Five Digital Trends Changing the World Now and Forever (Presentation)

I had the utmost pleasure to spend the last two weeks in Australia and keynote the Connect Tour for ExactTarget. The presentation is based around what I believe are the five trends changing business and the world. They are ongoing and perpetual and will change the way we look at business, consumer behavior and ultimately the use of technology to reach consumers.

Below is the deck and a brief description of the five trends.

1. Moments

Every consumer experiences different moments or memories when interacting with a brand. Whether it is an employee or mobile app, the moment is what is at the center of any brand experiences. Moments are becoming more important as technology gets smarter and more agile. Our ability to track and manage data also influences our ability to track and use moments to enhance the brand experience. There are also multiple instances of moments within a brand life cycle :

• Mobile Moments – To say that mobility is a trend would do it injustice. We all know that mobility is changing the way consumers interact with brands from email to SMS messaging.
• Responsive Moments – Your ability to create a responsive digital environment for a consumer is paramount to your success in the near future. Does your website shift based on screen size? Does your email display correctly on mobile devices?

2. Data = Relevance

“What you will see with rapid data and social sharing is the death of the average and the era of you. Businesses will be able to truly serve the individual.” Ginni Rometty, CEO IBM

We must get better at analyzing and using data to create personalized and relevant messaging for our future and current customers. This could be as simple as keeping track of names, addresses, and past purchases via a spreadsheet. It could also be as complex as managing millions of different data points. Only the data relevant will survive.

3. Digital Audiences

“The savviest brands will begin to build small highly engaged communities where they can learn more about what their audiences want, need and desire.” – WeAreSocial

Digital audiences have been the center of attention for over six years with the rise and fall of many social media sites and strategies. Now we are finally reaching the point of understanding what “being social” is truly about.

4. Lean Startup

Eric Ries published the lean startup methodology within his book with the same name. The Lean Startup philosophy is the idea that “it is not just a concept or systematic approach, it is an aligned way of thinking and acting.” I could spend an entire week writing blog posts about lean startup. We have and are witnessing hundreds of companies (large and small) become successful via the lean startup methodology  Failure needs to be constant in order to reach success.

5. Asia

Asia will not just be the most populous region in the world. Asia will be the biggest economic zone, the biggest consumption one and the home of the majority of the world’s middle class by 2020.” – Australia in the Asian Century.

Enough said. What do you think?