I’d like to think of 2020 as we think about it with vision, 20/20, which means normal visual acuity. Marketing in 2020 will be a lot like marketing in 2019…normal (all good stuff!) We'll talk about hot new trends and integrate shiny tech into existing thinking, processes and programs, doing cool things, without really changing the game. Once someone takes a bold leap, like Aviation Gin’s “fast advertising” follow ad that capitalized on Peloton’s marketing debacle, everyone will see a new light to then follow (and copy) and add a new page to the marketing playbook. There’s more that we can do to keep adding to that playbook or even, create a new playbook in 2020.

We need growth in how we see markets and ultimately how we see people to move forward in new and meaningful ways. For example, data needs organization and massive cleaning to get a clear view, a single truth about our customer. This sets up AI and machine learning to help us identify useful patterns of customer behaviors to then set the stage for personalization (and humanization) in engagement across the journey.

But that’s the thing when it comes to predictions…we make them from a position of what we know vs. from a place of curiosity and aspiration. It’s a matter of “here’s what I see” vs. “what if …? For example, what if I explored these new technologies and new opportunities with a beginner’s mind?”

What if customer experience became the catalyst for a new generation of cross-functional, orchestrated, customer-centered marketing?

What if CRM empowered marketers and CX professionals to collaborate around personalizing, unifying and adding value to the “customer’s experience” at every step?

What if we aimed AI at uncovering the patters of frustration customers experience with marketing and in their journeys to fix problems?

What if we did the same thing to identify patterns of love in the existing journey and in the journeys of other beloved brands to innovate and create new touchpoints and experiences?

What if we explored how customers feel as they go through the journey and use that to inspire content and touchpoint designs to ease their chaos or stress and deliver reprieve, validation and direction?

What if 2020 became the year we changed the game?

These are questions someone has to answer. What if it was you?

By Brian Solis

Keywords: Customer Experience, Marketing, Future of Work

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