You see much written today about a technology, data and analytical-driven marketing future. Whether it be location-based activity or marketing automation, we are seeing swathes of new opportunities arise that allow brands to better engage with audiences.
While the talk of ethics is relevant, those that innovate and dream to create a better brand future through new techniques and tools simply have a more progressive view. When direct marketing boomed in the 90s, opt-in/opt-out legislation protected audiences, and I see that this approach will also evolve in a brave new world. Governments will - or should - inform and protect their citizens. Ethical brands will support this.
Also, audiences will opt-in because they see value in doing so and I am keen to showcase the opportunities for marketers when audiences do opt-in. In particular, I want to show that data and analytics are not just for digital and mobile, but can be used in events.
I am not talking about virtual events or exhibitions or things that look to replace face-to-face. They have their time and place and events are still hugely popular. I am talking more about how people are now using ‘the cloud’ to continue to build upon the equity that ‘event brands’ have built with their respective target communities. Give event access to people who are not there and stimulate ongoing engagement.
Many public events and their participants fail to capitalise on the equity they have. More so, many marketers feel that they cannot afford the investment to capitalise on the equity of their private events because of cost.
Terms such as ‘hybrid events’ do not capture the essence of what is possible. The creation of apps is great, but is also often hastily proposed simply because they are popular; meaning that the best returns-on-investments are often missed. The challenge facing marketers is that many providers are focused on providing tactical solutions, as opposed to creating strategic backbones that allow for community creation, and broader and ongoing engagement.
In a recent discussion with Kenes Asia, they revealed to me quite simply how their strategic view on how their clients should engage with audiences is creating more value for their clients. Kenes are in the business of Medical Congress organisation and Association Management. They are very clear on why target audiences attend their client events: the content and to stay connected with their peers.
What Kenes have done successfully is that they simply have made it easier for this content to be captured, distributed and used.
At the heart of Kenes’ solution is a technological backbone which neatly plugs together all the elements of mobile, engagements, touch, scan and web into a cloud solution. Delegates no longer have to travel home with extra kilograms of paper.
However, the strategic value lies in the ability of other community members to access this content through integration and syndication through existing communities. They create strategic value through providing their clients with the opportunity to continue to engage with their audiences after the event and deliver on ongoing education needs through engagements like e-learning.
Despite the ongoing investments made in events in B2B and B2C marketing, there is still room for improvement. Marketers should be creating better value from their investments - whether it is a corporate conference, product launch or road-show.
The view of an event as being simply four walls and a roof needs to change. An event is simply one engagement in a big lifecycle of engagements. By taking a long-term view on defining how events should be run, marketers can look to take advantage of the interconnected world.
