for 2013

Predicting the future

and any-ball game played anywhere.

wonderfully futile endeavor. Were it not, Las Vegas would prognosticators of every football, baseball, basketball,

is by and large a

share a passion for marketings past, present, and future that lets them spot trendsmany of which will be very relevant to your brand in 2013.

have to close up shop overnight as we all became perfect

So dig inthink, question, and challenge the predictions you

This is not to say, however, that predictions are without value. day blinders and helps us contemplate how the events of the past and present may shape whats yet to come. For todays constant changeoften afraid to look anywhere but forward seemingly drives our every move today. marketers, this is a priceless exercise as we live in a state of

find within these pages. Do they align with what youre seeing within your market? Is there a big trend coming that you need to prepare for today?

The mere act of contemplating the future removes our day-to-

The value of these predictions lies not in their accuracy at some find them as thought-provoking as we do.

future date, but in the questions they inspire today. We hope you

for fear that well fall behind our peers and the technology that

And thats exactly why we ask you to stop and read this

To an inspired future,
Looking for More Predictions in 2013?

collection of predictions from ExactTarget clients, partners,

employees, and friends. Collectively, they have hundreds of years of experience as marketers. They understand brand, audience, technology, data, automation, measurement, and ROI

like Vegas understands point spreads. And while they dont share some magical crystal ball that lets them divine the future, they do

Tim Kopp CMO, ExactTarget

Visit blog.exacttarget.com for additional insights from our ExactTarget community of clients, partners, employees, and industry thought-leaders.

Table of Contents
Introduction 2

Section I: CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

Matt Fleckenstein, Microsoft 6 Jay Baer, Convince & Convert 7 Jeff Eden, DEG Digital 8 Christopher Parkin, Adobe 9 Ashraf Montaser, AdInfinity 10

Section II: EMAIL 11

Bryan Wade, ExactTarget 12 Matt Blumberg, Return Path 13 Kristina Huffman, ExactTarget 14

Section III: MOBILE 15

Brent Hieggelke, Urban Airship 16

R. J. Talyor, ExactTarget 17

Table of Contents
Section IV: SOCIAL 18
Susan Marshall, ExactTarget 19 Marcus Nelson, Addvocate 20 Mark Schaefer, Blogger, Author, and Business Consultant 21 Phil Szomszor, Firefly Communications 22 Maddie Grant, Socialfish 23 Geoff Livingston, Author, Speaker, and Strategist 24 Andre Bourque, Blogger and Social Media Specialist 25

Section V: MARKETING AUTOMATION

26

Stephanie Miller, DMA 27 Mathew Sweezey, Pardot 28

Section VI: NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

29

Kip Edwardson, Scotts Miracle-Gro 30 Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute 31 David Berkowitz, 360i 32 Linda Woolley, DMA 33 Jamyn Edis, Dash Labs 34 Christopher Krohn, Restaurant.com 35

CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

Big Data Breakthroughs

Big Data seems to be the big thing right now. International Data
Corporation (IDC) recently released a worldwide Big Data technology and services forecast showing the market is expected to grow from $3.2 billion in 2010 to $16.9 billion in 2015. Theres no denying that companies across the globe in nearly new and interesting ways. all industries are investing heavily in big data solutions to drive their business in campaign approaches cant keep up with pervasively addressable customers who engage well before and after the point of purchase. More than ever, customers create their own paths across channels and touchpoints, bobbing and weaving as they discover, research, buy, and evangelize products and services. Existing CRM solutions cant keep up.

While big data continues to grow in popularity, it seems that the majority of use

I predict that in 2013, we will see big data solutions extend beyond traditional CRM, and a new category of real-time, cross-channel digital marketing automation will responses to) digital marketing efforts, and product/service usage behaviors will sit atop big data solutions. emerge. For the first time, customers online transactions, responses to (or nonstream in real time into advanced, data-driven marketing automation platforms that

cases center around improved business and customer intelligence. Respondents in Forrester Researchs June 2011 Global Big Data Online Survey reported that and analytics, while nearly three out of 10 (28%) were using big data for ERP or CRM purposes. the majority of companies (55%) are leveraging big data for business intelligence

While progress is being made in leveraging big data for CRM (see ING Direct

As in the past, digital marketers will leverage their marketing knowledge and business/ customer intelligence to create a series of interactions that cut across the customer CRM program is launched, real-time marketing automation solutions will take over, leveraging rules-based personalization and adaptive algorithms/machine learning to modify and optimize messages to individual users based upon current and past journey to determine which message to serve to a customer. But once a campaign or

and Target), it is becoming increasingly clear that in todays digital world, traditional CRM approaches fall short. As Forrester analyst Rob Brosnan writes, Traditional

marketing performance. More than ever, marketing automation tools that are adaptive and flexible enough to keep up with and respond to customer interactions are critical, the fact that no two customers follow the same customer journey. given the amount (and changing nature) of customer data we now have available and

In the past decade, weve seen automated, algorithmic platforms revolutionize how

Matt Fleckenstein Director of Product Intelligence Microsoft Office and Office 365 Microsoft www.microsoft.com @MatFlec

we buy/sell/trade stocks. (In 2010, it was projected that as much as 60% of all orders on the New York Stock Exchange were fulfilled by automated trading tools.) In 2013, similar revolution for driving CRM across the customer journey. we will see real-time, cross-channel marketing automation tools emerge and begin a

Inspired Predictions for CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

Viral Breathes Its Last

2013 will be the death of viral as a marketing strategy. Despite the success of Old
Spice, Honey Badger, Gangnam Style, and other outliers, brands will recognize that swinging for the fences breeds strikeouts and is wholly unpredictable and unreliable. In 2013, brands will eschew the strategy of hope and embrace a new strategy of helpand in doing so, will usher in a new era that diminishes promotion in favor of information.

According to research conducted by Google, in 2010, consumers needed 5.3 sources of information before making a purchase. In 2011, just one year later, they needed 10.4 sources. In just 12 months, the amount of information needed to pull the buying trigger doubled. Why? Are we less decisive? More risk adverse? No. We need more information because we have more information. From blogs to podcasts to review websites to Facebook and beyond, prospective customers are floating in a sea of data, and brands will begin to aggressively wage this war of information in 2013.

Customers are more curious and more suspicious than ever. The only way to succeed in that environment is to tilt the marketing objective from selling to helping.
Youtility is marketing thats so useful, people would pay for it. If brands do that will do their marketing for them. Theyll sell more by selling less. Thats my prediction for 2013. Brands will focus on making their marketing indispensible. if they make their marketing inherently, truly, astoundingly usefultheir customers

Simultaneous shifts in how, why, and how much information customers consume have fundamentally altered the success formula for modern business. Brands cant survive by shouting the loudest and relying solely on anachronistic, interruption-marketing, or even wacky videos that they pray will go viral. They cant send an email every day, proclaiming that theyre featuring the biggest sale ever! They cant simply rewrite a portion of the online brochure and hope that Google funnels customers to the website. Customers are more curious and more suspicious than ever. The only way to succeed in that environment is to tilt the marketing objective from selling to helping.

If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you may create a customer for life. Brands will take cues from Hilton Hotels, McDonalds key to success is to stop being a salesman and start becoming a Youtility. Canada, Clorox, Columbia Sportswear, and many, many others that have realized the

Jay Baer President Convince & Convert www.convinceandconvert.com @JayBaer

Inspired Predictions for CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

The Year of Omnichannel

Most organizations are collecting and using data to drive sales and
usually erring by being too focused on tactics without cohesive lines back to the organizational objectives.

help decisions. However, few are truly taking advantage of the opportunities in front

In 2013, youll begin to see the most successful marketers creating ever

of them to leverage that data for successful, meaningful, sustainable engagement

more sophisticated and effective cross-channel marketing experiences. The

customer touchpoint data that is shared between a brands website, email, social personalization like never before. This will most certainly manifest itself in both on and offline experiences.

interactions, and mobile will lead to cross-channel content, product, and experience

Doing this means highly sophisticated data organization and significant analytical firepower, along with seamless front and back-end systems integration and an omnichannel approach to marketing. To be successful, this approach must be an

ongoing strategic effort and cultural mindsetnot just something you set and forget.

I believe that the personalized, integrated, experiential marketing portrayed in Minority Report is about to become a reality.
There will be nearly 140 million smartphones in the hands of US consumers by the end of 2013, and according to e-Tailing Group Inc., roughly 80% of retailers those figures with the technological advancements in analytics, cross-channel

have indicated that they will invest in mobile commerce in the coming year. Couple message delivery, geo-location, and content personalization, and I believe that the movie, Minority Report, is about to become a reality.

personalized, integrated, experiential marketing portrayed in Steven Spielbergs 2002

Jeff Eden Principal DEG Digital www.degdigital.com @JEden

As digital marketers, we couldnt be living in more exciting times.

Inspired Predictions for CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

The Millisecond Opportunity

The explosion in data and content while a challenge to marketers,
is leading to innovation. We are rapidly moving into a post-PC world of unprecedented mobility, social connectedness, and content creation. The types, power, and connectivity of the devices we use is creating an increasing number of signals that each of us random acts and factsthey are self-defining choices with meaning. To address the last millisecond opportunity, marketing leaders are re-platforming with new systems that help them:  Sort through customer actions to find the meaningful signals that help them understand what theyre doing right now, where they are, and what device they are using

broadcastsour likes, interests, posts, traffic patterns, etc. These signals arent

 Marry those signals with what is known about the customer from all  Use this view to predict the most appropriate content to deliver

available sources of data (CRM, social, etc.) to create a more holistic view

Powerful devices and social connectedness have also made it much easier for businesses and consumers to create and distribute quality content.

 Automatically assemble and deliver the appropriate content experience regardless of channel or device  Accomplish it all within milliseconds

Marketing leaders will accelerate innovation in 2013 to make sense of all of these signals and content to deliver meaningful engagement. And they will do it in milliseconds.
Marketing leaders will accelerate innovation in 2013 to make sense of all of these signals and content to deliver meaningful engagement. And they will do it in milliseconds. By meaningful engagement, I mean delivering content and experience that is so timely, relevant, and personal that it adds value to our customers lives. This isnt a new concept, but we are just now gaining access to the technology needed to deliver on the promise of personalization.

Consumers have started to experience some really positive engagement experiences and are thus increasingly demanding it as part of their relationship with brands. tools to deliver on this customer expectation. Marketing leaders will innovate in 2013 with newly available technology platforms and

Christopher Parkin Strategic Alliances & Adobe Genesis Adobe Systems www.adobe.com @CParkin70

Inspired Predictions for CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

True Cross-Channel Marketing Arrives

How many times have you heard the term cross-channel bandied
candidate has been pictured kissing babiesconstantly.

about? As a marketer, the answer is probably more times than your average political

What is usually meant is that you can do web and social and email and offline and of data and try to reach them through a single channel. Either way, its not great.

mobile separately. Or, you can do it just as ineffectually as you aggregate these bits

We can start doing what marketers everywhere are trying to do send each user a tailored message in the right environment at the right time.
Real-time recommendation engines are a simple example of this. Used in a checkout lane and integrated into email receipts, theyve been around for some time. Display ads use behavioral targeting in the same way to target messages. The proliferation

No more. The user will be a single user and each channel will have context of the

users state at that moment in time. The technology has been around for awhile and

now big data has moved from a buzzword to business-as-usual. We can start doing

what marketers everywhere (no matter the channel) are trying to dosend each user to-one marketing in many channels.

a tailored message in the right environment at the right time, otherwise known as one-

of offline and online profiling through social media sites and loyalty schemes, cheap computing power, and company acquisition/consolidation is all happening. The only by marketers. Target was a case study in profiling and targeting (forgive the pun) a few years ago, and now these tools are cheaply available to all. thing missing is the elastic bands to tie them together and a multi-disciplined approach

The final technology piece is real acquisition modeling, which can account for the myriad of data noise in all channels. Marketers can move to building campaigns and messages around context and real time profiling and data enrichment rather than medium. So the best advice is to go back to Marketing 101: Keep it simple. Focus on target and message, not medium.

Ashraf Montaser Co-Founder & Director AdInfinity www.adinfinity.com.au @AdInfinityAU

Make the experience spookily personalnot creepy.

Inspired Predictions for CROSS-CHANNEL MARKETING

10

EMAIL

11

The Year of the First Impression

When it comes to email, 2013 will be all about making that first
are being viewed opens the door for new innovations in email. Three things in particular will impact email marketing in 2013: impression of the email count, reaching your readers wherever they are, and making sure your message gets read. The changing landscape for where and how emails and managing the inbox. Both ISP based-organizers (e.g., Gmail and Yahoo!) and client-based organizers (e.g., Outlook) automatically organize and display content view emails in their inbox. This technology could be a game-changer in the way marketers think about inbox preview and rendering. based on rules set up by the consumeressentially changing the way consumers

1. Mobile will become the platform of choice for email.

Handheld devices will overtake the PC screen as the place where consumers read Marketers must adaptliterallywith adaptive HTML design using responsive designs. The @Media rules built into HTML to detect handheld devices versus C screens will make their way into the mainstream email design standards. New technologies are making links device-aware (thus allowing marketers to and more mobile-aware. emails first, making mobile rendering the most pressing issue email marketers face.

3. Testing will become the new send wizard.

In 2013, marketers will increasingly allow data to drive their email strategy through content areas, or even entire email layouts to see what drives a higher ROI. the use of testing. Marketers will devote more time to testing subject lines, images, Sophisticated marketers will not only test the emails themselves, but they will also test which data segments perform best. Testing tools are so easy to use that every email test. Marketers will gain greater insight into winning subject lines, content, and lose effectiveness over time. send will become a testand todays winner will become the baseline for tomorrows layoutsincluding important information about seasonality or how a campaign may

redirect to a mobile app instead of the web), causing link redirects to be smarter

2. Inbox organizers will change subscribers view of email.

Marketed to consumers as time savers and productivity tools, inbox organizers will become increasingly popular in 2013 as consumers realize their benefit for organizing

The changing landscape for where and how emails are being viewed opens the door for new innovations in email.

Bryan Wade Vice President, Email Products ExactTarget www.exacttarget.com @Bryan_Wade

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Inspired Predictions for EMAIL

Consumers Will Fall in Love with Email (Again)

In 2013, consumers will start discovering what industry insiders are already
seeingemail is cool again. For the record, its always been cool. But its been a long time since so many new ideas about email came to light. This burst of new development offers a glimpse into the inbox of the future, and for smart marketers, its an opportunity. The inbox of the future also manages email more actively. It automates sorting and prioritizes messages with solutions like OtherInbox (a Return Path subsidiary), Sanebox, and Gmails Priority Inbox. It dictates when messages are received and sent (Boomerang for Gmail), and lets users set reminders (FollowUp.cc) so they can ignore messages until theyre ready to read them.

First and foremost, the inbox of the future is a command center. Its where users manage social data, schedules, and even other communication channels. Think of how Rapportive displays contacts social media information in a Gmail sidebar; inboxes; or how TripIt uses flight confirmation emails to build and manage travel

Soon, experiences that once required leaving the inbox will start taking place directly

from messages. Consumers will watch video, theyll read Tweets, theyll review offers advances like DMARC, people will even shop directly from the inbox of the future although probably not in 2013.

or how Google Voice via Google Talk lets Gmail users make phone calls from their itineraries. Then there are task managers like MailPilot and ActiveInbox that turn

based on geo-targeted messages. Thanks to widespread industry adoption of security

email into a to-do list. All of this happens in the inbox, and as users embrace and and offline experiences.

spur more innovation like this, email will increasingly centralize an array of online

As consumers rediscover emails coolness and manage more of their lives from the inbox, theyll offer marketers an opportunity to truly engage them.
So as consumers rediscover emails coolness and manage more of their lives from the inbox, theyll offer marketers an opportunity to truly engage them. One critical factor will separate brands that take advantage of this offer from the rest: intelligence.

Matt Blumberg Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman Return Path www.returnpath.com @MattBlumberg

Marketers that succeed will know what devices their subscribers read email on, when they read their messages, what they do with them (move them, forward them, ignore them)and use these insights to build highly customized, highly effective campaigns. Meanwhile mailbox providers will offer an additional incentive: theyll use some of marketers from the rest.

these same insights to guide deliverability decisions, further distancing the smartest

Inspired Predictions for EMAIL

13

Email Flexibility Unlocks True Creativity

In 2013, designers will stop redesigning the wheel with every email send and
more time coming up with new ideas. Ideation and openness to change are innate to a designers nature and training and can be a hugely valuable asset in broader creative conversations outside of just cranking out emails.

set up flexible email templates so they can increase production efficiencies and spend

uniqueness of our business. You sent a Columbus Day sale email,

but can you really explain what Columbus Day has to do with your business?

Be honest and transparent with your subscribers and they will return the favor. The static, print-inspired email will die. Emails will not look the same in every

email client, whether its because were using progressive enhancement tactics or giving up some control around how an email looks, which isnt always easy.

responsive layouts. Content and design will be tailored to subscribers. This means

The static, print-inspired email will die. Emails will not look the same in every email client.
We will all get our heads out of the Apple tree and start to recognize Android as the mobile market leader, accommodating its preview pane and image-blocking when appropriate, informed decisions for the future of our subscribers. Subscribers are starting to expect mobile legibility. Clear communication equals good design dont be deleted. we design. We will monitor the open tracking data and market share data and make

Finally, well see socially-ranked and curated content take front and center, letting

customers connect directly with influencers. Customer-curated content is trustworthy and personaltwo aspects of marketing that are the hardest to achieve. Its a winwininfluencers are featured, which extends their reach, and marketers receive thoughtfully crafted content for their communications. Let's create this future together!

We will stop hoarding and hyper-analyzing all of our competitors emails.

Instead, well replace that time with true collaboration between internal stakeholders to develop and test new, crazy ideas that really speak to the personality and

Kristina Huffman Design Practice Lead ExactTarget www.exacttarget.com @ETDesign

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Inspired Predictions for EMAIL

MOBILE

15

Mobile Apps Become a Strategic Imperative

Lets just get this out of the way and proclaim 2013 as
another Year of Mobile. In fact, global PC sales were outpaced by total smartphone sales starting in 2011, so its probably time for us to just agree that this is the decade of mobile. The fact is that mobile changes things more than anything weve ever seen. with Kraft Foods Group (now Mondelez) moving 10% of its media budget to mobile. In addition, the Mobile Marketing Associations recent MXS mobile study recommended that marketers in 2013 should spend 7% of their budget on mobile advertising.

In 2013, mobile apps will move from being a brands playground to a strategic imperative:  Smartphone users worldwide will download more than 45 billion apps (Gartner, August 17, 2012)

Its probably time for us to just agree that this is the decade of mobile. The fact is that mobile changes things more than anything weve ever seen.
In 2013, well see mobile advertising spend grow at an increasing pace. Were not going out on a limb to say that mobile ad budgets will at least quadruple in 2013 as brand advertisers seek to be where consumers are. Were already seeing evidence of this

this yearnearly twice the number of apps that were downloaded in 2011.

 Mobile apps are a $6 billion market today, growing to $55.7 billion by 2015. (Forrester, February 13, 2012)  Consumer spending on mobile app stores and digital content will increase from $18 billion this year to $61 billion by 2016. (Gartner, July 12, 2012)

And now with push messaging, apps have a direct voice with all of their best

customers and can reach out anytime, any placewithout the app even being open. advertising budgets from other channels as brands find higher response rates and a

Push establishes direct-to-consumer communications with the future potential to steal much lower costfor example, sending Rich Push videos versus having TV ads being skipped over on DVRs. And theres already growing evidence that push messaging is a primary reason that consumers keep some apps on their smartphones.

In 2013, location will become apps trump card. Apps will leverage location to offer more value and innovative features to users. Location insights will enable apps to are right now, but where youve beenwhere you live, work, and play. attain an unprecedented level of messaging precisionnot only knowing where you

Brent Hieggelke CMO Urban Airship www.urbanairship.com @BHieggelke

Inspired Predictions for MOBILE

16

Mobile ROI Takes Hold

2013 will be the year of the mobile return on investment (ROI). Marketers have
already invested the resources into experimenting with mobile. In 2013, theyll use data to prove what works, and what doesnt. No matter the sophistication level of a mobile program, marketers can calculate its ROI. And the good news with mobile marketing? The data is there. Clicks, opens, mCommerce conversions, coupon codes, in-app conversions... its a dream field of marketing data that can be used to quickly calculate the ROI of a mobile marketing investment. Doing so will lead to a number of shifts in 2013.

Clicks, opens, mCommerce conversions, coupon codes, in-app conversions...its a dream field of marketing data that can be used to quickly calculate ROI.
The most advanced marketers will determine ROI based on market segmentor each consumer, each purchase path and each marketing goal. individual. ROI by segment (or individual) will show that different channels work for

Marketers solely adopting mobile will recognize their mobile email open rate (some marketers are seeing mobile opens over 30%; others, over 50%!) and refine templates and practices for conversion on the handset or tablet. Seeing its return on investment, marketers will decide on how best to incorporate SMS and push use cases only for those channels. messaging into a lifecycle marketing program, or whether to stick with transactional

In 2013, marketers will create simple to complex marketing campaigns that start, in 2013, and the data is there. Where will this new ROI lead you?

continue, and end on a mobile device. Accountability for mobile investment is coming

More advanced marketers will integrate advertising, email marketing, SMS/text

marketing, and push messages into the ways they promote their apps and mobile

websites. In calculating the ROI for a mobile website or app, marketers will abandon disparate marketing programs and go with fully integrated cross-channel programs that result in higher ROI.

R. J. Talyor Vice President, Mobile Products ExactTarget www.exacttarget.com @RJTalyor

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Inspired Predictions for MOBILE

SOCIAL

18

Slimming Down, Shaping Up, & Getting Organized

It sounds like a New Years resolution that could easily go awry, but it
with their customers. sums up what will likely be a rude awakening for many marketers. Quality of fans staffing adequately in-market and-in region to ensure conversations are authentic and local. This will require support from executiveswhich means that the champions marketing and customer service. will need to prove why social media is critical to all areas of the organization, not just and followers will matter more than quantity, and savvy marketers will begin to find

creative ways to leverage social to drive more relevant, higher performing interactions

1. Community Curating
In an effort to eliminate unnecessary noise, people will continue limiting their friends on Facebook and hiding content in their newsfeeds to only see whats most relevant to them. Since most people are not emotionally connected to brands, well also start need to think carefully about the creation of relevant, timely, and valuable content to ensure they arent curated right out of the picture. to see people unlike and unfollow brands that arent adding any value. Brands will

3. Offline/Online Social Advertising Experiments

As networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, and Pinterest look for new and imaginative ways to expand their percentage of the advertising revenue pie, well experience some in-your-face bloopers that people will readily reject. Well also see creative uses of hashtags and conversation starters on TV, in-store, and on the radio.

2. Social Re-Org 101

Many organizations havent figured out how to staff for social media, but theyll have no choice in 2013. Youll either see brands outsourcing community management or

Quality of fans and followers will matter more than quantity, and savvy marketers will begin to find creative ways to leverage social to drive higher performing interactions.
4. One World, Many Voices
We all know that social media enables communities to freely connect, mobilize, and swiftly make decisions. This is whats so powerful and amazing about social media!

Susan Marshall Senior Director, Product Marketing Social Product Line ExactTarget www.exacttarget.com @S_Marshall

These growing connections across regions will forge powerful social and economic relationships, resulting in new businesses, fairer trade, and community activism. vendors without travel. Whats more, video will bring us all closer as we get to know our customers and

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

19

Rise of the Amplified Employee

The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed the rise of credibility amongst
regular employees in social media. The sudden rise in credibility was the greatest increase since 2004one that should serve as a wake-up call to leaders and communicators.

Its usually not a matter of employees not wanting to share content about their say the wrong thing and get in trouble. So instead, they do nothing at all.

company. Typically its that they either dont know what to share, or they dont want to

Consider for a moment that in aggregate, your employees have an entirely different

This can be easily overcome by putting syndication systems in place to distribute content and drive success toward your companys key performance indicators. Internal metrics will no longer be just a luxury, but an absolute necessity. In addition, necessary to assist in supporting, rewarding, and perpetuating the behaviors youre looking to encourage.

audience than your brand channels. It could be argued also that an enormous amount of

intimacy, influence, and trust exists with these personal accounts vs. corporate channels.

consideration for acknowledging and crediting your newfound evangelists will also be

Ask any person whether theyd rather talk to a logo or a real person on social media.
Anecdotally, ask any person whether theyd rather talk to a logo or a real person on amongst your brand can become.

Without consistent recognition, your employees will likely lose interest and drop off. Even so, the greatest challenge marketers will have is organizing and creating authentic content your employees feel is worthy of being shared.

social media, and youll have a better understanding of how important placing faces

To capitalize upon this trend, marketers will be required to think long and hard about inspired content that employees would want to share as brand advocates.

putting together thorough training programs, conscientious social media policies, and

Marcus Nelson Co-Founder and CEO Addvocate www.addvocate.com @MarcusNelson

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Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

2013: The Year of Instagram!

One of the biggest social media trends is the emphasis
photo-sharing site is poised for a breakout. Of the Americans surveyed who currently use a social media platform, only 18% Twitter (47%). But here are five reasons why Instagram could explode in 2013: 1.  Of those who have a profile, 61% have used it in the past 24 hours, an using Instagram are pretty voracious users. adoption level only surpassed by Facebook (at 84%). So those currently on visual content, and new research from The Social Habit seems to confirm that the 4.  Today, 67% of Instagrams users are under the age of 34. I project that loves sharing photos. And its so easy to use, even the non tech-savvy can master it in minutes. 5.  Since Instagram is a mobile-only application, its adoption will increase as the trend toward smartphones continues in 2013. How do you capitalize on this for your business? Theres an almost voyeuristic quality and reality TV shows. Can you show the insiders view of your company in an entertaining way? Follow some journey or event in a realistic way? there could be a huge upside across demographics because everybody

currently have a profile on Instagram. Thats paltry compared to Facebook (94%) or

to Instagram that is lacking anywhere elsesimilar to the appeal of gossip magazines

2.  Of ALL social media users surveyed, 48% declared they are using Instagram more often. This blows the other major platforms out of the water. 3.  Of those who have an Instagram profile, 83% use it at workagain surpassing on Instagram requires no typing. You just snap a photo and post in seconds.

even Facebook and YouTube by a long shot. One reason could be that sharing

There's an almost voyeuristic quality to Instagram that is lacking anywhere elsesimilar to the appeal of gossip magazines and reality TV shows.
Instagram is a natural outlet for any business that can offer stunning visualsthink travel, exotic locations, celebrities, animals, news events. Instagram is also red-hot with teens right now. If this is your target market, get to know this photo-sharing community! Remember that Facebook acquired the 11-employee, non-revenue-producing

Mark Schaefer Blogger, Author, and Business Consultant www.businessesgrow.com @MarkWSchaefer

Instagram early in 2012 for $1 billion. It was a defensive move, but at some point people on Facebook. Something to consider.

there will probably be a move to more closely integrate Instagram and the one billion

In 2013, think visual communication and think Instagram.

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

21

B2B Social Media Comes of Age

A recent eConsultancy survey found that 67% of marketing
opinion is that social media is a consumer thing. Why is this?

decision makers agreed that social media is integral to their marketing mix (and only 11% disagreed). But when I speak to B2B marketing and PR leaders, the received

The purchasing lifecycles are too long for social media.

Yes, youre going to spend a longer time selecting a new piece of accounting software to roll out in 50 countries than you are to buy a new digital camera. But to me, that means that an organization needs to spend more time building up trust. You cant

There are 10 million people on LinkedIn in the UKthats about a third of the working population. A similar number of people use Twitter in the UK, while another survey found that companies that blogged more frequently closed more deals.

spend all that time face-to-face with your prospects, but social is an excellent way of and professional lives blur, social media can add to the client relationship.

building on the relationship that you begin offline. And as the lines between personal

2013 is the year that B2B social media will start to see its potential. But to do so, we need to overcome a few objection points. Here are the top three things I keep hearing:

People arent using social media for business.

Why would business people only want to get their news in print or via traditional broadcast channels? The answer is, they dont. And why are videos, blogs, maybe not in all cases) and easily consumed in bite-sized portions. infographics and podcasts increasingly popular? Because theyre interesting (ok,

Hardly anyone watches/reads my content.

First up, with B2B social media you have to get over the numbers barrier because the universe is smaller. Were not trying to make a Gangnam Style viral effect with B2B content. And thats not a bad thing. Success in B2B looks differentif it helps to create a lead, its worth more than getting a bucketful of views. The key measure its effectiveness. is not to create content for the sake of it and (it has to tie in to the marketing mix)

There are 10 million people on LinkedIn in the UK: thats about a third of the working population. A similar number of people use Twitter in the UK.

Phil Szomszor Head of Business and Digital Firefly Communications www.fireflycomms.com @TheRedRocket

22

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

Social Gets Infused in the Business World

Were in a transitional period in which companies are struggling

to integrate social into their business processes, and it goes way beyond marketing. Those that confine social activity to specific sales or marketing channels will soon be at a huge disadvantage to those that can incorporate the human-powered principles of social media throughout their organization.

gives their company a competitive edge, and 84% agree that communicating core lack of involvement by their leaders in social media.

values via social media is integral to leadershipyet 44% are concerned about the

So why is this important for marketers? Because marketers understand story.

Our employees expect more transparency, more change, more experimentation,

Infusing social media into an organization requires communicating those core value messages and the authentic brand story throughout the organizationwhich is a challenge for traditional leaders, as evidenced by their hesitance around social media.

and more clarity. Smart organizations should start taking a close, hard look at their leadership means if they are going to successfully adapt to this disruption.

existing cultures and begin considering some different (less hierarchical) ideas of what

How do we know this? We conducted a recent survey of 500 individuals and asked results. Of those surveyed, 84% agree that leadership involvement in social media

them questions about how their leaders are leveraging social media for organizational

Smart organizations will start taking a close, hard look at their existing cultures and begin considering some different ideas of what leadership means.
Marketers know how to tell the storiesand they also know how to experiment, test, and learn from different kinds of messaging. Its time we started applying those skills to building leadership capacity, rather than just marketing. For leadership to spread and marketing can play a vital role.

through an organizationas social media demandswe need to change our culture,

Maddie Grant Author and Social Strategist SocialFish www.socialfish.org @MaddieGrant

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

23

2013: The Year of Clicks and Mortar

The big shift for social media in 2013 has little to do
venuesintegrate social into their physical brand experiences. with technology evolution or new social networks that we'll see. Rather, it will revolve around how brick and mortar businessesin particular, stores and entertainment Smart store owners and entertainment venues will seek to cater to the wired customer on site. That includes making inventories available on the web, providing great wireless access in-venue, offering connected flat screens that amplify what customers are saying about the store or in-house entertainment, and of course, looking at the increasingly popular mobile deals that have become prevalent on networks like Foursquare and (to some extent) Facebook.

Some folks dub this trend clicks and mortar, the integration of online into our everyday physical whereabouts.

Recently, I attended the Ivy League Sports Symposium and, whether it was MLB from a participation perspective.

In-store interactions represent a huge opportunity for business owners. Whether they offer in-store deals or easy access to peer reviews and customer service, real-time on-site interaction can make or break store deals.

or the Tough Mudder franchise, everyone was talking about the live fan experience

As 2013 progresses and stores ready for the 2013 holiday rush, the innovators

As 2013 progresses, the innovators both local and forward-thinking chainswill move to encourage in-store interactions.
It's not just sports, either. Burberry recently invested significant dollars to bring the online experience into its video content about clothes that have been brought into changing rooms.

both local and forward-thinking chainswill move to encourage in-store interactions. loops to extend and better their live customer experience.

Similarly, entertainment venues will add additional content engagement and feedback

The pervasive will expand, making live experiences a balance of clicks and mortar.

flagship London store. The effort includes some creative use of RFID chips to show

Business owners realize the rise of smartphones and tablets has wrought a new wherever they are.

revolution in marketing. People can explore products and experiences on-the-go

Geoff Livingston Author, Speaker, and Strategist www.geofflivingston.com @GeoffLiving

24

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

Beneath the Surface: Storytelling in 2013

For years, Seth Casteel photographed dogs leisurely floating in pools

and playing in water fixtures. It wasn't until one of these animals lunged for a toy and dove into a pool that he captured an entirely new and revealing perspective on an otherwise ordinary event. It turns out, there's a whole lot of activity beneath the placid surface of a pool's water.

Following business trends, speaking with clients, publishing articles, and hearing stories at internet marketing conferences throughout the year, I've discovered a similar phenomenon. It turns out, there's a whole lot of consumer activity happening

For marketers, advances in social media are simultaneously forcing and enabling us to look beneath the surface of our businesses.
One of the most extensively distributed and widely read articles I wrote this year was a story about Pinterest and a mom-and-pop company launched by the social media darling. What makes it so compelling is that it pairs the power of social media with ensued, and a company was launched. the power of a single voice. A lady pinned a photo, an enormous amount of interest

beneath the surface of business as well. For marketers, advances in social media are

simultaneously forcing and enabling us to look beneath the surface of our businesses. What's happening with Casteel's canines is happening with our consumers, and good storytelling is what brings these remarkable experiences to surface.

It's been said that content is the currency of social media. Good stories make up

the higher value legal tender. In the content marketing world, that means creativity, investigation, articulation, and ultimately, engagement. Many of these stories dwell beneath the surface of the obvious. My Pinterest story and others like it are the kind their reach in the social sphere.

of remarkable content brands and business need to find, articulate, and share to drive

So dig deep in 2013, and pull all your good stuff to the surface.

Andre Bourque, MBA Blogger and Social Media Specialist www.socialmarketingfella.com @SocialMktgFella

Inspired Predictions for SOCIAL

25

MARKETING AUTOMATION

26

Technology Optimized to Serve Customers

Technology will not drive digital marketing innovation in the coming years.
Smart marketers will. To be precise, smart marketers who use smart technology will drive the most innovation. But dont get cocky, now. Marketers are not in chargeconsumers are.

Now that the data is manageable and accessible, we marketers have the chance

to stand up for our customers satisfaction. Smart marketers will put the customer

needs first (and really first, not just first after the product needs). Driving response and revenue. I predict that marketers make this their mantra in the coming year. No one will do this because I predict it--they will do it because its what works.

Marketing automation technology has advanced to unlock the mysteries of consumer data so that marketers can help enable and encourage fantastic and customized consumer experiences. The days of set it and forget it are over. One size fits all going to meet consumer expectations.

As Uncle Ben said to Spiderman, With great power comes great responsibility. of customer satisfaction.

marketing programsbuilt in January and left to run through Juneare no longer

Marketers, this is your year to use your big data technological power for the good

The best tool in our arsenal is great strategydriven by consumer need, choice, and

behavior. Consumers know that we have data about them, and they expect us to use and their customerswith industry bloggers, analysts, and journalists chiming in too. This is the year of the great omnichannel marketing strategists.

it responsibly and respectfully. This creates a forced collaboration between marketers

Marketing automation technology has advanced to unlock the mysteries of consumer data.

Now, those brilliant strategists of the future look familiar because they are you and me and those folks down the hall who really get data analytics. Smart marketers will think outside the channel. Although most of our data today comes from email marketing interactions, we won't work from email data alone. Instead, smart marketers will analyze and utilize most (or all) of the data they have to consistently present important (essential!)but it doesnt alone ensure engagement.

messaging that reflects customer interests and passions. Yes, the technology is

Stephanie Miller VP, Member Relations DMA & Email Experience Council www.the-dma.org @StephanieSAM

27

Inspired Predictions for MARKETING AUTOMATION

Early Adopter Window Closing

The modern digital marketing revolution has spawned new

marketing mediums and techniques such as SEO, SEM, and social media. The early adopters of these technologies have seen the largest gains for taking that initial risk.

The sizeable increase is directly tied to marketing automations ability to track

individuals across multiple marketing mediums and keep a central database of their actionable, individual history. The history is then used to dynamically personalize marketing efforts to each person across any medium, at any time. This allows marketers to be infinitely more relevant to each person, increasing engagement. These abnormally high gains will not last forever; however, they will continue for the next year or two. The next wave of adopters to marketing automation will be marketing automation. We should expect to see adoption creep into the mid-tohigh 20% by the end of 2013. the early majority. These adopters will see the tail end of the largest returns from

Now that SEO, SEM, and social media are standard marketing avenues, whats next? The new wave of innovation for marketers is automated marketing. Leading B2C and B2B companies and increasing marketing engagement through behavioral-based tracking and dynamic messaging are deploying marketing automation worldwide. Currently, marketing automation is used by less than 15% of all companies in

the United States. Despite its slower adoption rate, that 15% comprises leading companies like Restaurant.com. Some companies who have implemented this technology have reported an increase in revenue of over 300%.

Now that SEO, SEM, and social media are standard marketing avenues, the next wave of innovation for marketers is in the field of automated marketing.
If you're searching for a solid way to increase marketing engagement rates, look into marketing automationand doing it sooner than later. Early adopters have

Mathew Sweezey Marketing Evangelist Pardot an ExactTarget company www.pardot.com @MSweezey

already proven the advantages, and big gains are still there to be had by the next wave of companies adopting marketing automation.

Inspired Predictions for MARKETING AUTOMATION

28

NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

29

Get the Picture(s)!

As a fan of the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings, Ive been wrong
more often than not when it comes to predicting the future. If I was right, my teams would have at least five Lombardi Trophies apiece. And I never did marry Drew one: Brands will find themselves spending more on original photography. Barrymore like I told everyone I would. However, Im feeling pretty good about this

According to Blogher, 47% of online consumers have made a purchase based on a 15 million users, while Facebook boasts 2.5 billion photos uploaded every month. P&Gs campaign for the Olympics, Thank You Mom, did a fantastic job using

Pinterest recommendation. Instagram gets over five million photos a day and has over

Thats originalmeaning it originated from the brand. Brands are becoming

stunning images to tell the story of inspiration behind the athletes that inspire us.

better storytellerslook at a campaign like We Speak Mom from Fisher-Price or Successful brands are telling the stories that their consumers want to hearand

(No, not Adrian Petersons momalthough he would make an awesome Olympian.) General Electric is using Instagram to tell the GE storygo check it out and maybe the light bulb will go on for you. (See what I did there?)

Jess Time from Google Chrome. Campaigns like these are part of a movement. share. Combine that movement, or shift in advertising, with the popularity of photo

sharing online via social sites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr and you begin to of photos uploaded and shared daily on Facebook.

We all want to increase our "likes," pins, shares, and opt-ins, but are you interesting enough to be pinned, "followed," or subscribed to? Are you telling good stories, and are you giving your brand advocates something to share? You should, and you should rethink the photography on your site, in your emails, on your Facebook timeline, and on your Pinterest board.

see a real change in how brands express themselves. And lets not forget the billions

We all want to increase our "likes," pins, shares and opt-ins but are you interesting enough to be pinned, "followed," or subscribed to?
Kip Edwardson Director of Digital Marketing The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company www.scotts.com @ScottsLawnCare

30

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

The Rise of the Chief Content Officer

2012 was the year content marketing came to life in North America.
According to research from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, approximately 90% of all marketers use some form of content marketing. This means budgets for content marketing now surpass 28% for both B2B and B2C companies That's a lot of content! that now, when we say that marketers are publishers, it's a true statement. In addition,

My advice for 2013: find your content marketing mission statement.

So these marketers know that they need to be creating valuable and compelling After all, most marketers werent trained as journalists and publishers. And now, to the inspired predictions for 2013: 1. The Rise of the Chief Content Officer. More and more organizations (such as  public relations departments to create a cohesive content strategy and unified customer experience around content. 2.  The New Home for Journalists. In 2013, more journalists will be hired by non-media companies than by media companies. 3.  Content M&A. Google started acquiring smaller media companies, such as Kelly Services) will hire a dedicated "chief storyteller" to work with marketing and information in multiple channels to attract and retain customersbut it's a struggle.

But just because marketers can and do use content marketing, doesn't mean they do it well. Actually, there's something quite amiss with content marketing. According to the same research, just one in three marketing professionals feel that their content these marketers are planning to invest more money into this area over the next 12 months. (Could this be the definition of insanity?)

marketing is effective. Now this is a real problem, especially when more than half of

Zagat, over a year ago. In 2013, we'll start to see big brands in all industries start to purchase media companies. While many will still opt to build, many will just buy the media brand and talent as part of their content marketing initiatives.

Less than 5% of organizations have a written content marketing strategy. How can

you develop winning content without a vision of what that content is supposed to do?

Joe Pulizzi Author and Founder Content Marketing Institute www.contentmarketinginstitute.com @JuntaJoe

My advice for 2013find your content marketing mission statement.

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

31

3D Printing (The D Stands for Disruptive)

In 2012, 3D printing started to migrate from the lexicon of techie tinkerers to

the business trades. By the end of 2013, marketers will need to engage in serious scenario planning to assess how 3D printing may impact their businesses. Two companies that best exemplify the disruptive potential for 3D printing are

Both approaches facilitate a new form of peer-to-peer commerce, where

customers buy goods directly from designers, cutting out many middlemen such

as manufacturers, retailers, and transportation. A colleague who owns a Makerbot

once used it to print shower curtain rings from a design he found online. Meanwhile, product as it is to fulfill 10,000 individualized items from a vendor.

Makerbot and Shapeways. Makerbot designs and sells 3D printers which allow

someone at Shapeways told me its as easy to fulfill an order for 10,000 of the same

consumers to upload designs that print durable, tangible goods. The ink in this case comes in spools of plastic. While Makerbots printers sell for $2,000 now, that price is ($2,850 in todays dollars). But now, better ones are practically free. Its not hard to the profit comes from the ink. bound to drop. Case in point, in 1987, Hewlett-Packards first inkjet printer cost $1,400 envision a model in the coming years where the printers are basically given away and

While a small fraction of homes and businesses will own 3D printers next year, and

Shapeways is a long way from rivaling Amazon, marketers should take a long view as technology and business models will be in a far better position once 3D printing goes fully mainstream.

to 3D printings potential. Those that find ways to adapt to and incorporate the shifts in

By the end of 2013, marketers will need to engage in serious scenario planning to assess how 3D printing may impact their businesses.
Shapeways is more akin to crafts marketplace Etsy, where anyone can upload their designs and sell products. Shapeways fulfills the order, with objects printed in a range of materials such as plastics, ceramics, glass, and sterling silver. Expect to see more products powered by Shapeways, where consumers customize and personalize design templates that are then printed to their specifications.

David Berkowitz Vice President of Emerging Media 360i www.360i.com @DBerkowitz

32

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

Regulatory Threats Rise Up

The economic turmoil of the past four years
effective driver for bottom-line growth. has deeply affected the marketing industry. Yet, of all the changes Ive observed, As businesses increasingly rely on information for marketing capital, the regulation of personal information will take on new importance. Politically naive data use policies, combined with growing consumer demand for more relevant marketing will ignite a global privacy debate which could threaten responsible data-driven marketing.

perhaps the most significant has been the evolution of marketing data as a highly

According to The Power of Direct Marketing2011/2012 Edition, data-driven

marketing investment (as a portion of total advertising spend in the Unites States)

The emergence of consumer preference for more personalized advertising has fueled the shift from mass marketing to highly targeted customer outreach and interaction.  According to one study, published by the UK Direct Marketing Association, more than seven in ten US consumers prefer to receive promotional offers that reflect their likes and dislikes.

stood at over 52%. Whats more, data-driven marketing produced 8.7% of US GDP.

While the ability to mine and analyze data to drive strategic marketing decisions increases, so too does the threat to our ability to use it.

 Another study, published by RSR Research, indicates that the vast majority of targeting through more detailed customer preferences (97%) and delivering somewhat valuable to them.

global retailers say that customer-centric marketing opportunities such as better real-time personalized offers to consumers (97%) are either highly valuable or

While the ability to mine and analyze data to drive strategic marketing decisions increases, so too does the threat to our ability to use it.  Congress wants to put an end to the collection and use of consumer data.  The Federal Trade Commission is telling tall tales about marketing practices  Activists are using scare tactics, saying, Consumers are being pinned like insects to a pin board, by marketers. (like consumers who buy deep-fat fryers online will be denied health insurance).

Linda A. Woolley Acting President and Chief Executive Officer DMA www.the-dma.org @DMA_USA

 The press is slanting the story, reporting that marketers who collect personal consumer data are worse than the FBI or the IRS. The regulation of personal data use will have far-reaching implications for the marketing economy of the future.

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

33

The Automobile Ascends

As the evolution of consumer engagement

moves from web to social to mobile, we'll see an increasing desire to leverage the everyday objects. Some people call this the internet of things. Others call it

Now, for the first time in marketing history, sensors in the car, paired with smartphone traffic, playlists), and the social profile of drivers, we can paint an amazingly vivid picture of what we do on the roadand why.

latest innovations. The amusing thing is, a lot of that will be right under our noses physical computing. In plain English, Im referring to everyday interactions with our filled with cheap sensors, ubiquitous connectivity, and screens for apps and data, be it in a thermostat, a fridge, or a car.

sensors, ambient information about road journeys from third party APIs (e.g., weather,

surroundings at home, on the road, and at the officeobjects that will be increasingly

For marketers, that data is a goldminenot only to reach and engage drivers, but also to direct targeted and measurable campaigns. Imagine being able to better understand, at any given time of day, on any given stretch of highway, which consumer or household is driving, in which car, with whom, with what purpose, and what destination. And then consider the broader time and location-based or for dynamic advertising billboards. spectrum; whether for marketing insurance, leveraging a local merchant platform,

With 230 million vehicles on the road in the US and 120 million personal cars, there's already a material installed base to support innovation. And cars are clearly an important part of our daily routine, with an average of 10,000 miles driven per year and $10,000 running costs. But little is known at a granular, data level about the driving experience, outside of macro-level surveys or traffic-flow analyses.

Just as Nest helps your home become smarter and Nike Fuel tracks your physical activity, this new vision of the car is becoming a reality.

Imagine being able to understand which consumer is driving in which car, with whom, with what purpose, and what destination.
Jamyn Edis Founder and CEO Dash Labs www.dash.by @Jamyn

34

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

2013 Means Game On for Gamification

Marketing fads and gimmicks come and go
From where I sit, 2013 will be the year in which gamification moves from the periphery to the core of the cross-channel marketing tool set. from sock puppet ads to Second Life virtual stores. Every now and then, however, Gamification works because humans are innately wired to competeeven if its just tool to get them to do so. The underlying mechanism here is dopamine, a powerful the human brain. true innovations emerge that revolutionize how marketers engage with customers. against themselves or a neutral progress barand game structures are an effective neurotransmitter and behavioral motivator that acts on the reward-seeking system of

Marketing innovations tend to move through a classic product lifecycle curve:

introductory phase, early adoption phase, late adoption phase, long maturity phase,

By providing the right rewards at the right time, a properly structured gamification

and eventually decline. For cross-channel marketers, gamification is now entering in its introductory phasebut many are unsure if it is a true innovation or just another fad. The rise of gamification doesnt mean every brand will (or should) launch its own version of Farmville on Facebookfar from it! Cross-channel marketers should understand that gamification applies certain aspects of games to non-game

program can prompt dopamine releases in the customer's brain and thereby incent and reward desired customer behaviors. Even more attractively, many of the best rewards like leader boards, "leveling up," achievement badges, and social recognition awards are non-monetary, creating highly attractive ROI scenarios for gamification marketing. And best of all, it's engaging and fun!

applications, capitalizing on behavioral psychology to reward customers for changing their behaviors. The ultimate goal is to generate greater lifetime value and higher profits. When properly applied, gamification techniques have been shown to increase customer retention, social sharing behaviors, user content generation, acquisition campaign ROI, and online retail conversion rates.

Gamification works because humans are innately wired to compete even if its just against themselves or a neutral progress bar.'
A study by M2 Research predicted that the $100 million spent by corporations on gamification in will rise to $2.8 billion by 2016. Gartner estimates 70% of Global is more than just a fad, but rather a true innovation that savvy marketers should capitalize on as early adopters.

2000 businesses will be gamified by 2015. Those numbers indicate that gamification

Christopher Krohn President & CMO Restaurant.com www.restaurant.com @CKrohn1

Game on!

Inspired Predictions for NEW & EMERGING TRENDS

35

The Future of Marketing Starts Here

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