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Truth is, in most of the reports we write about how to prepare your company for the future, two major recommendations always come out: Get your C-level leaders on board, and cultivate a culture that can transform your business. The first is crucial yet obvious, and I’ve grown tired of writing it. The second, culture, […]

For the first time in 15 years, I will not attend Mobile World Congress (MWC). When I mentioned this to some clients, some of them told me, “Yes, you’re right: Mobile is dead. There is no innovation anymore. It is all about AI and blockchain these days.” (?!!) I could not disagree more. The reason […]

This is part 3 of my blog series on the future of CX measurement (read part 1, part 2, and part 4). I recently shared my research on the future of CX measurement in Professor Kay Lemon’s applied marketing management class at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. (Thank you for the invite!) The students were wonderful […]

It’s early February. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring this year, and there is hope (and warmth) in the air.[i] But it’s not always rosy for you as a data, analytics, and insights leader. You tirelessly toil to get value from your enterprise data and try to apply those insights at scale to impact business […]

If you were to ask me a year ago what I would point to as a best practice for data governance, my response would be to look at what financial services firms do to meet their regulatory requirements. Fast-forward to the age of GDPR and the new privacy mandates coming out of California (CCPA), and […]

Only 16% of CMOs are responsible for leading the execution of their firm’s digital transformation. Now is the time to rethink your role. Too few CMOs actively lead or are deeply involved in digital transformation. CIOs, COOs, CXOs, and CDOs have filled the gap but don’t represent the voice of the customer or bring the […]

Pity The Poor Robots Q2 was all about robots and AI: Pringles, Google “100 Billion Words,” Mercedes A-Class, TurboTax Live, and Sprint, while Michelob slipped a robot ad into early Q3 and Alexa appeared in Q4. While the Google and Mercedes ads showed the positive side of robots, Pringles, TurboTax, and Michelob all showed robots longing […]

Warby Parker. Everlane. Casper. MVMT. Bombas. Harry’s. The list of these digitally native, direct-to-consumer (DTC) challenger brands goes on and on — and incumbent consumer brands have taken notice almost as quickly as consumers themselves have turned to these up-and-comers for the products and services they need. But questions abound about what’s driving the increased supply […]

In the United States, Europe, Canada, and India, January 28 is designated Data Privacy Day to mark the signing of the first legally binding, international treaty that dealt with data protection and privacy in 1981. Thirty-eight years later, technology has only further emphasized the need for privacy regulations and requirements. GDPR is the first step for […]

2019 marks my third year attending the NRF Big Show. I’ve been to enough shows to have an informed opinion but few enough that it still feels new — Goldilocks-approved! A few quick impressions: China and Brazil are making headlines. NRF says 99 countries were represented in its 37,000 attendees this year. While it’s been a […]

Did you know that artificial intelligence has infiltrated all parts of the advertising process? My guess is, probably not. But chances are, in an era of programmatic advertising when machines are making millions of decisions on billions of ad impressions every day, your advertising is being touched by AI. Awesome, right? But also risky — to your brand’s […]

In Part 1 of this post, I criticized Gillette for its statement, “We weren’t trying to court controversy. We were just trying to upgrade the selling line that we’ve held for 30 years,” as lacking conviction in the values it claimed that the campaign represented. My first piece of advice was: If you aren’t authentic […]

I’ve held off blogging about Gillette’s “We Believe” campaign, as there are plenty of pundits praising and trashing its strategy, execution, and use of the term “toxic masculinity.” But this response published today in Fast Company reveals that Gillette made the most fundamental error of all: wading into a social issue without a strong commitment […]

Brands are jumping into the messy arena of polarizing issues with greater fervor — and Gillette just raised the stakes. After 30 years of sitting on the sidelines, Gillette is passing its razor like a baton, with an overture that overtly calls masculinity into question. Within 72 hours of launch, Gillette’s “We Believe” TV spot skyrocketed […]

Venture capital and private equity spending on security technology reached an all-time high in 2018. Currently, this emerging technology market sector stands at about $31 billion in total funding. While that total may pale in comparison to other fast-growing markets such as fintech ($124 billion) or transportation tech ($150 billion), consider that 65% of that $31 […]

IBM unveiled a complete “quantum computing system,” IBM Q System One, last week. What’s more, it chose to do it at CES in Las Vegas. Should you take IBM’s claim of a “commercial” quantum computing system to mean that it is time to put quantum on your tech road map? The short answer is “no” — but, […]

You’ve likely read the facts: Hulu announced that it has 25 million subscribers and collected $1.5 billion in advertising revenue in 2018. (For more information and analysis, check out this report.) The eye-catching comparison is that Hulu now has more subscribers than any traditional pay TV provider, such as Comcast with just under 21 million […]

I spent this week in Las Vegas at CES to check out the latest and greatest technology wonders, ranging from 3D printing, AI, and cryptocurrency to drones, autonomous vehicles, dancing robots, and wearables. A lot of what I saw has broad CX implications for accessibility, healthcare, and more. My focus was on who will use […]

Today, Akamai announced that it has acquired Portland, Oregon-based Janrain. Although the financial terms were not disclosed, Forrester estimates the purchase price to be in the $250M–$275M range, based on typical M&A SaaS revenue multiples of 4X to 6X and Forrester’s estimation of Janrain’s annual revenue. Founded in 2003, Janrain was one of the first […]