CMOs: 3 action items to improve the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts

As a CMO, running a successful marketing campaign is a daunting task, filled with great opportunities but also potential pitfalls. As a graduate student at the Medill School of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, I have found two articles which you will find interesting. 

In the AdvertisingAge's article, How To Protect Your Brand from Landing on Bad Websites, Co-founder of digital advertising company Undertone, Eric Franchi talks about how companies can achieve both scale and brand protection, and stresses that organizations need to stay in control and demand transparency. This is particularly critical with the proliferation of fake news sites, and the millions of dollars served to fake sites through programmatic advertising. "You, as a buyer,  have a right to ask, and a right to know," he says. 

Source: Geralt, Pixabay

Changing gears, Tech Radar's article Don't Run Commercials Designed to Trigger Smart Assistants delves into the viral advertisement ran by Burger King which triggered the Google Home devices in many homes. While it seemed like a smart and out-of-the-box way of reaching people, the response from consumers suggests the general public is not yet ready, says Michelle Fitzsimmons, TechRadar's senior news editor. More importantly, it raised nagging questions about privacy concerns that customers were creeped out by. 

Using the insights provided in both articles, I have developed the following three action items you can think about before launching your next campaign. 

• Stay in Control - As a representative for your company you have a right to ask and know where your advertisements are appearing and in what form. 

• Trust is priceless - When advertisers take the liberty to control our personal assistants, that opens a “frightening door, one that could lean to alarmingly personal forms of marketing”. Remember that these are very real fears of consumers and respect the boundaries. 

• Give it time - Being the first-mover is not necessarily the best move, if you are looking to try a new technology or platform. Wait for it to be established and make sure that your key audience is there before making the move.  

The next time you are planning your marketing campaign, consider theses three action items to help you protect your brand while achieving good reach. 

Mindy Tan is a Master's student in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing, with an interest in digital and social marketing.  Connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

Homebuilders Take a Cue from Retail: 3 Ways to Reach the Millennial Market

Millennials are the largest group entering homeownership in the US today. Savvy homebuilders and developers know these buyers have different needs and wants than the generations before them. Many saw their parents lose in the housing recession, and are not willing to settle and cram themselves into a home or community that doesn’t support the way they want to live. To succeed in this environment homebuilders and developers need to think differently about how to reach them.

As the CMO of the largest community developer in the nation, I track consumer sentiment about home buying carefully, and have found two articles that you will find interesting as you think about how to reach and what to build for Millennials.

Brian Croce, an Editor at Hanley Wood Residential’s BUILDER Magazine – the seminal industry publication – outlines the challenges in BUILDER Online that this customer group faces, from high student loan debt, to lack of available homes that meet their preferences and needs, while making the case for the growing optimism of Millennial homebuyers. Citing a recent Zillow survey, 65% of 18-34 year olds say owning a home is necessary to live a good life, and 73% say it provides more personal freedom. This, despite shifts from homeownership being a badge of honor for earlier generations, to something Millennials can take or leave in the sharing economy.

Natural, creative playgrounds create memory points and connect with Millennial parents 

In this article, in BisNow, a publication focusing on trends and innovations in the real estate sector,  Patricia Kirk outlines how Millennial influence has transformed the retail industry.  Retailers who have remained “relevant” today know speed, convenience and custom individualism is essential to these buyers. These same trends are critical for homebuilders wanting to make sure the homes they are building will serve the evolving lifestyle needs of Millennial buyers. The question some builders may have is how? 

After reading these two articles, I’ve developed 3 action items that will help builders and developers hoping to appeal to the pent-up optimism of the Millennial homebuyer, with a retail frame of mind:

• Focus on personalization: give Millennials innovative home and community designs that reflect how they live, no cookie-cutter designs

• Think experience first: to Millennials, experiences matter more than stuff – give this “YOLO” generation ways to experience life the way they want 

• Make community matter: localize, regionalize and create an authentic community for this craft-brew, maker-loving generation

Builders and developers who take time to think personal, experiential and community will win with Millennials as they re-shape how society lives, and

By Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki - I was CMO for Newland Communities for 10+ years and now share my perspective and insights through my customer experience and brand strategy consulting business tst ink. Follow me on Twitter