Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Digital Transformation
    Marketing Operations
    Data
    Customer & Digital Experience
    Performance Marketing
    Marketing Management
    Special Reports
    All Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Marketing Management » Why brands must take a people-first approach to martech

Why brands must take a people-first approach to martech

Don't get distracted by the shiny new thing. Companies that use martech to serve the "human experience" are getting it right, says Riverbed CMO.

Ginny Marvin on April 5, 2019 at 10:06 am | Reading time: 3 minutes

Subbu Iyer, CMO of Riverbed, speaking at MarTech Conference 2019.

SAN JOSE, CA — Brands are spending more than 16% of their budgets on technology, and yet 50% don’t believe they have the tools they need, according to a Moore Stephens poll.

The real problem, said Subbu Iyer, CMO at Riverbed, in a talk at MarTech Conference Thursday, is the way brands are approaching technology. “The amount of money going into tech as a percentage of marketing budget is increasing. But if you’re looking at satisfaction it’s not there.”

Many of us constantly seek out the new hot thing — the shiny object — and yet, often our marketing outcomes aren’t improving with all this new technology the way we expect.

“Marketers need to ask what the purpose of the technology is – and it needs to be to serve the human experience,” said Iyer. “How can we do better evaluating technology? Think about it from a human context.”

Marketers also need human-centered digital strategies. Then they can deploy technology for their own customer-centered use cases that address the human experience.

The human experience Iyer refers to encompasses “the total set of interactions and encounters that you as a brand have with your employees, customers and partners.” That’s a true measure of affinity, said Iyer. “It’s not about MQLs and SQLs. It’s about affinity and engagement.”

Customers are savvy. They demand, value, transparency and authenticity and personalization. As customers become more self-sufficient and do research on their own, those are the things they’re looking for, said Iyer. “To be successful, the starting point is not the technology.”

The buyer journey is not linear or sequential. “That’s our challenge when thinking about it from a tech stack perspective,” said Iyer. “We think about it very linearly. It’s not linear. It’s never linear.”

Among the strategies of people-first approach that Iyer explained is to use the full power of digital technology to build cognitive empathy.

Iyer pointed to a number of studies that show emotions are the number one factor in determining loyalty. Understanding and responding to emotions as users come into contact with your brand can dramatically change outcomes.

Companies such as Humana and Asurion that are doing this now with AI. For example, Iyer explained, Humana has deployed AI software to monitor inflection and tone on customer calls. It can warn agents where the call is heading based on the modulations of the customer’s voice. The results: 28% improvement in customer satisfaction, 63% increase in agent engagement and 67% improvement in first-contact resolution.

“Customers aren’t buying products and services anymore, they’re buying experiences,” said Iyer, in closing. “That’s a fundamental belief I have.” Many companies understand this, he said. Coke sells happiness. Apple sells a lifestyle. Nike sells inspiration. And then there’s Peloton. Is it a media company or a fitness experience, asked Iyer? “It’s an integrated experience and they disrupted the fitness market.”


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    Only 38% of marketers very confident in their customer data and analytics systems
    Does your email copy persuade or sell?
    The latest jobs in martech
    74% of B2B marketers expect budgets to increase next year
    How Cherry Bombe uses email to make customers smile

About The Author

Ginny Marvin
Ginny Marvin was formerly Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin wrote about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Related Topics

Customer & Digital ExperienceMarketing ManagementMarketing Operations

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

SEO Recon: The What, Why, and How for Building Amazing Links

Unlock the Cutting-Edge Potential of QR Codes

Why Finding the Right Platform is the Key to Winning in Email Marketing

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise Marketing Performance Management Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Customer Journey Orchestration Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Account-Based Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

The Definitive Buyer’s Guide to Collaborative Work Management for Marketers

See More Whitepapers
Search Our Site

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.