Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

IBM's predictions all involve big data and using computing to glean intelligence from vast systems. We discuss them with IBM's research boss....

In a nutshell, IBM says:

– The classroom will learn you.

– Buying local will beat online.

– Doctors will use your DNA to keep you well.

– A digital guardian will protect you online.

– The city will help you live in it.

Meyerson said that this year’s ideas are based on the fact that everything will learn. Machines will learn about us, reason, and engage in a much more natural and personalized way. The innovations are being enabled by cloud computing, big data analytics, and adaptive learning technologies. IBM believes the technologies will be developed with the appropriate safeguards for privacy and security, but each of these predictions raises privacy and security issues...

2013 will be the perfect storm of necessity and opportunity: some economies will do OK(-ish), others will be shaky, but whatever market or industry you're in, those who understand & cater to changing consumer needs, desires and expectations will forever have plenty of opportunity to profit. A remapped global economy, new technologies (or 'old' technologies applied in new ways), new business models... hey, what's not to like?

Hence this overview of 10 crucial consumer trends (in random order) for you to run with in the next 12 months....

[PR and marketing take notes ~ Jeff]

I have bad news for companies that are struggling to improve their customer engagement—it’s only going to get more difficult.

...They also shared ideas and best practices where there’s common ground. “People want to learn, borrow, and understand what other industries are doing to solve similar problems,” said Bob Weiler, Executive Vice President of Oracle’s Global Business Units.

The customer experience is one such area—a challenge, opportunity, business goal, and IT undertaking all rolled into one here-and-now, make-or-break imperative.

“The customer is in the driver’s seat. We need to get in front of what her needs are,” said Karen Katz, CEO and President of Neiman Marcus Group , during the Oracle Industry Connect keynote for retailers....

Interactive marketing has proven itself to be one of the most disruptive and powerful marketing approaches of the past few decades, managing to turn centuries-old and established media and agency models completely upside down, and showing an ability to grow digital properties into some of the largest businesses in the globe. Currently, interactive marketing makes up for 15% of all advertising spending in the world....

How "cool" is your brand? Marketers may soon get the answers...

A Breakthrough In Measuring Cool Business leaders can now determine whether their brands are perceived as cool and how much emotional heat they have as a measure of future business success. Results from a recent study in the beer and spirits categories are described below to illustrate the new insights available from measuring cool.

Today there is too much noise, too much clutter and too many choices for customers to navigate in virtually every category. When a brand evokes the characteristics of cool, it stands out and drives consumption. For brand owners and innovators it has been increasingly difficult to differentiate on functional features and benefits to get ahead of competitive brands and private label.

The accumulated research on quantifying cool by Buyology has demonstrated:

- Cool is a key driver of brand favorability across a wide spectrum of product and service categories

- Cool is relevant and important to all age groups, although what is considered to be cool may vary by age.

- Cool brands have different characteristic patterns

- Cool is more reliably measured through non-conscious methods, where perception and intuition operate in our thinking...