Meet Generation-Novel, the new critical customer segment created by the pandemic. Before COVID (BC), your customer was already living a digital ritual of mobile, social, real-time for work, play and endless sharing and consumption. Now, with shelter in place and general fear of getting sick, customers are only becoming more and more digital. It’s not just for the early adopters or younger generations. Everyone is becoming equally digital because they have to. But it’s not just about tech and the…
In these dark times, be the light: How to boost your business through innovation
In 2020, Emakina and I partnered on a special #FastTrack webinar to help brands become the light in these dark times. The conversation was titled, “How to boost your business through innovation in the current and future context.” Leading up to the event, Luc Malcorps of Emakina and I explored topics in the webinar, but also work leading up to COVID-19 that may prove more meaningful now than before. I hope this helps you… The Covid-19 crisis unhinged society and…
This is not the new normal or the next normal: that’s for everyone else
We talk about the ‘new normal’ or the ‘next normal’, but for world-renowned digital anthropologist and author Brian Solis, ‘normal’ was part of the problem. In this powerful talk, he explains how the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation for the better and paved the way for disruptive innovation with technologies like 5G. Now more than ever, we need new ideas, partnerships and mindsets that unlock creativity and imagination to deliver sophisticated new experiences for business customers and consumers. I recently…
May I Have Your Attention, No, May I Have Your Intention Please?
My friend Stephen Denny asked me if I would write the foreword for his new book, “Unfiltered Marketing: 5 Rules to Win Back Trust, Credibility, and Customers in a Digitally Distracted World.” It meant a lot to me. Having the ability to set the stage for someone’s passion and hard work is not something I take lightly. I asked if it would be okay to share the foreword upon release of the book and he said, “of course.” Unfiltered Marketing…
Redefining the human-centred approach to marketing
Via CMO… We’re living in a time of the ‘#noveleconomy’, a new and unusual time marked by the coronavirus, where the number one driver has to be customers and employees, Salesforce global innovation evangelist, Brian Solis, claims. “We have to learn, whether that’s in retail or in brand, how to deliver a much more impactful experience, not just for someone who’s connected, but for someone who’s emotionally, subconsciously and intellectually moved because of a global pandemic,” Solis explained during this…
Introducing a new live video series, Intersections: Where Ideas and Possibility Converge
The new media world is simply incredible. It’s rich with opportunities to learn and share with platforms that make onboarding, creating, publishing and consuming content approachable by just about anyone. I’ve been blogging since about 2004, producing online videos shortly thereafter and podcasting for the last few years. It wasn’t until recently however that I started to experiment with live-streaming as a host. In development for about six months, I’m proud to announce “Intersections: Where Ideas and Possibility Converge,” a…
The Future of Retail: Inspiring Innovation In The Novel Economy
Since the dawn of COVID-19, brick-and-mortar retail has been thrust into yet another level of disruption. From e-commerce to mobile to social media to apps to a global pandemic, retail can’t seem to catch a break. But now, maybe they can. Consumers are now, not only increasingly digital first, they’re bound by a somatic marker that is COVID-19. The future of retail isn’t what it used to be. In this 50 minute, yes, almost one hour, conversation with Alicia Esposito…
Imagining a New Era of Restaurant Experiences by Reinventing the Restaurant Industry
How different could the restaurant scene look in just the next handful of years? Let’s find out… Today’s customers live a connected lifestyle, more so now with a global pandemic shutting normal life down. Connected customers expect all of the conveniences and perks that come with the on-demand economy. They’re not only connected and always-on, they’re impatient, self-interested, distracted, and seeking experiences that mirror their favorite services and apps across every industry. If you opened a restaurant today, what could…
Building Trust in Digital Business
It now seems like a lifetime ago. Shortly before the onset of COVID-19 and my joining Salesforce as the Global Innovation Evangelist, I flew to London to participate in an expert panel on software defined networking (SDN) and the future of digital transformation. While digital transformation itself has been disrupted in the time since, SDN, like many enabling and mission-critical technologies are more important now than ever. I recently stumbled across unpublished material that I wanted to share with you…
Designing for Digital-First Customers: Focus on experience as a driver for breakthrough innovation
Just months before the pandemic, I joined Comcast innovation executives, eWeek, and a host of CX experts to explore the next trends in CX and digital innovation. Following the roundtable discussion, I joined my friends at The Cube and Silicon Angle to dive deeper into conversations about shifting consumerism, the role of innovation in digital products and services and also digital experience design, as well as measuring ROE (return on experiences). Post Pandemic, the conversation seems like it happened a…
