Scott Brinker's opening keynote from Gilbane Conference 2013

1. The
Marketing
Technologist
Neo of the
Marketing
Matrix
by Scott Brinker
@chiefmartec

2. Let me start with the
story of a guy named
Mayur.

3. Java Developer
Mayur started his career
as a Java developer.

4. Java Developer
Senior Java Developer
He was very good, and he
was soon promoted.

5. Java Developer
Senior Java Developer
Enterprise Architect
He was then promoted to
an Enterprise Architect,
managing his own team.

6. Java Developer
Senior Java Developer
Enterprise Architect
Senior Architect
He was promoted again
and his responsibilities
and team grew.

7. Java Developer
Senior Java Developer
Enterprise Architect
Senior Architect
Technology Director
He rose to become a Technical Director, with
significant influence and authority over the
technology of the business.

8. Now take a guess.
What was Mayur’s
next position?
Java Developer
Senior Java Developer
Enterprise Architect
Senior Architect
Technology Director
?

9. An executive role in
software development
or IT, perhaps?

10. An executive role in
software development
or IT, perhaps?
Reporting directly to
the CTO or the CIO?

11. An executive role in
software development
or IT, perhaps?
Reporting directly to
the CTO or the CIO?
Good guesses.
But Mayur decided to
take the “red pill.”

12. Mayur is the Global Head of
Marketing Technology &
Innovation at Kimberly-Clark.

13. Mayur is the Global Head of
Marketing Technology &
Innovation at Kimberly-Clark.
(The people behind big
brands such as Kleenex,
Huggies, and Scott
paper towels.)

14. Mayur works in Marketing and Advertising.
Ultimately, he reports up to the CMO.

15. Not what you expected?

16. I could have given you a hint that he previously
worked for SapientNitro, a leading interactive agency.

17. But before any agency stereotypes colored
your perceptions, I wanted to emphasize his
technical credentials.

18. But before any agency stereotypes colored
your perceptions, I wanted to emphasize his
technical credentials.
Mayur is a bona fide software architect.

19. So what’s he doing in marketing?

20. Marketing
Mayur exemplifies a new kind
of marketing professional: a
marketing technologist.
Technology
Marketing
Technologists

21. A marketer who
understands technology.
Marketing
Mayur exemplifies a new kind
of marketing professional: a
marketing technologist.
Technology
Marketing
Technologists

22. A marketer who
understands technology.
Marketing
Mayur exemplifies a new kind
of marketing professional: a
marketing technologist.
A technologist who is
passionate about marketing.
Technology
Marketing
Technologists

23. But why do we need marketing
technologists, anyway?

24. Here’s one
big reason.

25. You may have seen this eye chart of mine.
It’s often used to frighten people.

26. You may have seen this eye chart of mine.
It’s often used to frighten people.
A sample of over 350 different companies
that have built software for marketers.

27. You may have seen this eye chart of mine.
It’s often used to frighten people.
A sample of over 350 different companies
that have built software for marketers.
Let me emphasize: this is just a sample of a
few hundred, from a marketing technology
ecosystem of thousands of products.

28. It’s also woefully out of date
(it’s grown since then).

29. It’s also woefully out of date
(it’s grown since then).
Yes, there has been some consolidation.

30. It’s also woefully out of date
(it’s grown since then).
Yes, there has been some consolidation.
But for every acquisition, dozens of new start-ups are
still launched. I believe that the scale and diversity of this
landscape will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

31. Why will it grow?

32. Why will it grow?
Primarily because the world is changing so
rapidly, and it’s changing marketing with it.

33. Why will it grow?
Primarily because the world is changing so
rapidly, and it’s changing marketing with it.
The possibilities and expectations of customer
experience are blossoming around us — disruptive
innovation that is now at the very center of marketing.

34. Why will it grow?
Primarily because the world is changing so
rapidly, and it’s changing marketing with it.
The possibilities and expectations of customer
experience are blossoming around us — disruptive
innovation that is now at the very center of marketing.
The scale and diversity of marketing itself is exploding.

35. Software is what enables and
harnesses these possibilities.

36. Software is what enables and
harnesses these possibilities.
And these days, more people can
create software — faster, cheaper,
and easier than ever before.

37. Software is what enables and
harnesses these possibilities.
And these days, more people can
create software — faster, cheaper,
and easier than ever before.
It’s a confluence that has sparked a
Golden Age of Marketing Software.

38. Software is what enables and
harnesses these possibilities.
And these days, more people can
create software — faster, cheaper,
and easier than ever before.
It’s a confluence that has sparked a
Golden Age of Marketing Software.
Marketing has more software solutions available to
it today than any other business function in the
entire history of computing.

39. But again, why do we need
“marketing technologists” for this?
Isn’t this just a different kind of IT?

40. But again, why do we need
“marketing technologists” for this?
Isn’t this just a different kind of IT?
But this isn’t so much a
different kind of IT.

41. But again, why do we need
“marketing technologists” for this?
Isn’t this just a different kind of IT?
But this isn’t so much a
different kind of IT.
It’s more a different kind of marketing.

42. It’s a digital world we
live in now.

43. It’s a digital world we
live in now.
So many of the experiences we have, so
many of the communications we share,
are entirely digital.

44. It’s a digital world we
live in now.
So many of the experiences we have, so
many of the communications we share,
are entirely digital.
And even those that happen in the physical world
are within reach of digital influence in a matter of
seconds — in some cases, even milliseconds.

45. Quick! Reach for your
smartphone. (Or just
open up a new browser
window on the device
you’re reading this on.)

46. Quick! Reach for your
smartphone. (Or just
open up a new browser
window on the device
you’re reading this on.)
That’s how quickly you can jack into
the digital world, wherever you are,
whatever you’re doing.

47. Here’s the secret for mastering marketing in
this digital world — the secret that will give
you magical powers like Neo in The Matrix.

48. Everything digital is
controlled by software.
Here’s the secret for mastering marketing in
this digital world — the secret that will give
you magical powers like Neo in The Matrix.

49. Everything digital is
controlled by software.
That may seem
obvious, but…
Here’s the secret for mastering marketing in
this digital world — the secret that will give
you magical powers like Neo in The Matrix.

50. The implications
of this are huge.

51. The implications
of this are huge.
In a digital age, it’s through software that
marketing sees and touches the world.

52. The implications
of this are huge.
Software is
marketing’s
interface to
reality.
In a digital age, it’s through software that
marketing sees and touches the world.

53. The implications
of this are huge.
Our choice of
software changes
what we can see.
In a digital age, it’s through software that
marketing sees and touches the world.
Software is
marketing’s
interface to
reality.

54. The implications
of this are huge.
Our choice of
software changes
what we can do.
Software is
marketing’s
interface to
reality.
In a digital age, it’s through software that
marketing sees and touches the world.

55. This is marketing’s “matrix.”
Consider the following…

56. Analytics/attribution software
affects our perceptions.
How different analytics packages measure events,
relate them to each other, and visualize trends and
exceptions will color how you perceive your audience.

57. Analytics/attribution software
affects our perceptions.
Marketing automation software
affects our processes.
The way your marketing automation software was
designed, its capabilities, its user interface — what is
easy or hard to do — will shape your operations.

58. Analytics/attribution software
affects our perceptions.
Marketing automation software
affects our processes.
Social media listening software
affects our engagement.
Your choice of social media listening software will
influence who and what you pay attention to and how
you engage with your audience in different situations.

59. Analytics/attribution software
The creative
affects our perceptions. capabilities of your content management
and landing page software will determine what kinds of
customer experiences you can deliver across devices.
Marketing automation software
affects our processes.
Social media listening software
affects our engagement.
Customer experience software
affects our touchpoints.

60. Analytics/attribution software
The creative
affects our perceptions. capabilities of your content management
and landing page software will determine what kinds of
customer experiences you can deliver across devices.
Marketing automation software
affects our processes.
Social media listening software
affects our engagement.
Forgive me for a
quick experience
Customerpromotional software
interlude — but my
affects our touchpoints.
company, ion, offers
amazing software in
this category. :-)
ioninteractive.com

61. Analytics/attribution software
affects our perceptions.
Marketing automation software
CRM software
affects our processes. impacts how you manage your customer
relationships, offering different ways to structure and
harness all the data you collect on your audience.
Social media listening software
affects our engagement.
Customer experience software
affects our touchpoints.
CRM software, by definition,
affects our relationships.

62. Analytics/attribution software
affects our perceptions.
Marketing automation software
CRM software
affects our processes. impacts how you manage your customer
relationships, offering different ways to structure and
harness all the data you collect on your audience.
Social media listening software
affects our engagement.
Customer experience software
affects our touchpoints.
CRM software, by definition,
affects our relationships.
These are decisions that
significantly alter the reality
of marketing’s matrix.

63. My point is that the
marketing software we
choose...

64. My point is that the
marketing software we
choose...
How we configure it…
How we apply it…
How we extend it…

65. My point is that the
marketing software we
choose...
How we configure it…
How we apply it…
How we extend it…
Materially affects
what marketing can do.

66. This is why we should not take…
The
King Solomon
approach to
dividing
marketing
technology.

67. The CIO
gets the
technology
half.
The
King Solomon
approach to
dividing
marketing
technology.

68. The CIO
gets the
technology
half.
The CMO
gets the
marketing
half.
The
King Solomon
approach to
dividing
marketing
technology.

69. The CIO
gets the
technology
half.
The CMO
gets the
marketing
half.
NOT GOOD
The
King Solomon
approach to
dividing
marketing
technology.

70. The baby
does much
better in
one piece.
The
King Solomon
approach to
dividing
marketing
technology.

71. The baby
does much
better in
one piece.
We need a holistic
approach to nurturing
marketing technology.

72. So how do we get there from here?

73. CIO
Some people say this is
merely a communication
issue between the CMO
and the CIO.
CMO

74. CIO
Some people say this is
merely a communication
issue between the CMO
and the CIO.
Yes, getting these two
leaders to talk on a regular
basis is a good start...
CMO

75. CIO
CMO
But it’s not enough. Marketing must be
able to wield technology as a native
capability in its strategy and tactics.

76. CIO
CMO
But it’s not enough. Marketing must be
able to wield technology as a native
capability in its strategy and tactics.
I know how to
script marketing
automation.

77. CIO
CMO
But it’s not enough. Marketing must be
able to wield technology as a native
capability in its strategy and tactics.
Yet who in the marketing department
would know how to develop and
manage such capability?

78. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
So, imagine a new technical management role in the
marketing department that would own this mission
— say, a chief marketing technologist.

79. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
So, imagine a new technical management role in the
marketing department that would own this mission
— say, a chief marketing technologist.
(The title isn’t important. It’s the role that matters.)

80. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
This marketing
technology leader
would report up to
the CMO.

81. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
This marketing
technology leader
would report up to
the CMO.
Because this is a
marketing mission.

82. CMO
CIO
But he or she
would also
report with a
“dotted line”
up to the CIO.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
This marketing
technology leader
would report up to
the CMO.
Because this is a
marketing mission.

83. CMO
CIO
But he or she
would also
report with a
“dotted line”
up to the CIO.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Because no enterprise
technology is an island.
This marketing
technology leader
would report up to
the CMO.
Because this is a
marketing mission.

84. CMO
CIO
But he or she
would also
report with a
“dotted line”
up to the CIO.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
This role should be a bridge
between marketing and IT.
This marketing
technology leader
would report up to
the CMO.

85. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Marketing Technology
Staff & Vendors
This role takes
responsibility for
the technology
capabilities of the
marketing team:
technical people,
processes, and
platforms.

86. CMO
CIO
But it also
coordinates
with IT fully
and takes
responsibility
for adhering
to proper IT
governance.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Marketing Technology
Staff & Vendors
This role takes
responsibility for
the technology
capabilities of the
marketing team:
technical people,
processes, and
platforms.

87. CMO
CIO
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Mktg
Mktg
Mktg
And by living in marketing, this role helps other
marketers get the most out of technology.

88. CMO
CIO
It’s more than
a function —
it’s a vehicle
for imparting
tech culture
and intuition
to marketing.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Mktg
Mktg
Mktg

89. CMO
CIO
It’s more than
a function —
it’s a vehicle
for imparting
tech culture
and intuition
to marketing.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Mktg
Mktg
Mktg
This role teaches other marketers how to
manipulate marketing’s matrix too.

90. Okay, this is nice in theory...

91. But do these roles actually exist?
Chief
Marketing
Technologist

92. But do these roles actually exist?
According to Gartner, over 70% of large hightech companies already have someone in
this role (although the titles vary).
Chief
Marketing
Technologist

93. But do these roles actually exist?
According to Gartner, over 70% of large hightech companies already have someone in
this role (although the titles vary).
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Forrester Research recommended this role
as part of a Marketing Technology Office.

94. But do these roles actually exist?
According to Gartner, over 70% of large hightech companies already have someone in
this role (although the titles vary).
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Forrester Research recommended this role
as part of a Marketing Technology Office.
SiriusDecisions advocates for this role as an
integral part of marketing operations.

95. There are many variations on this theme. But all
of them share the same core idea: tech-savvy
leadership embedded in marketing.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist

96. There are many variations on this theme. But all
of them share the same core idea: tech-savvy
leadership embedded in marketing.
Chief
Marketing
Technologist
(Again, the title
isn’t important.
It’s the role that
matters.)

97. Chief
Marketing
Technologist
Of course, this idea scares some
people, in both marketing and IT.
Is marketing really ready for this?

98. Technology Authority
Let’s consider a graph of
technology expertise and
technology authority.
Technology Expertise

99. Technology Authority
Cowboy
If marketing wields too much
technology authority without a
matching level of expertise, you
risk a “cowboy” effect— the IT
equivalent of a rogue state.
Technology Expertise

100. Technology Authority
Cowboy
On the other end of the
spectrum, a tech-savvy marketing
team that is too tightly restricted
by IT policy is a “prisoner.”
Prisoner
Technology Expertise

101. Technology Authority
Cowboy
And if you lack both technical
authority and expertise in this
digital world, you’re in trouble.
Laggard
Technology Expertise
Prisoner

102. Technology Authority
Cowboy
Laggard
The sweet spot is a marketing
department that is growing
its technology expertise and
is given an appropriate level
of tech authority to match.
Technology Expertise
Prisoner

103. But is native technology expertise
really necessary in marketing?

104. It wasn’t before, but...

105. It wasn’t before, but...
The real revolution in marketing is a shift from producing
communications to delivering customer experiences.

106. Within the blink of a click,
a customer can jump from
reading an ad or an email
to interacting with us in a
digital channel.

107. Within the blink of a click,
a customer can jump from
reading an ad or an email
to interacting with us in a
digital channel.
And the experience they
have — good or bad —
may be instantly shared,
resonating in search and
social circles for all time.

108. Within the blink of a click,
a customer can jump from
reading an ad or an email
to interacting with us in a
digital channel.
And the experience they
have — good or bad —
may be instantly shared,
resonating in search and
social circles for all time.
This makes customer experiences
the definition of our brand.

109. Technical talent must become
native to marketing because...

110. Technical talent must become
native to marketing because...
To deliver customer experiences in a digital world requires
fluency not just with art and copy, but also with code and data.

111. Great experiences fluidly combine these
elements from concept to execution. They
conceive and raise the baby in one piece.

112. Code and data are
the “star stuff”
from which these
experiences are
crafted — a blend
of the software we
choose and what
we create with it.

113. Code and data are
the “star stuff”
from which these
experiences are
crafted — a blend
of the software we
choose and what
we create with it.
And the marketing teams
who can create the best
experiences will rule this
marketing matrix.

114. Of course, not everyone in marketing
needs to become a technologist.

115. Of course, not everyone in marketing
needs to become a technologist.
But technology must entwined into
marketing’s DNA, along with design,
storytelling, and customer affinity.

116. Of course, not everyone in marketing
needs to become a technologist.
But technology must entwined into
marketing’s DNA, along with design,
storytelling, and customer affinity.
These are the genes that express
marketing in the modern world.

117. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
You can still be a great marketer
without being a technology savant.
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

118. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
You can still be a great marketer
without being a technology savant.
(Just like you can be a great engineer
without being a marketing wizard.)
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

119. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
You can still be a great marketer
without being a technology savant.
(Just like you can be a great engineer
without being a marketing wizard.)
But you better become really good at
collaborating with those who are.
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

120. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
Because the line between marketing
and engineering is blurring...
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

121. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
It’s inspiring a new generation of professionals
who blend both of these disciplines:
New School:
Marketing Technologists
Creative Technologists
Growth Hackers
Chief Digital Officers
Data Scientists
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

122. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
It’s inspiring a new generation of professionals
who blend both of these disciplines:
These are not
equivalent, but
they all share a
hybridization of
marketing and
tech savvy.
New School:
Marketing Technologists
Creative Technologists
Growth Hackers
Chief Digital Officers
Data Scientists
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

123. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
These are now many of the hottest positions in
business today — they’re in tremendous demand.
New School:
Marketing Technologists
Creative Technologists
Growth Hackers
Chief Digital Officers
Data Scientists
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy

124. Old School
Engineers
Tech Savvy
These are now many of the hottest positions in
business today — they’re in tremendous demand.
New School:
Marketing Technologists
Creative Technologists
Growth Hackers
Chief Digital Officers
Data Scientists
Old School
Marketers
Marketing Savvy
(Just a hint, if
you’re looking
for an exciting
job with great
opportunities.)

125. Here’s one last reason to embrace
marketing technologists...

126. technology changes
exponentially
Change
Technology continues to
change exponentially, such
as with Moore’s Law.
Time

127. technology changes
exponentially
Change
Technology continues to
change exponentially, such
as with Moore’s Law.
Computational power
doubles every two years.
Data storage doubles.
Social media sites multiply
and mutate like fruit flies.
Time

128. technology changes
exponentially
Change
However, we humans don’t
change nearly as quickly.
Organizations tend to
change more on a
logarithmic scale.
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

129. We simply can’t absorb all the technology
changes that bombard us at this rate.
Change
technology changes
exponentially
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

130. We simply can’t absorb all the technology
changes that bombard us at this rate.
Change
technology changes
exponentially
This leaves us with a gap...
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

131. We simply can’t absorb all the technology
changes that bombard us at this rate.
technology changes
exponentially
Change
How do we
decide which
changes we
should adopt
and which ones
to forgo?
This leaves us with a gap...
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

132. technology changes
exponentially
Change
Marketing in
particular feels the
strain of straddling
this widening gap.
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

133. This is one of the key roles that
technology leadership must play:
technology
management is
deciding which
changes are
adopted
Change
technology changes
exponentially
?
?
organizations change
logarithmically
Time

134. This is one of the key roles that
technology leadership must play:
technology
management is
deciding which
changes are
adopted
Change
technology changes
exponentially
?
?
organizations change
Marketing technologists — especially the role of a chief
marketing technologist — can help marketing ride this
logarithmically
wave of change, instead of being swept beneath it.
Time

135. Marketing technologists help
marketing regain control of a world
that has exploded with complexity
and accelerating change.

136. Marketing technologists help
marketing regain control of a world
that has exploded with complexity
and accelerating change.
They do this by turning marketing
into a “local” instead of a tourist in
this new environment.

137. Marketing technologists help
marketing regain control of a world
that has exploded with complexity
and accelerating change.
They do this by turning marketing
into a “local” instead of a tourist in
this new environment.
They reveal the secrets of
marketing’s matrix.

138. This marketing
matrix has given
us a new brand
of marketing.

139. This marketing
matrix has given
us a new brand
of marketing.
And marketing
technologists are
the Neo-like
characters who
will help us
master it.

140. This marketing
matrix has given
us a new brand
of marketing.
And marketing
technologists are
the Neo-like
characters who
will help us
master it.
Are you ready to
take the red pill?

141. Thank you. Please feel
free to reach out to me:
sbrinker@ioninteractive.com
Twitter: @chiefmartec
Co-founder & CTO
ion interactive, inc.
http://ioninteractive.com
Blogger
Chief Marketing Technologist
http://chiefmartec.com