With Christmas behind us, we can now put down the mince pies and failed diet attempts and look to the future. Not just the future of our waistlines, but also the future of our industry.
The best way to gauge the mood of marketing in 2019 is to cast the net wide amongst marketers for a mixture of opinions. Here at Infinity, we’ve done just that. We’ve been gifted the inside scoop on what they think is to come in 2019, and how they’re preparing for it.
Without further ado, here are Infinity’s marketing predictions for 2019.
AI and beyond
AI is a common theme that’s permeated 2018. As advancements in its capabilities are continuously progressing, it’s certain this will continue in 2019. But, how does AI affect marketers?
We spoke to Sam Wiltshire, Head of Digital Transformation at Ontrack.com who comments that what surprised him the most was “The sheer embrace of AI over the past 12 months. It seems that every (wo)man and their dog are trying to dive into AI – us included.”
Sam went onto share that he expects 2019 to be the year whereby AI is able to determine the best solution possible for best business practices.
“For me personally, I love to identify areas in our business that we can analyse, consult internally internationally, then deploy in a single global solution whilst testing to confirm that the new solution outperforms the old way of doing things. For me, in 2019, AI will be a major area that will be able to help us with that.”
Attribution and the customer journey
At Infinity, we specialise in assisting marketers to accurately attribute which channels have converted visitors from browsers into buyers, and much more. Having all your data in a stand-alone view is the key to making informed business decisions, allocating time and budget for the future, and making improvements to your long-term strategy.
James Boyle, Head of Digital Marketing at Flight Centre, one of Infinity’s clients, had this to say on the matter of attribution and Infinity.
“In 2019, the challenge for Flight Centre is taking our brands to market. Big plans in bringing new positioning as a tailor-made brand in the UK market. From a digital perspective, getting a greater handle on attribution. It's an area where a lot of brands have challenges, and we use Infinity data to face those challenges. Getting it all in order will allow us to do great projects in marketing.”
To see how Flight Centre are gaining a greater handle on their attribution, read their latest case study with Infinity.
Kelly O’Flaherty, Digital Partnerships Manager at New Market Holidays has added to the debate by stating that her 2019 attribution challenge will be:
“Diving deeper into, and understanding, what drives sales, be they online or offline so that we can grow & focus on the areas that work well. This enables us to spend and invest in a smarter manner. Attribution should be the hot topic on everyone’s lips!”
Uniting the company
Companies that deliver a global solution, product, or service shoulder a huge burden of corporate responsibility. This can result in a disconnect between internal departments. A huge corporation has many considerations to make and this responsibility can sometimes diminish the importance of unison between departments.
Speaking to Mark Bloxham, Global CMO & Managing Director at Wendy Wu Tours UK on the subject of unity within companies he enlightened us on some of the challenges in this area that he’ll expect to face in 2019.
“The number of companies that have split budgets and split teams create a divide and lack of consistency in communications, so I am working with two companies where we are trying to consolidate the teams and create a true Marketing Department.”
We asked Sam Wiltshire the same question but how it would apply to a bigger corporation.
“Twenty-eight-plus years of operating as a global company with a historical habit of deprioritising coordination efforts across regions can lead to one brand going in several different directions.
It’s a well-worn path for many international companies out there. We kicked off a global effort to standardise all areas of the business, from marketing to sales to operations to accounting and HR.
Such a project has already delivered excellent results and efficiencies, especially across Europe, and 2019 we will complete the transformation with further standardisation globally.”
Customer success evolution
Marketing and customer-facing teams must work closely together. One can offer juicy lead opportunities, whilst the other can introduce clients for marketing opportunities and vital feedback to shape your strategy. Collaboration benefits each party, so it makes sense to invest time and effort into making your customer success relationship is as warm as possible.
“Some of the focus areas for 2019 include hiring more CSMs, improving CSM onboarding and working smarter. At RingCentral, we are looking forward to 2019 and we believe Customer Success Managers will play a crucial part in accelerating our growth and keeping our customers happy."
Stephanie Liais | EMEA product marketing manager, RingCentral
Our very own Senior Vice President of Customer Success, Michelle Garnham, enlightened us as to what her priorities for customer success in 2019 will look like.
"My priorities for 2019 are to continue driving company-wide ownership for customer experience and to maximise the data we collect to achieve a deeper understanding of important metrics, like Customer Lifetime Value"
Time for auld lang syne
As the traditional song goes, it’s time to wave goodbye to the past. We’ve recounted the marketing lessons our industry bright sparks have learnt in 2018 in this blog. But, as always, we’re now looking to the future. What will be your marketing priority this year? Let us know on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Watch this space and have a fantastic new year, from all at Infinity.
