Marketing predictions are like weather forecasts – whatever is going to happen will happen, then someone takes credit for getting it right.
Michael Schinelli, Chief Marketing Officer of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, should get ready to say, “I called it!” His prediction? That design will become the next big differentiator.
They are the foundation on which Lightspeed was built. When we hear about an event that went horribly wrong, we try to listen and learn.
This is the case with The Fyre Festival. The brainchild of Ja Rule and self-described “serial entrepreneur” Billy McFarland, the Fyre Festival was supposed to be the marriage of music, technology and an exotic locale.
‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ – Maya Angelou
In a chronically-distracted, over-scheduled world, it’s warranted to feel like partner marketing programs are at a standstill. Relying on traditional incentive programs, rewards card, rebates, spiffs (short-term product-specific sales bonuses), and conventional marketing efforts is necessary, but not sufficient. Providing that extra impetus for reseller reps to lead with your solution requires you to dig deeper.
What’s missing?
The Curse of Knowledge concept is a big deal in technology marketing communications. A great example is Elon Musk outlawing the use of acronyms at SpaceX. Reportedly a fire-able offense, Musk coolly stated in his biography that they don’t save time and almost always cause confusion as businesses expand their reach. He admonished that when you’re a rocket scientist too much is at risk to assume people understand the context required to make sense of an acronym.
The same is true for every product or business initiative acronym that you’ve ever concocted. Great for captive internal teams, but how about a channel partner with 20+ vendors on the order card or a new employee learning on the job, alphabet soup.
“I wish I were closer friends with Snoop Dogg.” Flash forward from that 2014 Reddit AMA post by Martha Stewart, to today’s surprise break-out hit on VH1, Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party. Lifestyle queen Martha and rapper Snoop are two distinct brands who understand customer experience (CX) relies on the power of partnerships.
The odd (yet somehow perfect) couple’s new series is part cooking show, part dinner party, part reality TV, with an extra dash of self-aware irony. Together they create an experience their audience can’t eat up fast enough. Fo’ shizzle.
