Digital marketing: drops of water in a soccer stadium

You are strapped to a seat in the top row of a soccer stadium. A drop of water falls into the stadium. Every minute the size of the drop doubles. After 43 minutes, the stadium is only 7% filled with water. How much time do you have left before the water reaches you? Weeks, months, years? The answer: only 6 minutes later, the stadium is full. Behold the power of exponential growth. Before you realize it, you are ankle-deep in water.

"In 2008, Nokia was described in the books as a brand that had completely understood it. In 2010, according to those same people, they had missed the boat. In 2 years, the tide can turn."

I sat down with Mark de Greeff, head of Strategy and Business Development at Eindhoven 365.

The conversation I had with Mark got me thinking. To what extent are digital developments contributing to the speed of change for companies in the marketplace?

Information overload

The information available on the Internet today is beyond our imagination. The speed at which this amount of data isgrows is even greater. Just look at the number of social media users which has grown explosively (perhaps almost exponentially) in recent years.

People leave their digital fingerprints behind on the world wide web in the form of photos, videos, website visits, clicks and downloads. And it's getting more and more every day.

Many marketers are still overwhelmed by this informationoverloa d and the possibilities presented by the available data. They are still letting themselves be overtaken by the companies that can adapt more quickly to the digital environment. Others, however, already recognize that with common sense and - perhaps with the help of the right software - they can convert the available information into returns for their own business.

Because; if you collect and cluster this information in a smart way, imagine how targeted you can start communicating with, and adding value to, your potential customer. Your message is focused on the specific interests of your potential customer, is distributed through the right channels and can even be deployed at the right time. Perhaps the advent of new marketing will give us the opportunity to actually go from disruptor to "value adder.

Responding to change

Big data, new marketing,inbound marketing and content marketing: are they buzzwords or something substantial? The fact is that it is gripping us marketers and we (should) want to do something with it.

Mark, with the example of the soccer stadium full of water, is not just referring to the speed of change that makes us giddy. The point I think he is mainly trying to make is; how do you deal with change as a company? Do you wait until the water is at your ankles or do you signal in time that something big is about to happen and respond accordingly? How "connected" to the outside world are you really?

"If something happens in those last 6 minutes at the market, suddenly you are underwater. If you can't swim then, you still have quite a problem."

When you look at the current landscape, most organizations are still looking backwards. They are mostly concerned with keeping an eye on what their current adversaries are doing, looking at the existing playing field. Actually, they often don't realize that the radical innovation of the real game changers comes from completely different corners. And then it's often too late. Former Google Evangelist Guy Kawasaki said that somewhere in an attic room someone is busy killing your business model."

From incrementalist thinking to business opportunities

According to Mark, companies are often still looking for a new way to market a television, for example, instead of asking themselves in what way someone would want to watch television. Why wasn't Netflix introduced by Samsung or Philips? Surely we know by now, thanks to Apple, that hardware + platform is a unique combo?

In other words, the decision maker is choosing from existing solutions instead of looking for new playing fields. Because: "rwill we soon be driving cars from BMW or from Google? Will we have a package delivered by DHL or by Amazon itself? Do we entrust our money to Rabobank or to IKEA bank?"

Mark: "Many organizations simply don't know how to disrupt existing playing fields and start opening up, let alone serving, new ones. The professional marketers of tomorrow will be those who can translate customer insight and developments into new business opportunities in a timely manner, thereby keeping their organizations relevant into the future."

Digital marketing: like drops of water in a soccer stadium

Digital marketing changes are creeping up on us like drops of water in a soccer stadium, and the marketer is strapped to a seat at the top.

The well-known saying "it's five to twelve," acting before it's too late takes on a whole new meaning for me. Perhaps from now on we can make it "it's six to twelve. Because if we look at the example of the soccer stadium, a lot can happen in six minutes.

How 'connected' to the outside world are you really?

Dhe High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Beeckestijn Business Schooland Webs are organizing the event about online business-to-business communication, marketing & sales, or The Digital Future of B2B, on Tuesday, June 30, 2015. A day for executives, marketing and sales managers to gain knowledge and inspiration for a successful online approach.

Source gif:Exponential growth - Radar Extra De Schuldvraag | RADAR (AVROTROS)

Source header:Connected by Heather