A transformation of marketing is underway as we spend more time on our

mobiles, tablets and laptops. The challenge for brands is to connect with
customers through all these devices in real time and create campaigns that
work across social media, display advertising and e-commerce.
The real-time conversations brands have with people as they interact with
websites and mobile apps has changed the nature of marketing. The
modern-day marketing department needs to combine the creative side of
the discipline using powerful narratives to tap into peoples wishes and
aspirations with the technical side of data, digital engineering and
analytics. The two areas do not always sit easily together. Getting creative
marketers to work alongside technical staff can be a huge challenge.
To explore these issues, the Guardian, in association with software firm
Adobe, invited a panel of five top marketers and digital chiefs to discuss the
matter before an audience of about 50 marketing and digital professionals.
The question they addressed was: What does the merging of technology
and marketing mean for marketers?
The panel examined the challenges of bringing together these two distinct
worlds. Marketing is concerned with understanding peoples motivations
and using these insights to create campaigns that promote brands and
encourage people to buy their products. It is a creative and often intuitive
process. The technology used to achieve this, however, requires skills in
mathematics, statistics and computing. How can these two different areas
work together effectively?
As Guardian News and Medias chief digital officer Tanya Cordrey told the
panel: Where marketing hasnt changed is the creativity and the passion
from brands that have really helped build loyalty and emotion. But she
added: Those things you still need, but almost all aspects of marketing
have changed very dramatically.
Three areas of marketing which have been transformed by digital are the
speed, relevance and reach of campaigns. Mark Singleton, head of
sportsbook marketing at betting brand Paddy Power, recalled an incident in
the Premiership last March when Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew
headbutted Hull City midfielder David Meyler in a touchline clash. Within
half an hour, Paddy Power had reacted to the incident with wit and speed
by booking print ads referring to the incident for the next mornings press.
The bookie offered a money-back guarantee on bets for Newcastles
following fixture should one of its team score a header.
To be able to turn around a press ad at half past four in the afternoon and
for it to be in the papers the next morning is fantastic, it wouldnt have

happened four or five years ago, said Singleton. The rise of digital means
you can be incredibly fast, he added.
Digital marketing has also greatly increased relevancy. Messages can be
targeted with a laser focus to very specific groups offering them relevant
content.
Meanwhile, the reach of campaigns has also increased greatly. With so
many different ways that customers access media, whether through
Facebook, YouTube, news websites, via mobile or tablet apps, a strong idea
can quickly gain huge scale. If you come up with that nugget of an idea,
youve now got such reach that you can expand that and get tremendous
coverage just from a little niche idea, said Singleton.
Marketers need to update their skills in order to make the most of these
fast-moving, and highly relevant campaigns through digital. They need to
work closely with data specialists, web developers and social media
professionals. Charles Wells, chief marketing officer at charity fundraising
service JustGiving, told the panel that the marketer of the future needs to
combine marketing and creative skills with an understanding of real-time
technology. He said his marketing team has data scientists, engineers,
developers and user experience experts, who work together in small project
teams to try and create growth. This is a radical change from the way
traditional marketing departments work, he said.
He thought the big task for people in marketing would be to find their own
niche: The biggest challenge for the marketer of the future isnt how do I
get skilled up, but how do I get to fit into this machine and which cog am I
going to try and be?
Just as marketers need to become more savvy about technology, data and
analytics, so the technically minded staff on the digital side have to get
more creative. They are rising to this challenge, said Wells. A fifth of staff at
JustGiving are data strategists whose sole job is to identify patterns from
the data the service gathers from millions of charity fundraisers. They are
probably some of the most creative people in the building, they are looking
for fascinating things and they are building amazing engines, said Wells.
Some of the algorithm stuff Ive seen over the past few months has been
some of the sexiest marketing Ive seen for a long time, he added.
A vital quality for marketers in the fast-changing digital environment is
curiosity, rather than any specific technical knowledge, said Adobe digital
marketing director John Watton.
Its not about a particular tool or system, it is about being curious about
other possibilities because the tools we will use in two or three years time

will be totally different from the ones we were using two years ago, he told
the discussion.
A question about the effectiveness of digital marketing was raised by
audience member Steve Mullins, content director of brand-e. He felt that
targeted advertising hasnt really improved over the years and that brands
are spending a lot of money on technology without necessarily reaping
rewards. Should the merger of buying and tech mean buyer beware? he
asked.
Lisa Bridgett, sales and marketing director at upmarket online fashion
retailer Net-a-Porter, answered that marketers ultimately need to rely on
their natural intuition rather than on technology.
She referred to programmatic ad buying, where computers buy and place
online ads in an automated way, and said that there are few people who
really understand how such technology works.
You cant just say that the technology is perfect because of course its not.
In fact, Im sitting with my agency and really unpicking programmatic and
the truth is that they dont understand it at all. I dont actually think that
there is anyone who understands a lot of these things when you get into the
world of big data. She added: What I do is build up an arsenal of data and
then I use my intuition. Time and time again it plays out right. So you need
to be dextrous in these two different worlds.
For brands to work effectively together in the digital world, chief marketing
officers and chief information officers must work in unison. But this is hard
to achieve for many organisations and the two sides can end up in conflict.
Pure digital players such as Net-a-Porter that have always been digital are
structured for the digital age.
But legacy businesses that need to undergo a digital transformation must
decide who should lead that change. Should it be the chief information
officer or the chief marketing officer or perhaps someone from a different
department? As Adobes Watton said: There is a battle going on. I dont
know who will win that battle.
Meanwhile, Hema Chauhan, marketing executive at agency TMW, asked
whether brand teams, technologists or agencies were best placed to
implement new technology systems. The panel agreed that it is usually
agencies who are responsible for this. But JustGivings Charles Well said
agencies had to stop trying to pitch technology and start offering creative
ideas that can improve the organisation. My challenge to agencies is do
what you are really good at, which is to come up with amazing ideas, he
said.

The question of how businesses should identify the marketers and

technologists of the future was raised by Omaid Hiwaizi, chief strategy
officer at agency Geometry Global. Do you filter them out, grow them or
hire millennials and put up with them? he asked.
The panel agreed that having a mix of millennials and more experienced
staff was important. Paddy Powers David Singleton said it was a struggle
trying to hang on to good staff, who might go elsewhere. And Adobes John
Watton said: You need a balance, you need experienced people who have
learned some of the pitfalls. We re-skill people on the job, we move people
from traditional content roles into web content roles and spot opportunities
for people to move towards more data roles.
Another audience member, Gregory Gillette, insight analyst at agency 1000
Heads, asked what kind of skills were needed from those looking to get into
marketing.
Net-a-Porters Lisa Bridgett said she was impressed by the millennial
generation as they see no boundaries to what they can do. Marketers can
come from many backgrounds: I think the dexterity around the disciplines
is fantastic, she said.
Those looking for a career in marketing must be prepared to bring together
the magic of marketing and the science of technology to create powerful
and relevant marketing campaigns.
Bridgett summed up the challenge. The real stars are the ones who can
balance a passion for technology, data, fashion and creativity at the same
time.

Key discussion points

How has the explosion of digital technology changed marketing? This was
the theme of the discussion panel organised by the Guardian in association
with Adobe. Todays connected consumers are using smartphones, iPads,
laptops - and even glasses and watches - to access content. As a result,
marketing departments need to provide compelling campaigns across these
different devices and become proficient in using technology. Marketers
need to work closely with IT departments and technologists. They need to
understand the processes behind developing websites, handling data and
running social media campaigns. The panel discussed how marketers could
develop the skills to enable them to work hand in hand with technologists
while retaining their creativity, flair and intuition.