The Round of Applause Goes to…

The other day Forbes.com posted an article titled “How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did”, and I felt that thrill of a data geek! I have had the chance to work with retailers data, so I have had a chance to see first-hand some of what they can do with the data they collect.  The article discusses how Target can predict that a customer is pregnant, and possibly even their due date based on their purchase history. Who knew that buying some unscented lotion and giant purses could trigger a company thinking I am pregnant? Apparently Target, since they did send coupons for baby clothes and cribs to an expectant mother. She just happened to be a teenager, living at home, and hadn’t told her father about her pregnancy yet. Probably not the best situation- there can be an ugly side to the data. However, sending the right message at the right time to the right people is the goal of direct marketing. This really meets the goal. Target is able to reach customers at a time where they will begin to rethink their buying habits, and supply them with offers that will build shopping loyalty during this exciting time in their lives.  Appropriately used permissions, privacy protection and preferences are probably a good thing here too, but it’s still fascinating.

The Mind Boggler…

A couple of weeks ago there was a bit of a buzz around Google users being able to access their user settings to see “who Google thinks you are”. I have been forever fascinated by the data Google has about me… they have information from my emails,  my search history, my Google Reader subscriptions, my Google+ account, the YouTube videos I watch, etc. The possibilities are endless, so of course I had to investigate. Turns out Google thinks I am a middle aged male.  Considering I am a female, and I spent my Saturday mornings growing up watching Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and Punky Brewster, this is pretty far from the truth. These results left me left me a bit mind boggled. Google has access to almost all of my internet data (I even willingly provide them with information in my Google profile), but apparently all my searches for fantasy football and big data have lead them astray.

You can click here to see who Google thinks you are.

What a company knows about you may be creepy to some, but some companies use this data so wisely that you may have a much better experience with them as a result. Next time you open your email, and there is an offer from your favorite retailer, ask yourself, “How well does this company know me?”

However, over the years I have noticed that all this progress has left one area of marketing software under-addressed:  User Interface design.  This includes software for marketing resource management, marketing campaign management, and marketing execution, and covers both hosted and in-house solutions.  While rarely so severe as to break a system, UI shortcomings create additional hurdles to user adoption that could be avoided with additional vigilance by developers prior to releasing new tools or software updates.

While there is no concrete UI standard per se, there are some very basic and generally accepted fundamental UI design approaches that are drilled into the heads of software developers-in-training. These are core concepts:

• The presentation of relevant information minus extraneous noise (Thank you Tufte)
• A consistency of approach across the UI
• All-in-all reduction in complexity — making it easy to use given the type of audience it caters to.

Apple Corporation elevated this last concept to an art form. It you own an Apple iPhone, using an iPad will be second nature. Once a user has spent a little time with either device, figuring out how to access additional functions is relatively intuitive. Many other mass-market solutions have a fairly firm grasp on this as well. A knowledgeable Microsoft Excel user will at the very least understand how the menus in Microsoft Word operate. For whatever reason, there seems to be a UI gap in the highly competitive marketing software industry.

A common mistake I see within marketing software is a lack of consistency amongst otherwise-similar functionality in that same tool. For a simple example, one might have one admin screen where a group of users is selected for some action by way of a multi-select list.  In another area, users must be select one-at-a-time and moved across to another list. Another hypothetical might be a screen where campaign metadata might be modified by simply clicking the field in question to open an edit dialogue.  Then – in the same software – another similar metadata screen is strictly read-only and forces the clicking of a master “Edit” link to proceed to an editable display of all metadata for that record.   These continuous breaks in the UI design prevent users for using the tools easily.

I won’t get into which of the options in each of the above scenarios are preferable. This isn’t about preference, it’s about developer inconsistency that drives user confusion.  In the long run, it can complicate business processes.  It also presents systems risk, especially as software users occasionally access parts of the tool that they may rarely touch. In a consistent UI, the user will have significantly less trouble achieving their goals.

Other common missteps are:

• Failure to display relevant info to the system user in an intuitive location, often combined with a lack of ability to quickly jump to an important screen without clicking through a swamp of  completely irrelevant muck
• Misleading labeling of sections and functionality
• Lack of some sort of direct shortcuts to important screens. This means users may have to click through a swamp of irrelevant muck to get where they need to be (and assuming it’s a browser-based app, make that many more needless hits against the server).

It seems that the functionality competition has received laser focus at the cost of being sure that users understand how to leverage them. There is no question that the inherent complexity that these tools must address surely adds to the challenge, but our jobs should be around making it simpler and faster and better for the user to do what he needs to.

UI design is a very subjective; different people have different opinions on the best approach. At the end of the day, however, there should be little debate as to the ultimate goal: make the user want to use your software. This is clearly the goal when dictating the underlying functionality of a tool, so it’s only logical to extend this to the interface by which it is accessed.  It is in a software vendor’s best interest to place serious focus on exceptional and consistent UI design. Failure to do so can (perhaps literally) blind a customer to amazing functionality, and ultimately be the difference between software acceptance or that customer seeking greener pastures.

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Marketing Resource Management (MRM)
• Multi-Channel Campaign Management (MCCM)
• Digital Asset Management (DAM)

After you’ve gone this far down the technology path, you wouldn’t dream of turning back to your old approaches.  You wouldn’t “unautomate” what you do.  However, sometimes we accidentally step backward, and head for old comfortable habits.

So, as a helpful reminder to keep you from backsliding, I wanted to offer some helpful reminders and a nice little framework.  You know it’s important to understand the tool’s full capabilities.  More often than not, there are underutilized features that get overlooked resulting in the “un-automation” of processes.  Check out our recent blog post, The 12 Most Underutilized Resources Within Your EMM Tools, for more information on that subject.

You’re striving to deliver tactful marketing principles, better one-to-one informed customer interactions, data-driven customer-centric business decisions, and strategic planning methods  The logical outcomes is to piece this formula together aligned with effective marketing technology.

Looking at the depiction below, you will see a sample enterprise marketing management strategy that leads to the integration of all marketing automation applications.  The centerpiece is a logical marketing system of record that acts as a central hub of reusable, traceable building blocks.  These include audiences, segments, offers, treatments, and exclusion rules.  They represent the operating principles of your customer contact strategy.  The data you have is managed by a series of modular platforms that enhance automation and optimization of your campaigns.  Your business strategy drives the need for the tools and their management.   The strategy helps you determine not only your marketing roadmap but also you education/training efforts.  The successful fulfillment of your data, tools, and people will dictate the outer and limitless ring of the cicle representing a functional customer lifecycle.

Often enough, businesses deploying marketing automation tools may in fact end up only using about 20% of the system’s capabilities.  It’s like driving across country with your car in second gear.  Sure, you have processes you can leave unautomated.  However, is it that you haven’t stepped back and reassessed your needs or the tools capabilities? There’s a pretty reasonable chance you may have these tools installed but remain uncertain of everything they offer your business.  If this is the case, look into conducting an assessment for further optimization.  It’s helpful to consider this at two key points:

• 12 to 18 months after bringing in a specific technology or launching new functions
• Any time you want to bring in another technology

It’s natural that once you’ve started automating, you’ll purchase and implement additional marketing automation systems for your business.  At that point, it’s wise to conduct a thorough assessment of what is done where in your technologies.  That assessment makes any new investments able to maximize your whole portfolio. Start off with each vendor supplying a demo of their respective tool focused specifically on what you do.  Don’t get the “standard demo.”  Make sure it is customized to your needs and be sure to ask plenty of questions.  That probably means a little more preparation from you to help them give you the best representation of what they offer your organization specifically.  This will alleviate any confusion of capabilities and ensure that you do not duplicate, ignore or worse, accidentally remove processes that your tool already does.  You’ll mitigate any risk or liability of manual work and “un-automation”.

The sole purpose of exploring, deploying, integrating, and using marketing automation tools is to support your organization’s marketing strategy and apply that logic to build automated processes.  Some examples where automation can come to support your marketing campaigns are:

• tracking your marketing spend
• managing your digital assets
• developing campaign production processes
• promoting your marketing inventory and portfolio
• building triggered dialogues to improve customer engagement
• or affirming your success with customized reporting metrics

The majority of this work, once constructed, can be done for your department through automation.

With automated processes, many organizations more easily apply the tools of our trade.   That includes applying test and learn practices, analyzing data, exploring new scenarios to improve customer interactions, and refining channel delivery.  Additionally, marketing automation systems are able to record your progression and provide reporting metrics to help your gauge marketing automation mastery!

It might be time you revisit what your automation portfolio can do for you to explore new opportunities to help you with continual innovation.  You’ll be able to free up pieces of your day and improve utilization of your resources and personnel.  Then, you can do the things that’ll help your business succeed.

As a response to this connection, mobile marches forward in driving progress across the marketplace.  Biometrics/Health/Fitness – check.  Banking/Payments/Invoicing – check.  Shopping/Price Surfing/Comparison – check.  It’s the tip of mobility iceberg.  Technologies and social sharing abilities are constantly evolving, and having the ability to partake in them without being strapped to a conventional computer has had an amazing impact on our lives.  You might have seen Best Buy’s innovation commercial (aired during the Super Bowl):

Without further ado, here are 5 mobile innovators to follow:

Educreations:

The chalkboard has almost been completely replaced by whiteboards in the American classroom.  But it seems that a replacement is soon to follow again, the virtual whiteboard.  Educreations allows you to create and share great video lessons.  Available in the app store, Educreations harnesses your ability to draw, write, and educate all at once.  Make sure you check out their showcase – it is filled with fun lessons.  The great thing about this is that these lessons can be shared online, much like Khan Academy, but you can be the teacher!

Twitter:  @Educreations

Allevate:

Allevate is a leader in mobile identification software, and more specifically, biometric technology.  Biometric technology in a mobile application?  Yes, and it’s awesome.  Think of all the personal information you have in your phone.  Banking, contacts, social accounts, emails.  How can you ensure that those are all protected?  Allevate provides facial recognition software and finger scanning solutions that are more secure and less of a hassle than that of a personal code or password.

Twitter: @Allevate

Proloquo2Go:

This year, 1 out of every 110 children will be born with autism.  Sadly, most of them will need assistance to communicate effectively.  Traditionally, children with autism have used AAC systems (Augmentive and Alternative Communication).  While these systems are very high tech, they are generally bulky and extremely expensive.  Proloquo2Go is a mobile app that can replace this system.  And while it is one of the more expensive apps out there, it is still much less expensive than the AAC systems that can cost thousands of dollars.

Twitter:  @Proloquo2Go

Ozcan Research Group:

Led by Aydugan Ozcan at UCLA, the Ozcan Research Group has made a huge breakthrough in mobile healthcare.  They have created a microscope cellphone attachment.  That is, they have the ability to take a sample (blood, sweat, etc.) store it, and analyze it in the cell phone.  Now I know what you’re thinking.  How much does this mobile unit cost?  10 bucks.  Think of the amazing applications that units like this will have overseas and in 3^rd world countries.  No longer will we have to bring testing stations and bring the patients to them.  We can now send resources overseas with this technology and go to the patients.

Twitter:  @InnovateUCLA

CEVA:

CEVA is one of the world’s leaders in digital signal processing (DSP).  Digital signal processors are high-speed microprocessors that have existed in our computers for quite some time.  However, they have not existed in our mobile devices due to their large battery usage requirements.  CEVA has begun to design these microprocessors in a way that will require them to use less power.  This will likely lead to us having much more powerful mobile devices in the near future.  And we all have the need…the need for speed.

Mobile devices have come a long way since the “brick.”  I’m so excited to see what advances are made in the future.  Make sure you look at the horizon of these industries; it’s easy to get lost in the technology we have.  It is equally important to look for what’s coming.

In ending this series, I wanted to give a special thanks to two people who were critical in helping me write and frame these posts:  Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz and Debbie Rosenfeld, two of the most intelligent and innovative individuals that I have had the opportunity to work with.  Give them a follow; they will point you to more innovative content than I could ever in 5 simple posts.

Cristene: @Hermione1

Debbie: @Zebbierebs

Let me know your thoughts around mobile innovation @Cunningham_Kev

Like many of my colleagues before me noted (Debbie, Ryan, etc.), there are so many worthy projects to choose from that I had to find some way of narrowing the field.  I began trimming down the pool of projects by only looking at those in my local community.  I then further reduced the list by keying in on those rooted in math and science.  But what really helped was drawing upon a recent field trip my wife and I took to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

On our tour I was reminded of Mr. Wright’s teaching philosophy: “learning by doing”.  I whole heartedly believe in this method of learning, so it’s in that spirit of lab based teaching, I wanted to support a class project that was hands-on.  And that’s how I ended up selecting Ms. Swartzendruber’s class in Denver, Colorado.

Ms. Swartzendruber is teaching her students math and physics (two of my favorite high school subjects) through experimentation.  With a pair of motion sensors and graphing tools they can put theory in to practice when discussing things like acceleration – and its derivative velocity – by launching water rockets.  How cool is that?!?!

It’s these scientific methods of measuring, documenting and analyzing that have served me well in many aspects of my life.  I hope it can do the same for them.

On a personal note, this feels like an appropriate time to express my sincerest gratitude to my high school physics teacher Mr. Ron Zaraza.  For almost two years he made physics one of the best parts of the school day and the reason why I enjoy science as much as I do today…even though I’m a marketer

In this immature industry, there are still amazingly intelligent marketing advances.  If you want…

• build your own car (Mini)
• remodel your kitchen online (IKEA)
• paint a room in colors you choose (Sherwin Williams)
• vote for your favorite crayon (Crayola)
• try on sunglasses (Warby Parker)
• help your kids learn math (Khan Academy)

… a gamified experience trumps a non-game one for increased loyalty and satisfaction.  If you’ve lost the mayorship of your favorite hot-dog stand, it’s a safe bet you’ll be coming back again tomorrow. While many people think of gamification as giving out virtual badges, it has the opportunity to turn into so much more.  It’s not as much competition as it is rewarding our sense of play with something we value:  status, learning, a high score, a picture of the future.  These are some of the innovators who are proving that to us:

Bunchball:

Bunchball is a leader in the development and implementation of gamification “products.”  Many would consider Bunchball as being the initiators of gamification as they were the first company to provide game mechanics as a service (it was for NBC’s hit show “The Office”).  Since then, Bunchball has not only been backed by Adobe, but they have also helped clients such as Comcast, USA Network, and Hasbro.  Due to their early entry into the field, they have been ahead of much of the competition; although, others are not far behind.

Twitter:  @bunchball

Kiip:

Kiip (pronounced “keep”), is a gamification software developer focused on the mobile market.  Their philosophy involves taking the games that we all know and love on our mobile devices, and rewarding us with discounts, coupons and samples, right after we’ve achieved something within the game.  You know when you’re stuck with all vowels in Words with Friends?  Well, as soon as you’ve found a corner of that board to place your letters, Kiip can reward you.  As if these games weren’t already addicting!

Twitter:  @Kiip

Kris Duggan (Badgeville):

Kris Duggan is the CEO of Badgeville, one of the most well know gamification sites around.  Badgeville’s main goal is to increase engagement and loyalty to their client, whether it is a social platform or a business in need.  Kris Duggan is labeled on Badgeville’s site as a “serial entrepreneur” with an interest in building innovative, fast-growing, SaaS companies.  Prior to Badgeville, Kris was part of the leadership team at WebEx, another game-changing (pun intended) player in its respective industry.

Twitter:  @kduggan

DevHub:

Featured on TechCrunch and Mashable (among others), DevHub has taken an interesting spin on gamification.  DevHub is a website that allows you (or your business) to create its own website.  Much like any other website development, DevHub gives you all the bells and whistles you need to give your users a real snazzy appearance.  However, they have realized that many websites are abandoned during creation due to the frustrating hurtles that you will encounter.  “Do I really need to know how to put a JAVA tag here?”  “I don’t feel like looking up this code.”  There are countless excuses to not finish a website.  DevHub has implemented gamification into its development to give you achievements as you move through the creation of your website.

Twitter:  @DevHub

Keith Smith (Big Door):

Keith Smith is the CEO and Co-Founder of Big Door, another big player in the gamification mechanics development industry.  Big Door uses a four-step approach to using their solutions:  define your goals, create and configure, integrate, analyze and optimize.  That being said, it is amazing that Keith has been able to lead Big Door to a methodological approach to gamification adoption with its clients.  To bring this full-circle, DevHub is actually one of Big Door’s clients.  Keep up with Keith Smith and Big Door as they are sure to be one of the pioneers that shape this industry.

Twitter:  @ChiefDoorman

In addition to these amazing innovators, it is always worthwhile to poke your head into a few LinkedIn communities that seem to be on the forefront of this technology.  Here is a list of Going Rogue’s “honorable mentions” that can keep you engaged in some of these conversations:

• Gamification – Using Video-Game Mechanics for Your Marketing Communication
• Gamification Network
• Masters of Gamification

What are some of the uses that you foresee in gamification?  Leave a comment!

Feel free to follow me @cunningham_kev

Most of us have seen some form of gesture recognition software.  Microsoft’s Kinect is the most noteworthy of all gesture recognition hardware out there.  Different from augmented reality, the technology that allows us to place a digital presence on the physical world, gesture recognition software allows us to use our physical world to control the digital one.  The education and business advantages of this technology are endless.  Let’s take a look at some of the innovators in this sphere.

Microsoft Kinect Hacker Community:

While Microsoft’s Kinect is innovative in itself, the really amazing stuff comes from the hacker community.  Not too long ago, Microsoft decided to release the coding of the Kinect to see what users could do with it.  And I tell you, it’s amazing.  Games, moving table displays, text entry and modification…the list goes on and on.  Every week new hacks and videos are posted to the site.  If you are looking for more information around the Microsoft Kinect Hacker community, make sure you check out the post Cristene wrote during Covalent’s 12 Days of Marketing Innovation (#12DMI).

Twitter: @kinect_hacks

GestureTek:

GestureTek is one of the world leaders in gesture recognition technology.  Their story goes all the way back to 1986 when they invented the field of ‘applied computer vision’ for computer-human interaction.  Since, GestureTek has applied their technology to help improve 3D tracking systems, interactive floors, multi-touch displays, and much more.  My favorite is their health solutions; we now have the ability to do virtual rehab and multi-sensory stimulation for children.  Amazing.

Twitter:  @GestureTek

EyeSight:

Headquartered in Israel, EyeSight is another gesture recognition technology leader.  Known for integrating this technology into mobile phones, televisions, in-car infotainment systems and more, EyeSight is paving the way to a “touchless” world.  While they do not have a large social presence, I urge you to check-in on their solutions page and view the video that they have posted there.  It shows an interesting look at a “day in the life” with gesture based technology.

Solutions:  A day in the life

Vincent John Vincent:

The president and Co-Founder of GestureTek (go figure, huh?), Vincent John Vincent is the most accredited pioneer in the gesture recognition technology field.  Many of you might recognize him from his TEDx Talk on gesture based technology (the above quote is from this talk).  He has not only been brilliant in his technological innovations, but also in his visions of where this technology could be useful in our world.  His virtual accomplishments range all the way from educating children, to playing the drums.  I suggest you keep up with this guy, because he is going to change how we interact with the digital world.

Twitter:  @vjvincent

Pranav Mistry:

A brilliant man who has researched and developed several amazing functions of gesture based technology, Pranav Mistry takes this field to another level.  From controlling a robot by blinking to saving items in the cloud with your fingers, Pranav is only getting started.  Get this, he’s still in school.  Pranav is currently a research assistant and PhD candidate at the MIT Media Labs.  Make sure you check out his projects page; my favorite is the blink bot.  By wearing a pair of glasses, and blinking in certain areas, you have the ability to control a roaming robot (and the video is hilarious).

Twitter: @pranavmistry

Whether we like it or not (we do!), our interactions with the digital world are changing every day.  Think of the implications of this technology on education, manufacturing and health.  It’s really fun to see how our world changes right before our eyes – be a part of it.

Follow me @cunningham_kev

So what really makes augmented reality so awesome?  Augmented reality allows us to put a digital layer on our physical world.  That is, we now have the ability to see what we used to imagine.  Do you want to see what those shoes will look like on you?  Sure!  Will that watch look too big on my wrist?  Let’s find out!  The business cases and advantages to augmented reality are endless.

Lego:

*Image courtesy of ubergizmodo

You wouldn’t necessarily think of Lego as being an innovator; their product has always been colored blocks that you can connect.  What could they possibly do to be innovative?  How about an in-store experience that will blow your mind?!?!  Last week I was strolling through the mall and found myself in the Lego store (yes, I’m not ashamed), and they have an amazing display.  You have the ability to pick up a box of Legos and hold it up to a screen.  After it has registered, the box comes to life to show you all the fun you could be having.  Naturally, I picked up the huge Star Wars Death Star kit…it wasn’t long before I saw light sabers being thrown across the screen.  Talk about a great customer experience, huh?

Twitter: @Lego

Aurasma:

This mobile augmented reality innovator looks to combine digital images and motions with real pictures, videos, or live feeds.  Aurasma states:

“Using the smartphone’s camera, GPS, compass, accelerometer and internet connection, the technology combines image recognition and a conceptual understanding of the 3D world to recognize objects and images and seamlessly merge augmented reality actions into the scene. Without the need for barcodes or tags, the app is able to see its surrounding environment and make it fully interactive.”

With a heavy social presence and an intuitive free mobile app, Aurasma is towards the top of the food chain of augmented reality innovators.

Twitter:  @Aurasma

Total Immersion:

Hallmark, Volvo, Ebay….what do they all have in common?  They’ve all used augmented reality technology that was developed by Total Immersion.  Within a couple of clicks on their site, you have the ability to see some of the amazing projects that they have been a part of.  From turning yourself into Ironman (Paramount Pictures) to driving a car (Citroen), Total Immersion is not only developing and innovating this amazing technology – they are commercializing it.

Oh, and did I mention they have a very engaged community and a hefty 6,700 followers on Twitter?

Twitter: @totalimmersion

Zugara:

What if you had the ability to score a goal in the World Cup?  Or, be a member of the National Guard?  Well good news, you don’t have to be a recruit, or practice soccer for all of eternity.  Zugara has developed augmented reality software that has allowed both ESPN and the National Guard to give anyone those chances.

In addition to the amazing technology, Zugara has done numerous projects to national and governmental clients, a differentiating characteristic in this industry.

Twitter: @Zugara

Sander Veenhof:

Sander Veenhof is known as an augmented reality artist.  He has given many the ability to place sculptures in parks, fly UFOs through the night sky, and make any scenic landscape more beautiful with rain or snow.  Sander’s site has a plethora of innovative ideas, videos, and uses of augmented reality technology – not all of which came from him.  But, he does a great job of integrating his ideas with other’s brilliance.  Follow him, I’ve got a feeling he’s gonna be a part of something BIG.

Twitter: @SNDRV

Do you follow anyone in the augmented reality sphere?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Follow me @cunningham_kev

Inspired by a blog post I recently made for 12most around trying to find qualified resources I wanted to come up with a 12 most list for Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) software – after all, it is a subject that I have become well versed in last decade.

While there are many articles out there that focus on why you need new software, or how to reinvent workflow processes (some of those posts on our own blog), we’re shining the bright light on doing more with the EMM software you’re already paying for.

After collaborating with my Covalent Marketing colleagues, we came up with a nice list of Underutilized Resources Within Your EMM Software.  I hope you enjoy and would love to hear if there are any others you’d add to the list.

1. Templates
   Templates are so easy to use, but they are rarely used to their full enterprise potential.  While they can speed up repetitive coding tasks, they can also help standardize and enforce consistency in your campaign management systems: inclusion/suppression lists, list configuration, etc.
2. Meta Data
   EMM tools are more than just campaign generation machines.  They create a mountain of meta data usable for all sorts of things: Smart Code generation, post campaign reporting & analysis, tracking process (in)efficiencies, offer management, etc.
3. Documentation
   This might sounds like a funny one, but I can’t tell you how many obstacles I’ve gotten past by just doing a little reading.  Unfortunately, many EMM software functions are not as intuitive as they should be.  I mean have you seen some of the error codes they throw at you?  Failed to connect to server process. Error code: 703
4. Customization
   I’m sure many of you have experienced the change management headache that can arise from bringing in new marketing technology.  For those still having trouble with adoption, did you know you can rebrand (i.e. skin) the software so that it feels more like your own?  It may even give you a chance to re-launch.
5. Triggers and API’s
   While our EMM tools may have their limitations, it shouldn’t define our marketing boundaries.  With triggers and API’s we can link our EMM systems in to all sorts of other aspects of our business such as: Financials, Sales or even our external vendors/partners.
6. Alerts
   Our EMM systems can provide a multitude of messaging, but so often not enough time is spent to properly configure them.  They can be a huge aid in user adoption and maintaining process efficiencies.
7. Dynamic content
   We are now in a consumer empowered age of marketing and as marketers we need to keep evolving.  One simple way we can try to keep pace is to use the dynamic capabilities within our tools to tailor the outgoing content.  For instance, we can dynamically choose: the email templates we send, the offers assigned within them and campaign message completely driven from rules and conditions we set within our EMM systems.
8. Asset Attachment
   If there are pieces of useful information not being captured within the EMM tool, the least we can do is attach it to the work that is being done (e.g. 3rd party lists).  It makes going back and trying to replicate past actions or audits so much easier.
9. Response Attribution
   In our world of trying to do more with less, we are often in such a hurry to get campaigns out the door we neglect to properly close the marketing automation loop.  Response attribution is such a key component in improving our marketing efforts yet we many of us don’t do it.  It hard to ‘test and learn’ when we don’t stop to ‘learn.’  And have you heard, there are rumors abound that this will be much easier in upcoming EMM versions.
10. Calendar/Timeline
    Some EMM tools have a calendar function that can deliver an organized way to see your forecasted campaigns.  I’ve found when things are visually laid out it can provide an alternative prospective about your planning/forecasting that you hadn’t previously noticed.
11. Command Line Functions
    Not everything has to be initiated or conducted actually in the software client.  There are many things that can be done from command line such as launching campaigns, accessing software utilities, updating system data, saving inflight campaigns, etc.  This is key for making lights out processes.
12. Data Marts
    Many organizations have a separate data mart for their marketing department. Come installation time of their EMM software they may spend some time reconfiguring the mart, but that’s where many companies stop.  As your data changes and as your marketing needs change, your data mart should be changing (adding new fields, triggers, indexes, etc.) to maintain peak database performance. [This goes for webservers too!]

Retail has certain advantages over other industries in their ability to incorporate new technology.  They rely heavily on word of mouth.  They are – at their best – a highly visual medium.  They focus, most often, on multiple transactions, with volume being a key driver of success.  Hence, they have needed to test and try ideas more frequently than others.  For instance, Lego’s in-store augmented reality – which we had a chance to experience first hand at the Northbrook Court store – brings new engagement to parents and kids of all ages in the retail environment.

The social revolution has sparked the retail industry’s ability to not only share interesting innovations, but also to mine all of the information that is shared.  Sharers, Tweeters, Pinheads like Covalent’s own Amber, Debbie and Cristene: we’re all supplying information for the retail world.  This revolution, coupled with innovative ideas and inventions have culminated to create a very interesting environment for the retail industry.  Here are a few leaders that you should not only know about, but follow:

ZARA:

Zara has always been known for their trend-watching abilities and supply chain management.  But did you know that they are thought to be able to go from concept to in-store products in just 2 weeks?  Absolutely amazing.  The industry average turnaround is 6 months.  Can you say “competitive advantage”?  By mining social data, along with performing massive amounts of primary research, ZARA has been able to supply consumers all over the world with the trends that haven’t landed in the rest of the retail world.

Just as you start to realize that ZARA is one of the most innovative retailers in the world, it gets better.  One view of their mission statement and you can see that they are extremely environmentally conscious.  Brains and heart, Using organic materials, recycling, and producing less waste are all major aspects of their personality.

Twitter: @shop_zara

Jack Dorsey (Square):

I went to a concert in Chicago a few months ago.  One of the opening bands really surprised me.  I walked to the booth that they had set up to ask them for one of their CDs.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have any cash on me…and there was no POS system there that I could see.

Wait for it….Square to the rescue.

The man behind the counter took out his cell phone, attached the Square device and ran my credit card through it.  This device has singlehandedly allowed small businesses to monetize on the fly.  Square’s founder, Jack Dorsey, is certainly a brilliant innovator.  By the way, did I mention that he also founded Twitter?

Twitter: @Jack

Christina Norsig (PopUp Insider):

Deemed as the “queen of pop-up retail”, Christina Norsig is an expert in creating a temporary retail environment.  “Pop-up retail” is where short term stores are created, generally to introduce a massive amount of buzz, and then it is gone before you know it.  This can be beneficial in building brand awareness, and is often very profitable because there is a massive swarm created in the short amount of time that the Pop-Up is there.

Christina is also the CEO and Founder of PopUp Insider, the first national online exchange for temporary real estate.  This helps businesses to find and plan their next pop-up retail experience.  And, to top it all off, she also founded eTabletop.com, an artistic table top decoration site.

Twitter: @CNorsig

Blake Mycoskie (TOMS):

It would be completely irresponsible to create a list of retail innovators and not include Blake.  Founder and Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes, Blake gained his passion for giving shoes when he was in Argentina and saw how many children grow up without shoes.  From this, he has started TOMS shoes with the mission of giving a pair of shoes for every pair that is bought – one for one.  Since, TOMS has given more than 600,000 (and counting) pairs of shoes.

Stay tuned to see what Blake has in store next.  I can only hope it will be as successful as TOMS.  Cristene will be doing a review of competitor Warby Parker – who focused on eyeglasses in the next few weeks.

Twitter: @BlakeMycoskie

What other retail innovators are out there?  Who is leading the way?  One thing is for sure, everything is changing.  Will you keep up?

Comment, and let me know your thoughts!

-Kevin (@cunningham_kev)