Can retailers close the omnichannel gap?

Here's a great article that talks about how retailers can close the omnichannel gap, written by Jason Wallis, CTO of Mozu.  The article appeared in December 8, 2014 Internet Retailer site.  I recommend retailers shop at Chico's if they're looking for an omnichannel experience to emulate!

Thanks, Chico's!

I have really high expectations when it comes to an omnichannel experience with brands & shopping.

1. I want it when I want it - NOW please
2. I want it how I want it - please be available in store & online, or if I need to speak with a real person, just in case
3. I want it at my price - please give me preferred pricing for being a member or brand follower

Chico's is a brand I enjoy very much (I'm like their demographic poster child) because of the style, selection AND their omnichannel experience.  I am a Passport member (I get better discounts because of this) & I recently used a social network promo code during my order for an even better price.  I heavily rely upon user product reviews when selecting whether or not I would like to buy their products.  

Well, I ordered & I received my items at home.  However, after further review,  I decided one item wasn't quite what I had hoped for.  No problemo!  I figured I would just pop into my local store for a quick exchange.  It was soooo easy & I enjoyed seeing other new merchandise in person.

Thanks, Chico's!!

Oh, did I mention I also instant messaged a Chico's rep before placing my online order?  One of the best chats with a customer service rep in a long time.  A+ for you all!  

Sincerely, Your Loyal Customer

10 Predictions for Content Marketing in 2015

I love a good, new year's predictions list.  Here are some of my random predictions for 2015:

• Mad Men will flash forward to the big 80's, where Don, Peggy, Roger, Pete & Joan are still running the show, but with bigger shoulder pads & skinnier ties
• E! will cancel the Kardashian's and I will finally get my Sunday evenings back
• Since I'm a Chicagoan, the Cubs will win the World Series (it's standard operating procedure that Northsiders say this every year, regardless of our true feelings!)

But alas, this blog is supposed to be more about marketing industry news...

So, with regards to content marketing, here are 10 predictions for 2015 from Mashable.

The author says his predictions "all relate to deriving real ROI from the massive investments that marketers are now making in content."  Content will shift to what people decide to engage with; for example product and user reviews.  Consumers would like to cut through the news-overload clutter.  I don't want to hear about your product's features & benefits from the company.  I want to hear from other consumers.  That is the type of content that matters, to me at least! 

I like #7 a lot (below).  Brands are looking for partners to carry them into the future, working across many different aspects of their business using a seamless solution.  

Technology parters who are flexible & fast moving will best serve the global brands in finding these solutions for today's challenges, as well as next year's.

7. Content marketing providers will focus on solutions partners

As content marketing continues to become further aligned with business goals, market integrations will become invaluable. Brands will demand seamless solutions that make it frictionless to connect their content marketing efforts with their CRMs and ESPs. Technology providers will grow their partner ecosystem with exclusive contracts and look for new integration opportunities that will benefit clients.

Thanks for the list, Shafqat!  I have it bookmarked to see how clear your crystal ball is for your new year's predictions.  

How we can all be friends!

Shine the light: Transparency for brands, agencies & ad-technology suppliers

• Should we go direct to the brand?  
• What value does the agency provide?  
• Are we simply a vendor, or a technology partner?  

When data & information are shared across all three parties, transparency creates a favorable environment to make the smartest marketing decisions.  All three parties benefit when they work together with full transparency.

This article in AdAge was written just about one year ago & I find it very relevant today.  The author writes, "Agencies become more of a player in the process as the ad-tech companies provide data that tell them what types of creative are working and in what situations, and brands can apply these insights across channels."  This is very true, as brands are looking for continuity throughout all channels: SEM, affiliate, display, email marketing, social marketing & even offline.

PHG's technology solution, ExactView, gives transparency to brands, their trusted agency & also to their publisher partners.  Publishers can easily view their performance & commissions due.  Agencies can easily view trends & insights gained from campaigns & publisher performance.  Together, the brand, agency & publishers can easily work together towards more effective promotions & campaigns, while optimizing each sale.  

Let's work together!

Can your parents describe your job?

Ask my mom what I do for work & she may say "Laura's in computers!"  I would suspect lots of our parents, ages 65+, would say something similar.  

I work in the Affiliate / Performance Marketing industry.  My company, PHG, provides technology to global brands to track, report & pay their publishers.

If you're new to affiliate marketing, here's a really easy way to explain the industry to someone who doesn't know (image below).   It's from Sugarrae.com, an industry blogger.

I'm going to send this little flow chart to my mom to see if she understands my industry & job.  She'll probably say something like "Oh, I just can't keep up with you!"  

Just for fun see this Buzzfeed list - 22 Things That Happen When Your Parents Don't Understand Your Job.  

I particularly like #21, "They assume that since you have a "hip" and "weird" job, that you'll know how to fix everything they don't understand" like "Can you get into my Facebook and print that photo for me? I want to send it to Auntie."

Welcome!

Well, hello!  I'm glad you found me.

My name is Laura Martinet & I work for Performance Horizon Group.  We're based in the UK & recently opened our US HQ in Chicago.  PHG provides enterprise brands and their agencies the ability to scale & grow their performance / affiliate marketing programs globally.

Our next-gen technology platform, ExactView, allows advertisers the ability to capture, expose & report in real time on core product data, as well as meta data.  Our technologies, along with our customized services, allow advertisers full flexibility & control to dramatically transform performance for both advertisers, as well as their top tier publishers.

I start each day reading the news:  news about major advertisers, news about the performance marketing industry & news about news!  My blog, Marketing Industry News, is a collection of news I have read that is important to me for various reasons.  Perhaps it's news on a new trend or a major brand I've been following, or maybe I've posted it because it's just funny.  I welcome comments & other postings that you feel may be interesting, also.  This is just really my take on marketing news, trends, random thoughts & advice from a sales / marketing industry veteran.

Coming up in January, I'll post some highlights from Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas (here's an old "Welcome to Las Vegas" photo from a family vacation, way back when in December 2011).  Team PHG will be at the summit in Las Vegas, traveling from all corners of the globe, including London, Sydney, New York & Chicago.   If you're going, too, let's meet!  Please send me a note & we can connect in person at the show.  I welcome connecting with you via twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn as well.  



In the meantime, here's my first post:  a Think With Google survey.   It's about about how retailers can effectively learn to bridge the gap between consumers' digital and in-store shopping habits.

While reading, think about the last time you were in a store & quickly searched for competitive prices, a coupon or other information that eventually drove your purchase.  My last in-store & mobile combined experience included shopping for a used cell phone for my kid (don't ask how he lost the battery -- let's just say college kid on a weekend mini-bender).  I searched for better deals while I was at the counter & actually found one!

Thanks & let's connect soon~
Laura