The IncITe SummIT

e-bookOn November 12th & 13th, 2014, speakers from more than thirty of the world’s largest brands gathered in New York to speak candidly about their marketing. No PowerPoints were used.

This book is the official curated collection of insights they shared that day.

#incitesummit@inciteMCinciteMC.com/east

Gina michnowiczCEO and Co-FounderUnion+Webster@ginamichnowicz

cristol O’LoughlinGrowth Officer and Co-FounderUnion+Webster@theartofwoo

mark KersteenEditor and Content DirectorIncite Marketing and Communications@mkersteen

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

The best storytellers listen before they speak. They take cues from their audience.They improvise their message.They connect.

As marketers, it is our job to tell the story – to get the right

message, to the right person, at the right time, and prove it.

Our brands expect us to innovate, every day. Thanks to social

and Steve Jobs, we now have a canvas of devices to connect with

our customers. These conversations are dynamic and we have to

react immediately or risk losing our customers along the journey.

We are storytellers. For two days we gathered at The

Incite Summit: East to improvise together. Enjoy the script.

marketing and communications are transforming. The depth, scale and pace of this transformation is, frankly, terrifying.

The relationship (and power balance) between brand and

consumer has shifted completely. Your customers now dictate

the conversation around your brand, and your potential customers

ascribe more weight to consumer reviews and word of mouth

than to your PR and marketing efforts. OK, so ‘terrifying’ might

be rather a negative adjective. ‘Exciting’ works, too. Being

an agile, customer-centric and responsive brand takes a

transformation of your internal organization, of your hierarchy,

and of your entire marketing and communications strategy.

But it’s possible. That’s what Incite is all about. We find the

best brands out there, and we share their expertise with you.

mark KersteenEditor and Content Director

Incite Marketing and Communications

@mkersteen

Introduction

Gina michnowiczCEO and Co-Founder

Union+Webster

@ginamichnowicz

cristol O’LoughlinGrowth Officer and Co-Founder

Union+Webster

@theartofwoo

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

Data makes your storytelling stronger. When you match behavioral, psychographic and demographic data, you get empathy. Only then can you tell stories that touch people.

Prudential RetirementKara SegretoChief Marketing Officer

Figure out how Data can be isolateD into meaningFul metrics, not ‘vanity’ metrics. For example, measuring ‘Likes’ is too shallow of a measurement – the real insight is did they ‘Like and Bye’, ‘Like and Try’ or ‘Like and Buy’?

AOL PlatformsAllie KlineChief Marketing Officer

Ask yourself, ‘If there was a customer in the room sitting next to you, would you make the decision you are making right now?’ At Verizon, we use Customer Journey Analytics – looking at Data like connective tissue to help us understand the threading that creates a customer experience

VerizonKen LainVP of Sales and Service Operations

track empathy, not egoUse data to create simple, smart, connected experiences with your customer.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

there is one right time. timing is everything. be patient. I’ve waited three years to replace our logo, but the right timing creates the right support. For example, the Postal Service needed to change 230,000 vehicles–THAT is the right time for a new logo—and the Brand Identity project was approved. ‘Never waste a good crisis.’ When crisis hits, it is a time for incredible change, so take advantage of it

US Postal Servicenagisa manabeChief Marketing and Sales Officer

Here’s an old question: How do you move an elephant? you can’t push it, you can’t scare it, you can’t reason with it. If you want to move an elephant, you need to convince its rider to move it for you. It’s the same at your organization. Educating the executive ranks is key to making changes

Pet360Rose hamiltonChief Marketing Officer

evangelizing internally is criticalTo serve customers well, invite all groups within your company to contribute to the conversation – financial and legal too.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

the voice oF the customer is ever-changing. Only a third of your teams are waiting for change, they are your Evangelists. Pair Evangelists with the middle third, they want change, so pull them onto a Task Force. The last third are waiting for the dust to settle (hint: it never will). If you want to stay true to the voice of the customer, you simply can’t stay static.

McGraw -Hill EducationalVictoria BurwellChief Marketing Officer

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

start with customer Data, run the programs, anD see who converts. There will be variables that pop. At Metlife our customers like NASCAR, jazz, and parenting, so we focus on areas like these to expand our campaigns

Metlifemelissa GradyVice -President, eBusiness

Data is the only real source of competitive advantage. At Kraft, we see 100 million uniques per year. we use First-party Data, tracking 34,000 DiFFerent attributes to inForm our campaigns. Philadelphia Cream Cheese lovers were adding fruits and vegetables. The data revealed an interesting pattern: you either like savory or sweet. Using those two distinctions provides context to messaging and engagement

KraftJulie FleischerLeader of Data, Content and Media

Marketing is a mix of art & science. As we collect more data, we move towards making it more of a science. however, iF you leave the art out, your marketing is never going to work

OneSpotAdam WeinrothChief Marketing Officer

people are not cookiesAttribution based on meaningful KPIs that map to business objectives is the key.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

The most reliable and scalable way to get your message heard is through storytelling. But, your moDel is FlaweD iF you have to name a ‘Director oF storytelling”. Storytelling is a horizontal value, versus an individual contribution. It informs everything you do. For example, our product is not our content. Storytelling allows us to surround our product with content, content designed to get people to experience our product

HubSpotJoe chernovVice-President of Content

The best campaigns trigger your senses: sight, taste, sounD, touch, mooD. For example, Corona–taste the salt air, feel the sun on your skin, the sand in your toes, the relaxation setting in. To find out what will resonate, you need to listen to your customers. We need feedback from consumers to create the ‘mystery middle’ in a story. That’s where you really connect

Sony MusicBill RichardsVice-President of Marketing

our content is alreaDy about telling great stories. storytelling is a weapon that elicits emotion, Decisions are Driven by emotion

PBSLesli RotenbergSenior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications

everyone is Driven by emotionTelling stories and using content is the best way to tap into your customers’ deepest desires.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

Content that influences and entertains is of increasing value–and that’s something that’s very different from advertising, and different from marketing. you neeD to be thinking in terms oF marketing content optimization–anD that’s what storytelling is. It’s a high-value investment, but it’s absolutely worth it

ForbesBruce RogersChief Insights Officer

an authentic voice makes the DiFFerence with our customers, and it’s crucial. I’ve found having an earned media background gives you the ability to ‘smell test’ the stories you’re marketing and the content you’re developing. You have to make sure what you’re making is 100 percent genuine before you send it out, because even if you can’t tell, your customers can

The Wharton SchoolJerry SteinbrinkChief Marketing Officer

There’s a real temptation to do content the way everyone else does. However, it’s good to keep in mind that Fun anD quirky things are more interesting—never take yourselF too seriously

HeinzJason WestChief Marketing Officer (Former)

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

We are building brands traditionally or non-traditionally, online and offline, and customers want to partner with us. your customers want to partner with you. We need to meet them where they want to be met. For us, social is the next phase of our evolution.

Wyndham Hotel Groupchristine Da SilvaVice-President, Marketing and Communications

going viral is not a goal in anD oF itselF anymore. Increased cultural relevance is what really matters. Anything else is noise.

OneSpotAdam WeinrothChief Marketing Officer

your branD is socialWhether you like it or not, customers are talking about your brand online: you choose whether to join them, or ignore them.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

i’ve haD people ask me, ‘Do we really neeD to monitor the branD at all?’ yes! We had a blogger in the Chinese market launch an anti-Siemens social campaign that still upsets me three years later. You have to measure and review the sentiment details around your brand in order to reduce the ‘social anxiety’ inside the organization, as well as address issues outside the organization

Siemensmichael StenbergVice-President, Digital and Infrastructure

It is worse to ignore negative comments on social than to be authentic and transparent. ignoring people just Fuels negativity, rather than neutralizing it

Union and WebsterGina michnowiczChief Executive Officer

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

People go from wonderment to annoyance in record time with a new technology. As a marketer today, you have to be so much more minDFul oF the customer experience, because with new technology, it’s the decisive factor

GogoAsh elDifrawiChief Commercial Officer

it’s more important than ever to nail your kpis. If they aren’t relevant, you are wasting your time. Maybe even all of your time

YPAlex KaminskyVice-President of Brand and Advertising

tomorrow, toDayMarketing isn’t changing quickly, it has changed. It’s time for everyone to start catching up.

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

The BeST OF Thetweets

Michele Weisman@ottogrl

Customer service via social is content. Create a whole content strategy on making people happy. Well said @KristinFernholz! #incitesummit

Emily Barlean@ebarlean

“It’s less about the rational and more about the emotive side.” Great point by Kara from Prudential. #customercentricity #incitesummit

Pearlfisher@pearlfisherlive

Telling engaging stories can be uncomfortable; you must be willing to take risks to stay relevant. #incitesummit @InciteMC

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

AOL Platforms@AOLPlatforms

“Attribution is a decoder of the consumer based on what they’re actually doing, as opposed to what it ‘looks’ like.” #incitesummit

Stephen Halsey@halseyhoff

Huge difference between data and insights. Data is nothing without insight - Mei Lee, VP of Marketing, Digital of Conde Nast #incitesummit

Dennis Jolley@dsjutah

“Data is there to assist story-telling. It’s not an end in itself.” #contentmarketing #incitesummit

Siemens@Siemens

Giving social media guidance to our employees is one of the first steps to prevent crisis. @stenmic #incitesummit #siemens

Kelly Hur@kellyhur

#Lesson: how Kraft segment its target market? Sweet vs. Savory. Non-traditional segmt can lead u 2 unexpected success. #InciteSummit

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

Jason West@jasonscottwest

Big learning for me at #InciteSummit: optimizing and measuring path-to-purchase is essential for user experiences driven online or phone.

Dennis Jolley@dsjutah

“What is our dramatic disruption?” @Pet360 tried proj that failed, held Irish wake to celebrate what they learned, move on. #incitesummit

Kelly Hur@kellyhur

LESSON: “Creating Sequential Content is absolutely critical in #Storytelling.” -@aweinroth @onespot #InciteSummit

Stephen Halsey@halseyhoff

Digital is driving the convergence of marketing, communications & PR in organizations - Adrienne Hayes, Motorola Mobility #incitesummit

Gully Flowers@gul_ly

“We don’t need more data, we need more connective tissue for the data” Ken Lain of @VerizonFiOS customer service #incitesummit #data

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

Michael Stenberg@stenmic

“A shift from making a good product to creating an outstanding customer experience” is happening @victoriaburwell CMO #incitesummit

Dave Frankland@dfrankland

Julie Fleischer, Leader of Data, Content, and Media at Kraft: “We had to build data literacy across the organization” #InciteSummit

MetiaUSA@metiauSA

RT @cmswire: The most important question a marketer has to ask himself each day is: ‘Am I still relevant.’ – Ash EIDfrawi, Gogo #incitesummit

Kahlila@Kahlila

“It’s easy enough to say that you care; it’s much more important to show it.” - Nagisa Manabe #incitesummit #nyc

Michele Weisman@ottogrl

“Whatever story you tell it must be authentic. Otherwise your customers will tell the story their way.” - Leslil Rotenberg @PBS #incitesummit

Erik Ford@erikford

“It’s constantly a balancing act of profitability and customer experience.” Be customer-centric. #incitesummit

http://www.unionandwebster.com

New York City12–13 November 2014

@inciteMC

how can we help you?Discuss marcomms innovation with CMOs and huge brands at our Incite Summits: Meet with 200 peers to move your marcomms approach forward over two interactive days of strategy, case studies and best practice

www.incitemc.com/summits

In-depth, focused insight on specific questions you need answered: Specialized seminars on key aspects of transforming your marcomms strategy. Detail on multi-channel, customer-centricity, big data and more - local to you, and in small, dynamic groups

www.incitemc.com/seminars

Get up to speed without leaving your desk: Through a mixture of webinars and live-streaming events, we’ll deliver you with hours of innovation and strategy from the world’s leading marcomms executives - all in a convenient, accessible format

www.incitemc.com/online

Build your support network and engage with peers to crowd-source solutions: Incite’s innovative approach allows us to leverage the power of a 10,000-strong marcomms community. Collaborate with us to find answers, build useful, focused products and generate insight. And join our private, corporate-only network to discuss challenges and opportunities with peers

www.incitemc.com/collaborate

Detailed analysis, industry benchmarks and revealing interviews: Our online hub features weekly interviews with industry-leading figures, white papers and briefings that go in-depth on critical marcomms issues, as well as statistics and trends derived from feedback from thousands of your peers.

www.incitemc.com

start learning incitemc.com #incitesummit