Why R&D is ‘the wind beneath marketing’s wings’ at Coca-Cola: AI, analytics, and more

Session Even if you are one of the biggest and most recognisable brands in the world, it never pays to stand still.

Coca-Cola is a particular case in point. For years, the soft drinks behemoth regularly topped the charts as the world's most valuable brand. Yet in 2013, according to Interbrand's rankings, Apple took Coca-Cola's crown, ending its 13-year unbroken stay at the top and moving it down to third, behind Google. As of 2019, Apple and Google remain one and two, with...

24 August 2020 | Automation

Why upskilling in marketing automation can empower your brand

For marketing departments, there are always opportunities to learn new tech skills – not least because of how rapidly it evolves.

And for brands that are keen to simplify a customer’s purchasing experience, complete conversions quicker and free up a marketer’s time – to focus on innovation – marketing automation could be the answer.

Why? Because the statistics evidence how this advanced technology can empower organisations. Customer optimisation specialist...

7 August 2020 | Automation

Know your data – and your limits – before utilising automation to drive campaign ROI

Brands are sitting on millions of pieces of data about customers and their behaviours – and yet many marketers are still failing to effectively apply it to their digital comms.

As a result, it’s leading to an array of lost opportunities. But why is that the case when organisations are exposed to even more ways to analyse their performance, speak to audiences on a deeper level and positively impact business growth?

Perhaps organisations aren’t providing marketing...

20 July 2020 | Advertising

Machine learning for marketers: Getting the strategies and processes right

Webinar Machine learning has the potential to transform marketers' operations - but organisations need to overcome various hurdles to achieve success.

Writing for this publication at the end of last year, Phil Midwinter, CTO at Third Foundation, said organisations needed to make a 'serious commitment to data and digital via ML and AI' in 2020.

To achieve this, you not only need the right data, but also the right tools to read between the lines. Artificial...

16 July 2020 | Automation

Affiliate marketers share their insight: When is the pain worth the gain with automation?

Automation is revolutionising the digital marketing world, as with many other industries, changing the scope of what is possible, the way teams are structured and the expectations we have.

However, the affiliate universe faces an additional dilemma: How to bring this powerhouse of technological change into an industry built on a foundation of human relationships.

Inhabiting a world somewhat separate from display, search and other digital marketing offerings means that...

14 July 2020 | Advertising

Are AI systems queuing up to replace the copy desk? Don’t be so sure

Watching Nicole He’s robot interview Billie Eilish might convince you that artificial intelligence could never replace human journalists. Yet the robot’s nonsensical questions (such as “Have you ever seen the ending?”) evoked thoughtful and amusing responses from Eilish — a feat that journalists often struggle to accomplish.

After the interview, Eilish described the monotony of questions she’s usually asked. It seems that human qualities like logic and reason may act...

10 July 2020 | Automation

Retailers have a long way to go for autonomous supply chains, says new report

The process of automating the retail supply chain is a slow one according to new research - but the desire for change is strong.

The Retail Supply Chain Digital Readiness report, from Blue Yonder and WMG, University of Warwick, found that of more than 100 global retailers surveyed, only 15% have advanced autonomy in their supply chains.

For those who aren't there yet - level three and four, representing prescriptive or autonomous supply chains respectively - more than...

9 July 2020 | Automation

How AI could help marketers with future pandemics

When you have a hammer, it is tempting to look for the nail in every situation. This temptation doubles when the tool is as powerful and multi-faceted as AI.

Much is currently being said about AI and how it’s helping with solutions during the pandemic, for instance in contact tracing, maintaining social distancing, or the search for a vaccine. AI is also helping some companies to cope with commercial disruption, for example Walmart has turned to robot cleaners. Behind the...

10 June 2020 | Advertising

Four key strategies to create successful immersive meetings

Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sea change in the events industry.

As headlines published surrounding lockdowns across the globe, those organising upcoming events scrambled to assuage eventgoers. They also had another difficult task at hand: deciding whether to move fully to digital versus cancelling their carefully planned meetings entirely. For those who decided to move online, the question was about engagement: How would they replicate the immersive touchpoints that...

8 June 2020 | Automation

What if your virtual agent could read? The benefits of integrating conversational AI for the enterprise

Automation is changing the way the enterprise operates and how people work across a broad range of business processes. So much so that organisations who still lack an ambitious and rigorous automation agenda risk being left behind. The benefits of automating many business processes are clear, with time-savings and efficiencies leading the list of benefits for many businesses. External and customer-facing businesses are automating much of their customer service operations, with some...

28 May 2020 | Advertising Technology