On July 25th, several members of  AMP’s Integrated Media team attended the MITX eCommerce Summit at Google’s Cambridge offices.  The event featured speakers from different companies and firms sharing their research and first-hand experience in ecommerce.  There were many important points of view and even a great demonstration of Wayfair’s augmented reality app WayfairView which allows users to visualize furniture and décor in their homes before buying online, but the one overarching theme of the summit was the intersection of online and offline moments on the customer’s journey to a sale. From the summit, they three defining takeaways where: 1.Digital Sales Should Not Be Treated As Separate One practice that some retailers still follow is that sales via online channels are different and separate from in-store sales.  The reality of today’s customer is that these two types of sales are interconnected and should be managed that way.  If retailers track and measure their sales channel in silos, they are missing the larger consumer trends.  A survey result revealed that 76% of consumers use digital devices to shop prior to their store trip.  Before they step into a store, they have made multiple digitally influenced decisions that led them there.  The new approach for retailers should be to view these channels holistically. Inspiration Research Selection Purchase Return/Service Each of these moments should have offline and online initiatives to influence the consumer to sales.  It is up to the marketing teams to define how to best reach the consumer when they enter each of these moments with a holistic approach.  These moments can also be seen as points of friction, which could lead to the consumer ending their journey before the sales, or points of leverage, which could lead to opportunities to upsell or gain brand loyalty. 2. Deciding on the Path to Differentiation For retailers to find their path to business growth, they need to find their path to differentiation.  Understanding how and when they reach consumers will enable the organization to map their interactions with their target audience.  The first step on this path is to reduce the friction that consumer may encounter when they interact with the retailer.  From there, the retailer can work on uniform cross-channel experiences for all consumer interactions no matter where they happen. The final step on the path to differentiation from the rest of the retailer pack is the drive omni-channel results, which is ultimate goal to secure big sales growth. Our team learned a great deal from the Summit. Regardless of whether you attended or not, if you would like to discuss the topic outlined below, please reach out to us- we'd love to chat. Click here to learn more about the Integrated Media team.  

This post originally appeared on MITX's blog.  One of the most interesting seminars I was able to attend at FutureM was titled 'After Omni-Channel: Preparing for Digital Context'? presented by Stone Mantel's Martie Woods as well as Stacey Symonds, Senior Director of Consumer Insights at Orbitz. The content of the seminar focused on what many agencies claim to do already: owning today's consumer purchase journey and what that means for the future. Woods opened with a slide full of buzz words and asked who in the room has used these in their presentations lately. With the word 'omni-channel'? on the screen, majority of the room painfully raised their hands realizing omni-channel has quickly (and apparently) become a thing of yesterday. Woods and Symonds explained that today's consumer is evolving past the non-linear purchase journey that marketers have been trying to master. Now, they expect even more from brands. And it can be broken down into five insights: Consumers are expecting to reduce the gap between thinking and doing. With new technology and brands that have already accomplished immediacy, consumers look for the quickest, easiest solution and nothing less. Think about how you plan and then do these days. You want to travel? You go on hotwire and book a hotel. You didn't get to see your daughter before you left for your work trip? You Facetime her. You want a ride? Uber. So what does this mean for marketers? Before, brands strived to be relevant. Now, brands are proving how they can fulfill a need and reduce the gap between thinking and acting. Consumers surround themselves first, and then make all sorts of micro purchases. Symonds explained how she learned this with Orbitz customers. A family was traveling to a national landmark and needed to know directions to get there, as well as places to eat and things to do. But they didn't have any cell signal so they could not access this information and were suddenly frustrated with their trip. So marketers are realizing that it's no longer about getting into the consumer's consideration set. It's about getting into their queue. It's about anticipating the jobs they are going to need done. Orbitz knows now they need to deliver a product that will fulfill a traveler's needs before they realize the need.   Consumers are seeking to maximize their attention. These days, consumers feel detached from the world by merely driving their car ' they walked out of their house where they were texting on their phone, catching up on Netflix on their TV, and on social media on their tablet. Suddenly, driving in the car becomes an inconvenience because the consumer is unplugged. We are at this point that we are used to multitasking and just constantly doing. Royal Caribbean, for example, found that consumers were booking a cruise, but then canceling when they found a cheaper cruise. The brand found that consumers are not on the hunt for a cheaper option, they just continue to browse and research cruises because they are used to the behavior so inherently continue the habit. Before, brands wanted to combat multitasking to get the consumer's attention. Now, we must embrace the 'while.'? Think about what they are doing while they are interacting with your brand/app/etc.  When you design an app for example, it's not building  something that will get their full attention, it's about knowing what else they will be doing when they use the app in that moment. The customer journey is no longer about a path. It's just a constant state of moving. So instead of trying to map out a complex journey, Woods explained that we can follow and reach the consumer by understanding their various behaviors. And we can do this by looking at 'modes.'? A mode is a manner or disposition of accomplishing a task. I.e. improving, competing, planning, playing. It is a general pattern for focusing and getting things done. They can be highly useful in predicting activity, design thinking, and driving cross technology innovation. Modes represent the first truly digital approach to profiling consumer behavior in a way that supports consumers, aligns with what they value and works across technologies. Before it was about knowing the customer journey. Now, we need to understand what the consumer is trying to accomplish under each specific mode. Consumer behavior demands more than omni offers. When thinking omnichannel, brands have the mentality 'customers can find me when they need me in whichever channel they choose.'?  Essentially, marketers think they have solved the problem by just making the brand available on every available channel. However, consumers expect the appropriate channel based on their specific mode. So, the new mentality a brand should have is 'I support thinking and acting for my customer at the right time in the right way.'? Marketers must shift from thinking about omni-channel to digital context. Woods explained three pillars of digital context: Environments: Sensor driven physical environments that can respond to tools and modes Tools: Devices and apps, primarily mobile, that can access personal data and respond to environments Modes: Behavioral states that drive receptivity and determine what is valued A local example of this is the New England Patriots. The company saw low attendance at games, so they created Patriot Place ' a new environment that used the right tools and responded to the appropriate modes to answer the fans' need for a better experience. On a national scale, United Airlines integrated Uber into their app, knowing the consumers would be looking for car services after their flight. Overall, while a lot of the content could be considered subjective, the root of the seminar was how agencies are all trying to solve the same problem, and we're all going about it in the same way'?¦ but maybe that's our roadblock. Instead, if we take our focus away from how to define the consumer journey and zoom in on the consumer's specific behaviors around their purchases, we can define a new strategy to reach and influence a consumer, and maybe we won't all be trying to stake the same claim.

Last week, quite a few AMPers attended MITX's Future M, a conference that brings together marketing and technology innovators to contemplate and celebrate the future of Marketing. See below for a few highlights from the conference and AMPers' thoughts. Session: Are You Kidding Me?! Speaker: Victor Lee, VP Digital Marketing, Hasbro Favorite Quote: 'I'll be interested if you'll be interesting.'? ' From Victor Lee's presentation Takeaway: I thought this bit of insight was a great reminder to not get stuck in 'data land.'? Data is an invaluable resource for marketers, and it's great for measuring success and recognizing trends, but often times we get so buried in data that we lose site of the story that the information is telling us. It's important to remember to take a step back and really bring the data to life. At the end of the day, numbers are just numbers unless you use them to tell a story. Session: Find Your Golden Thread Speaker: Jim Speros, EVP, Fidelity Communications and Advertising Highlight: I drew a ton of inspiration cultivated from case studies presented. The standout cases were Dove, Coca Cola and Fidelity. These cases are successful because they leverage consumer insight and human emotion to connect with the target audience. Takeaways: Brands are becoming more and more integrated, and those who aren't will fall by the wayside. It's vital to keep one driving point to a brand or campaign message ' one point will always drive home the hardest and be the most effective. Dove Real Beauty Sketches Coca-Cola Happiness Without Borders Fidelity Saving For Skydiving Session: Building to Learn with Art, Copy, & Code Speaker: Aman Govil, Head of Advertising Arts Team at Google Highlight: As described through Google's project 'Art, Copy, & Code,'? we're in the midst of a 2nd creative revolution, driven by technology. Code is being added to the core creative process, enabling new forms of brand expression and engagement. Takeaway: Art, copy and code is the creative team for the connected world. Session: Mobile + Consumer Loyalty Insights from JetBlue Airways Speaker: Jonathan Stephen, Head of Mobile and Emerging Tech at JetBlue Highlights: Mobile is, of course, everywhere and travelers are looking for simple on-the-go solutions. Given this insight, JetBlue conducted a digital rebrand -  making a mobile app and redesigning the desktop experience to match the app. The app knows where you are in your travel cycle, so every time you open it, it gives you the info you are looking for without clicking anything (i.e. when you go through security then open the app, it will tell you what your gate is and if your flight is on time. When you land, it will tell you baggage claim information. Just by creating an app option, JetBlue loyalty program sign ups increased by 10%. They created a similar system for their pilots and crew. The mobile app for the crew is hosted on iPad that each crew member/pilot has on board. For pilots, the app holds all flight manifests, maps, etc. For crew members, the app will take orders and the usual things. The coolest thing about it is that it shows where people are seated and can highlight things about them (i.e. Steve is in seat 5A and has traveled with JetBlue 100 times. He only orders Ginger Ale). This functionality enables crew members to deliver top rated customer service. Takeaway: The key takeaway for me was that before implementing ANY new feature on mobile or elsewhere, brands need to poll their customers (Facebook/in app/surveys/everywhere they can) to find out exactly what their user needs in order to create the best experience. To read more about the conference, visit http://blog.mitx.org/

What's it like to eat, sleep and breathe technology? AMP asked the Class of 2016 to answer this question at our Future M session. In the time it takes you to read this, they have switched electronic devices ' twice. They change between 27 content streams per hour. 71% are on Facebook and the majority doesn't watch traditional TV. The Class of 2016 is changing the future of marketing with technology. And you need to know how to reach them. View our presentation to learn about this group of change-makers' behaviors, preferences, buying patterns and key takeaways for brand marketers. How the Class of 2016 Will Change the World of Marketing? from AMP Agency  

Leading up to our Future M session on How the Class of 2016 Will Change the World of Marketing, we conducted a mini-focus group with our college interns to better understand their mindsets. In this post, we asked our interns about the similarities and differences in millennials' on-line and off-line personalities? Are your online + offline identities the same? 'The omnipresence of social media caters to our multifaceted personalities, allowing us to compartmentalize our lives online just like we do offline. My friends can have private and work Facebook accounts, remove vowels from their last names to avoid being searched and secretly follow Justin Bieber on Twitter without ever breathing a word of their secret obsession.'? Proma Huq, PR & Social Media Intern 'My online and offline identities are different, but it is also important to remember that these identities are not mutually exclusive. We all take on different personalities when cheap cialis online interacting with our bosses vs. co-workers vs. friends vs. family. Online, my Facebook personality (which is nearly nonexistent, with a private Facebook wall, and the tightest privacy settings on my photos, etc) is vastly different from my Twitter voice (much more outgoing, open to connecting and conversing with strangers), which is also different from my LinkedIn persona (just friendly enough, but much more professional). It's natural this way. Human beings are complex, multi-faceted creatures, and I would expect that social networks reflect these traits.'? Angelina Zhou, Brand Strategy Intern 'I don't see my online personality different from my offline personality, but I don't think that's always the case. There are some crazy stories about people online vs. what they are like in real life.'? Shandi Mahan-Fortunato, Brand Strategy Intern

Leading up to our Future M session on How the Class of 2016 Will Change the World of Marketing, we conducted a mini-focus group with our college interns to better understand their mindsets. In this post, we asked our interns about the similarities and differences in millennials' on-line and off-line personalities? Are your online + offline identities the same? 'The omnipresence of social media caters to our multifaceted personalities, allowing us to compartmentalize our lives online just like we do offline. My friends can have private and work Facebook accounts, remove vowels from their last names to avoid being searched and secretly follow Justin Bieber on Twitter without ever breathing a word of their secret obsession.'? Proma Huq, PR & Social Media Intern 'My online and offline identities are different, but it is also important to remember that these identities are not mutually exclusive. We all take on different personalities when cheap cialis online interacting with our bosses vs. co-workers vs. friends vs. family. Online, my Facebook personality (which is nearly nonexistent, with a private Facebook wall, and the tightest privacy settings on my photos, etc) is vastly different from my Twitter voice (much more outgoing, open to connecting and conversing with strangers), which is also different from my LinkedIn persona (just friendly enough, but much more professional). It's natural this way. Human beings are complex, multi-faceted creatures, and I would expect that social networks reflect these traits.'? Angelina Zhou, Brand Strategy Intern 'I don't see my online personality different from my offline personality, but I don't think that's always the case. There are some crazy stories about people online vs. what they are like in real life.'? Shandi Mahan-Fortunato, Brand Strategy Intern

Leading up to our Future M session on How the Class of 2016 Will Change the World of Marketing, we conducted a mini-focus group with our college interns to better understand their mindsets. The next few posts will include millennials responses to a few topical prompts. Prompt #1: Do you think the way you learn will be different for the Class of 2020? 'Technology has been changing my education in incredible new ways. Last year for example, I took a class on remix methods at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with the conceptual artist Steve Lambert. The course was titled 'Free as in Freedom, Not as in Free Beer'?, a quotation from Richard Stallman, American software programmer and freedom activist. Throughout the course, we had a working syllabus on a Google doc, so that students could contribute comments, web links, YouTube videos, etc to the syllabus as they came up. We could also simply delete topics that did not interest us (no permission needed from the instructor), and add topics that we really wanted to learn about in class. So with this new crowd-sourced syllabus supplemented by multi-media tools, our entire class found a more organic and engaging method of learning. It proved to be more effective in the long run; at least, no one dropped the course the entire semester.'? - Angelina Zhou, Brand Strategy Intern 'I believe that learning for the Class of 2020 will be more interactive. In some of my classes (with younger professors) there is already a change in how much engagement is expected from the student. For example, in one of my classes my professor requires that we use lore.com, a Facebook type of site for students and teachers. On the site, the class has a stream where we are expected to post "interesting" things we find from commercials to new apps. If this is happening in 2012, I can only imagine the amount that this type of participation will rise.'? - Karol Mendieta, Account Management Intern 'I definitely think that I will learn differently from the Class of 2020. I graduated college in 2010 - so that's a 10 year difference. My class obviously learned differently than the Class of 2000, with the internet being huge. Sitting in libraries for hours was no longer was necessary (every resource was at our fingertips). We also connect with each other in numerous ways (texting, facebook, twitter, etc.). I can only imagine that the Class of 2020 will have opportunities I only dreamed of when I was in college. They'll definitely be more efficient." - Shandi Mahan-Fortunato, Brand Strategy Intern 'Much like the ever-changing world of technology, the way we learn and absorb information is also constantly evolving. With the technological influences that permeate our everyday lives (some of which didn't even exist five years ago), the Class of 2020 will undoubtedly have access to a world of new resources to augment their learning.'? Proma Huq, PR & Social Media Intern Interested in learning more, register for our upcoming Future M session on How the Class of 2016 Will Change the World of Marketing.  

This post first appeared on MITX's blog as part of the September blog series, in which they asked writers to this question: "what is it going to take for marketers to catch up to consumers?" This post is by Matt Jacobs, Director, Channel Planning, AMP Agency. Matt will be speaking at FutureM on a session entitled, 'How Will the Class of 2016 Change the World of Marketing?'? that will explore how advertisers and marketers can navigate the ever changing marketing terrain of Digital Natives. The session will explore the mindsets and dorms rooms of the Class of 2016 to uncover how these students (and their evolving media consumption habits) will force marketers to adapt. At this point, if you're in the marketing industry, someone has likely mentioned the stat from the recent "A Biometric Day in the Life" research study conducted by Time Inc. and Innerscope Research that states that Digital Natives are jumping between media platforms 27 times per hour. At first read, it's a rather startling observation, but after a few minutes of consideration, minutes that included me opening and closing three web tabs, receiving a text message, scanning my Twitter feed and walking by the TV in the lobby of AMP's offices, I quickly reminded myself - continuous partial attention* is the new norm. So as marketers, what can we do to catch up to consumers' new way of consuming (or at least partially consuming) media messages? In short, we have to work harder. At AMP, we believe that the function of marketing has evolved. The reality of ubiquitous device presence, 24/7 connectivity and an ever present social layer of constant peer-to-peer sharing / commenting / referring, has revolutionized the way consumers engage with brands. Brands, and subsequently agencies, need to adapt to keep up. Here are a few key considerations/thoughts on how: The worlds of marketing, technology, media, and application development have merged. Agencies that integrate paid, owned, and earned media offerings will benefit because they will be able to reach customers in the most effective and efficient manner. Building on the convergence of paid, owned and earned, consumers don't consciously differentiate between these channels when receiving brand messages. To survive, agencies must adopt a model that reflects this convergence. That starts by truly integrating departments and processes to develop channel neutral strategies that prioritize reaching the consumer at the right time in the right place. It's not enough to simply offer 'integrated services'? to your clients ' they must truly work harmoniously together. It's no longer just about what a brand has to say, or where it says it, but how a brand behaves (and adapts) as it is saying it. Real-time conversation monitoring, channel/budget optimizations and ongoing strategy sessions are needed to keep up with ever-changing conversations and innovations in the marketplace. Content is still king - and perhaps has even more of a throne to sit upon these days - but a large consideration must be paid to the fact that consumers are now publishing more content each day than publishers. Agencies must work with their clients to provide tools, guidance and gentle prodding to cialis order help consumers become advocates for our brands. AMP Agency's recent Psychology of Social study showed that age-old human desires ' connection, attachment and identity establishment ' are now enhanced by the technological capacity to connect via new channels/technologies. When building marketing strategies, remember that basic consumer needs haven't really shifted; however, the mediums and the resultant opportunities to deliver on those needs have greatly widened. Ensure you listen to your consumers wants and needs or risk being left behind. Footnotes / Sources: *A term coined by Linda Stone over a decade ago