Ten years ago, in an auditorium at the P&G offices in Cincinnati, we gathered 400 people together for the very first Signal event. It was a crazy idea to create a forum that would measure up to the best industry conferences from inside the walls of a company like P&G. There were many reasons Signal worked out, including a bit of luck. But the most important reason was a clarity of focus: our desire to drive digital marketing and innovation throughout the company. The most satisfying part of the last ten years of Signal has been seeing how innovators are using what they’re learning both inside and outside of P&G.
We have recently started preparations for Signal ’22, which is scheduled for July 13. After a great 10th anniversary program last summer, we have decided to go ‘back to basics’ and refocus on why we created Signal and Signal360 in the first place: to inspire and educate people to make connections and take action. We will continue to cover digital as a strategic innovation domain, especially for brand building and commerce. We will also focus on environmental sustainability and supply chain innovation – both of which are critical to creating businesses that will thrive in the years ahead.
We are also sharpening our focus for Signal360. Starting with this issue, instead of themed editions, we will bring you a more diverse collection of articles and videos across our focus areas. This will make each issue more relevant to a wider audience and help us plan and research more in-depth feature stories.
This month in Signal360 we are taking a deeper look at supply chain lessons learned over the past two years. Inventory management, supplier diversity, and last mile delivery are dramatically changing how companies set up their supply chain. Some of these changes are driven by the rapid acceleration of digital commerce. The latest trend is live selling, where influencers are directly involved in product sales. We also take a look at five US TikTok influencers who are leading brand partnerships, including live selling.
If we had to make a bet on word of the year, ‘metaverse’ would be our nomination. Although much discussed, very few people are able to explain what the metaverse is and how exactly it will impact our lives. Signal360 had a great conversation with two experts to discuss the realities of the metaverse, separating hype from facts.
Like the world around us innovation is messy. An important lesson from the last two years is that we live in a highly unpredictable world. Awareness of today’s realities, a sense of what’s ahead, and pragmatic creativity are necessary ingredients to bring future possibilities to life – one step at a time. What’s critical is to focus on what matters most.
Until next month.
Stan Joosten & John Battelle,
Editors-In-Chief, Signal360 / Co-founders, Signal P&G
