converge

Razorfish is a digital agency formed in the mid-'90s to help transform business at the intersection of marketing and technology.  Written by two of the principals, this book offers insights into both disciplines as they have converged into a single digital advertising strategy in the modern era.

One theme that resonated throughout is that the only thing that matters is the quality of the customer experience which is the strongest reflection of your brand.  Marketing is no longer about throwing a message out into the world and hoping that you interrupt the right person at the right time.  Marketing is now about providing a service—a utility, much of it technology enabled.  Digital is an enabler of experiences.  Marketers need to continually ask themselves "How can my brand help the consumer achieve a goal?"

Three technology-enabled megatrends were explored—cloud, mobile and social.  Insights were offered into each aspect of modern marketing and the value that each trend offers brands.  Numerous examples are presented throughout the book including MLB.com (the digital arm of Major League Baseball), Netflix, Etsy, Audi, Patagonia, Nordstrom and Starbucks.

A few take-home messages:

~ "Get out of the campaign mind-set and become an always-on publisher."

~ "You need to imagine your company as a software publisher, increasingly under pressure to frequently update, test, and learn, and to respond to real-time consumer feedback."

~ "Winners will be organizations whose main focus is on their customer's journey and who possess a relentless desire to understand and improve that journey from beginning to end."

~ "Remember, regardless of your place in the organization, customer-centricity is your north star."

<strong>Converge</strong> offers a reminder to technology professionals that the customer is king and to marketing professionals that technology enables the king's experience with your company's brand.

To explore more about the customer journey consider reading the five-star rated <strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/820642256">Youtility</a>.</strong>

Access Gene Babon's reviews of books on <strong>Business Leadership</strong> and <strong>Business Strategy</strong> at <strong><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/webapprentices/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.</strong>