimately winning after that." This approach aligns with a perspective I’ve often discussed: companies that prioritize customer value ultimately achieve superior financial performance. T-Mobile's strategy perfectly demonstrates how focusing on long-term customer loyalty can drive substantial business growth and market differentiation. | "The biggest risk is not doing all of that. The biggest | risk is just doing exactly the same. Where our business | was, it needed a bold shakeup." These customer-centric innovations led T-Mobile to re-establish itself as a leader in customer satisfaction, dramatically improving its Net Promoter Score (NPS) and outperforming its competitors in both market share and customer loyalty. Since 2012, T-Mobile’s total shareholder returns have exceeded the S&P 500 by at least four times. Want to learn more about the strategies behind this incredible turnaround? Tune in to the latest episode of Customer Confidential with Jon Freier. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gqwBEaCM #CustomerExperience #Innovation #NPS #TelecomRevolution #CustomerValue

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GenAI is accelerating digital transformation like never before and it's putting consumers at the center. 45% of consumers are embracing GenAI faster than businesses realize, and it’s already reshaping how they live, work, and play. Prophet surveyed 2,400 people globally to uncover the surprising ways consumers are using GenAI to improve their lives—whether through inspiration, discovery, entertainment, or even autonomous decision-making. Our report reveals how your business can harness this momentum to unlock consumer-centric growth and stay ahead of the curve. Download + get the insights. Thanks to authors: Chan Suh Lauren Papes Chiaki Jin Nishino Erin Weissert

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As a branding & comms person, I often code switch to a "commercial marketer" so I can hope to gain a perceived (aka better), more strategic seat around the business table. But watching how attribution and GPTs can sanitize brands into oblivion I'm wearing my Storytelling badge with renewed pride. Storytelling is far from a "soft" skill in the business world; it is the essential, and often, missing piece in marketing strategy. This MIT Sloan School of Management article highlights several key benefits that storytelling delivers such as "sustained winning," solidifying its importance in driving business success: 1️⃣ Enhanced Understanding and Engagement: Storytelling makes complex data more accessible and engaging, helping teams and stakeholders understand and retain information better. This improved comprehension leads to more informed decision-making. 2️⃣ Improved Collaboration and Cohesion: Internal storytelling fosters a sense of connection and shared purpose among team members, building cohesion and inspiring cultural change. This unity is crucial for driving collective efforts towards common goals. 3️⃣ Strategic Impact: Combining data with storytelling enhances the strategic impact of marketing efforts. It allows for creating compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences, driving engagement and loyalty. Better yet, stories are easy to re-tell meaning your brand awareness gets a nice bump. The MIT article underscores that storytelling can be a critical component for achieving sustained performance and success in data-driven teams and beyond. #storytelling #brands https://lnkd.in/gBmK88fJ

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The future of search, AI and enterprise knowledge management is one of the most dynamic spaces to be involved in right now. Had a great conversation yesterday on this with Mark Demeny and our friends at Yext and Janus Boye I know this is near the top of the agenda for our forum next week in Boston. "As search continues to fragment and evolve with AI at the forefront, marketers must prepare for a radically different digital landscape. This requires a fundamental shift in how we approach digital marketing and measure success." https://lnkd.in/e_aSmdFG

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As a data strategy nerd, I found this article particularly insightful, offering the perspective of a leading #CPG marketer, Colgate-Palmolive, who is placing consumer and customer #data at the core of their #marketing #strategy and #tactics. 1. Collecting & Prioritizing First-Party Data: Colgate-Palmolive has redesigned its digital properties and apps to prioritize the collection of first-party data, such as email addresses and user consent. This approach not only reduces their reliance on third-party data but also aligns with evolving data privacy regulations and mitigates risk. 2. Quality Over Quantity: The company highlights the importance of collecting high-quality, declarative, deterministic data. By focusing on data that is intentionally gathered to provide personalized and valuable content. Colgate-Palmolive avoids the pitfalls of amassing large quantities of data without clear purpose, as demonstrated by their Hill’s pet food brand. 3. Investing in the Right Tools: Colgate-Palmolive is building a robust data infrastructure, including a customer data platform (CDP) and a customized martech stack. This investment ensures that the data collected is well-organized, effectively managed, and utilized across various channels. By doing so, they aim to achieve a unified view of the customer, enabling more personalized and impactful marketing strategies. Safe controlled data collaboration (#cleanroom) will be key when they activate and measure their advertising. 4. Future-Proofing: This first-party data strategy is designed to future-proof their marketing efforts. Instead of viewing the decline of third-party cookies as a challenge, Colgate-Palmolive sees it as an opportunity to strengthen direct relationships with consumers and better position their brand against direct-to-consumer (DTC) competitors. #datacollaboration #contentpersonalization #personalization #DigitalAdvertising #DigitalMarketing #CDP #Privacy https://lnkd.in/gmbVi-9P

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The white house has launched an initiative aimed at eliminating the daily frustrations plaguing American consumers. Aptly named "Time is Money," this program validates what industry veterans like Kate Leggett have long advocated: the critical importance of valuing customers' time. Key focus areas include: • Streamlining subscription cancellations • Mandating automatic cash refunds for flight disruptions • Digitalizing health claim submissions • Eradicating customer service "doom loops" • Combating fake reviews • Cracking down on ineffective chatbots • Optimizing parent-school communications Several of these points directly target customer service deficiencies, leaving me with mixed feelings. The irony is stark: the shift to online customer service was intended to save time, yet it has often resulted in convoluted processes that transform simple tasks into frustrating undertakings. While addressing these issues is overdue, we must acknowledge the challenges faced by customer service professionals. They grapple with the increasing complexity of their roles, often seeing their efforts undermined by the growing intricacies of the processes they're tasked to handle. Nonetheless, this initiative represents a positive step forward for the industry. Link in the ist comment to this post #cx #customerservice

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Thrilled to share a snippet from my recent podcast appearance on "Fractional CMOs and the 90 Day Win," hosted by Dean Waye of Winston Writes and also featuring insights from Carolina McCulloch of CMO Arkitechs. https://lnkd.in/eNaqc4Df Here we are talking about the unique role of Fractional CMOs and the impactful goal of leaving a startup company in a stronger position than when we joined. We discuss how bringing in a Fractional CMO can catalyze the implementation of effective strategies and the importance of setting up the right team dynamics for sustained success. Stay tuned for the full episode being published soon. #Leadership #FractionalCMO #BusinessGrowth #StrategicMarketing #PodcastSnippet

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Every software vendor claims to be a CDP, do magic with AI, and activate across an ever-growing list of customer communication touchpoints. However, that doesn't mean every technology and solution provider is the same, and brands embracing technology that prioritizes performance, productivity & trust is the trifecta of undeniable Marketing AI value. A new age of use case-driven recipes for customer propensity scoring has arrived! http://2.sas.com/6040iBdWs #MarketingAI #CustomerAnalytics #PropensityRecipes #Martech

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