Don’t Sweat the Details

By Ray Romero, Managing Executive Director at OMD U.S.

The POSSIBLE Miami conference and expo, a beacon of innovation in the marketing industry, brings together leaders from diverse sectors to explore futuristic content, commerce, and technological trends, reshaping the advertising landscape. POSSIBLE offers four full days of panels and a roster of pioneering leaders revolutionizing today’s marketing world.

The conference organizers, Greg Stuart (CEO of MMA, Founder Possible) and Christian Muche (CEO & Co-Founder of Beyond Ordinary Events), paid attention to every minor detail, which was evident in the seamless event setup that made it feel twice as big as last year. The coordination required for managing multiple vendors, presenters, sessions, sponsors, and branding was a significant achievement, made possible by focusing on even the most minor aspects.

Success in the marketing industry hinges on every department-level individual’s ability to pay attention to the details and adapt to change. The conference underscored the importance of simplicity in today’s marketing environment, as complexity can lead to setbacks.

Throughout the conference, presenters and panelists reiterated the theme of ‘sweating the details’, emphasizing the crucial role of the human element in marketing. During his session, Michael Kassen’s (Former CEO of Medialink) talk on ‘Signals vs. Noise’ was a testament to this, resonating with the conference’s themes and content.

Among other high-level themes, topics that drew significant attention included AI, transformation, retail media, creators, and culture, which we’ll focus on next.

However, among these high-level themes was one central underlying theme that no one can ignore nor deny its importance, which is Change Management and the need to lead teams effectively.

The details everyone sweats across all the conference themes reach a pivotal point where you either demonstrate success or failure. As we dive into each theme, we’ll focus on effective change management’s potential impact on an organization.

According to industry-leading professional services firm Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler’s (KPMG) article on the Three Trends Shaping the Future of Change Management, we live in a constantly changing world where change is not a fixed destination. By the time we reach our intended destination, that destination has already moved on. Therefore, change management is a never-ending journey that requires our constant attention.

Within the Change Management process, Harvard Professional & Executive Development Digital Content producer Mary Sharp Emerson writes about how organizations can achieve their goals of change within an organization, the key to success, and why the ability to lead people through change is the most critical factor in the equation.

1) AI, AI, AI: our ability to understand, adapt, and apply will be instrumental in modernizing marketing and consumer connectivity with brands.

Yup, that’s right. Whether it’s a catchy buzzword or used to demonstrate true impact, you can’t get away from many conversations these days without talking about AI. Christian Muche kicked off the event at the conference with a beautiful display of engaging with his personal AI avatar. It was noted that a key benefit of AI is that it will modernize and professionalize the marketing industry. However, it’s up to us to truly push this forward and not let the allure of AI, the complication of AI, the fear of AI, or the noise around AI hamper its growth. We must be true to innovation, and as Greg Stuart and Christian put it, ‘Don’t be too busy to do better.’ Harry Kargman, the founder of Kargo, also spoke on the topic, and what was good to hear was his macro perspective – ‘AI is just a tool; it can make things easier and faster. It will not drive outcomes; it’s about defining how to apply AI is what’s important.

AI will exponentially deliver new and enhance existing value; let AI do its thing. This will require you to trust in a competency that may not be your core competency; hence, if you’re feeling challenged or uncomfortable, it’s safe to say you’re pushing boundaries.

Sean Downey (President, Americas & Global Partners at Google) and Lauren Jones (CMO Instacart) share how easy it is to be excited about the possibilities. Still, more importantly, you need to be mindful of the practical application. Closing commentary focused on categorizing into three avenues:

1. AI for Growth
2. AI for efficiency and productivity
3. AI for reinvention

Now let’s look at this theme through the lens of change management; in an article from Change Management Review, they speak about the benefits of AI to enhance communications, deliver operational efficiencies to provide change, and so much more, but then how do you change to manage the application of AI in change management…phew isn’t that a brain-buster. The reality is it goes back to leadership and defining the existing and new competencies needed to deliver change. What’s also critically important is defining the end goal, so you’re always focusing on what you set out to do. As mentioned, change changes, and yes, you’ll surely pivot throughout, but you’ll need to steer enough to keep yourself on course.

2) Transformation: is everywhere and of everything driven by the need to be more competitive in a more saturated world.

Kit Hover, an American television host, sportscaster, and broadcast journalist, helped co-host the sessions and commented on attention: “Gripping consumer attention is ever more challenging.

Are you prepared?”.

This statement complimented much of the content around transformation and the need to ensure you’re factoring in the diversity of skill sets across your organization to adapt to changing times effectively.

This may mean restructuring for new engagement models or hiring new talent to account for new capabilities (e.g., AI specialists, immersive content creators through 3D/4D spatial technology, licensing new platforms and tech to supplement or substitute).

One great demonstration of transformation was the AT&T presentation by Marc Burns, VP of Advertising & Social Media, and Chaucer Barnes, CMO of Translation, which focused on AT&T’s latest breakthrough with its connected football helmet. This felt like a testament to how they want to transform the perception of what AT&T is and physically demonstrate the power of their technology. Their challenge was to show the power of 5G connectivity rather than speak to it; it was about what 5G can unlock.

This also wasn’t just about building advanced technology; it was about believing in something and committing to it, which resulted in three key takeaway beliefs:

1. Aim for a new normal
2. Plan to be scared
3. Protect the idea and share it carefully

Let’s look at this theme through the lens of change management; it’s surely apropos when speaking of transformation that inherently, you talk about change management. The takeaways here were a few-fold: 1) as mentioned above, you need to keep true to your goal, 2) you need to believe in what you are driving towards, and 3) you need buy-in; it is critical to have your leadership and your team along for the journey.

3) Retail Media came into play often

This year, retail media indeed had a bigger footprint. There was representation from The Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media, Target’s Roundel, Walmart Connect, Uber, Albertsons, and others.

Demonstrating new capabilities and their presence in delivering business opportunities and outcomes across consumer journeys will drive investment shifts in the near and long term.

It was also no surprise that AI and advanced technology were topics that crossed retail media and creativity. Instacart showcased their AI-powered smart cart, which can help you shop! On another panel between Shutterstock and Reckitt, discussions around spatial technology and commerce were met with some practical quick tips:

• Don’t get caught up in the hype and endless possibilities; be a realist and consider the practical application.
• The scale will be leveraged through effective briefings where you’re factoring in the reusability of assets.
• Cost can be managed by building globally and distributing locally to help amortize the expense.

Retail Media and change management surely go hand in hand; retailers are changing the dynamics of their organization from how they generate revenue to the talent they bring through the front door; agencies are adapting to the changing media and inventory landscapes requiring new skills, publishers are leaning into change in how to service a growing yet infant industry. All of this signifies the need to learn, learn, learn.

Change management isn’t simply about creating a process; it requires new thinking, new skills, and, most critically, thinking about how to upskill existing talent. The reality with many transformative moments is that there is something new that only a few know. The goal is to think about how you will institutionalize new thinking and ways of working within existing resources.

An article published in the Harvard Business Review describes the four actions that transformational leaders take. These actions involve adopting new mental models and systematically sharing them with others. They also include creating new departments and teams. Regardless of your chosen approach, it is important to think critically about how these changes will affect your company’s identity. You must also focus on strengthening and building your culture rather than diluting it.

4) Creator Economy: Creators must be addressed; consumers are brand loyalists and advocates in a creator-driven economy. Creators have undoubtedly evolved from influencing to converting and have created an economic ecosystem. This evolution should inspire us to adapt and embrace the changing dynamics of the marketing landscape.

Creators are more than taking selfies from the most magical places in the world or eating at the most exclusive restaurants; they’ve become a core community that delivers value back to a brand. Value is to be defined based on specific brand needs, but in its simplest form, it is monetary value in driving direct sales or connective value in driving brand love.

Who better to talk about brand love than Molly Battin, The Home Depot CMO, where one of The Home Depot’s core business pillars is to drive brand love. Molly spoke on a couple of panels around nurturing brand affinity with Tracy-Ann Lim (CMO of JPMorgan Chase) and Marisa Thalberg (CMO of United Parks and Resorts) and building influencer connectivity with Nicole Dye-Anderson, SVP, Head of Media Relations and Influencer, Wells Fargo.

A key theme to the creator ecosystem was that it needed to be part of the conversation. Technological advancements and activation were considered necessary to marry technology and humans. Still, the notion of the power of human connections should not be overshadowed by artificial connections.

Tracey-Ann from JPMorgan Chase was also passionate about sweating the details and a brand’s need for a robust strategic compass. She highlighted the importance of shifting internal perceptions of creators where community outcomes are also business outcomes and understanding those outcomes over time; “long-term value is important to define,” said Molly Battin.

“Be in the dialogue to learn it to be more relevant,” said Molly Battin.

President of Creo, Kevin Blaziatis, Omnicom full-service creator strategy and activation agency, shared critical knowledge and approaches to managing influencers and the need to understand the creators’ audiences and who they resonate with. This is critical in helping to prevent negative experiences. Also fascinating was the need to expand who a marketer works with to drive a grander scale and more authentic connections, driven by the marketplace and currently delivers 90% of all influencer’s deals through only 7% of influencers. “You need to create heat and move at the speed of culture, “said Kevin. The term “influencer” has been buzzworthy for too long; let’s shift the conversations to focus more on defining the value of influence.

So, where do you think Change Management and Creators come into play? We already spoke about culture building, check…we spoke about recalibrating resources and bringing in new talent, check… we talked about the need to upskill talent, check…. So what now? In this theme from the conference, it’s essential to think about change management, but this time, it’s an outside lens. Change will come from customers and how they engage with brands. As a brand marketer, you need to think about the changing elements across more than just marketing. It’s about physical and virtual experiences and creating effective customer change management.

5) Culture management is the red thread of change management.

Throughout the conference, there was no shortage of the importance of creating a culture and growing community, and no doubt this needs to be a critical component to any marketers’ work, whether internally in how teams come together or externally in how messaging engages with audiences. Building on this, one of my favorite sessions at the conference was the morning of the last day at Google’s Human: Human session. For me, it was a fantastic immersive demonstration of how leaders need to reimagine how to move away from a traditional learning environment to build more vital inclusiveness through experiences.

So, where does this leave us with change management? Overall, there are a few critical components to the roadmap as you begin your change management journey; these are not in priority order and should be weighted evenly.

1. The People: This is about your current and future team. It’s the people who will strengthen and grow your culture.
2. The Process: keep yourself the same. Be thoughtful and sweat the details of the process before any change. A broken process can lead to broken work and a broken culture.
3. Communications: Don’t downplay the importance of over-communicating and communicating the right things at the right time. Poor communication leads to a poor experience, which in turn leads to a poor culture.
4. Your Goal: You need to know your final destination. Any change will involve many moments that require tough decisions. These decisions will impact the end product and how you get there and, in turn, can affect the culture being created.
5. Outside-in lens: Any change should always require an outside-in look. Sometimes, you need to look in the mirror to realize that you only know what is in your world, and bringing in fresh, new thinking is instrumental to success. As with the above four points, culture also plays a role here. New thinking and new resources mean an evolving culture. As a leader, it’s up to you to make sure that anything new has a positive impact.
6. Culture, culture, culture: It’s worth saying repeatedly that a strong culture is a key ingredient in successful change management.

Overall, the conference was jam-packed, and the takeaways were worth the time. I can’t wait to see what next year will bring.

Reporter

Ray Romero, Managing Executive Director at OMD U.S.