When consumer behavior shifts, marketing must follow – and it’s not always easy to know if those shifting behaviors are transitory or reflect a more permanent trend. That’s why it’s always a good idea to maintain a sense of history as new trends emerge – have we seen this before? Might this rhyme with something we’ve already experienced?
This month’s Signal contains a dash of history mixed with now-familiar cycles of technological change. Our featured conversation with Smartly CEO Laura Desmond, herself a veteran of three decades in the Internet business, reminds us that AI-driven change may feel like an entirely new game, but to respond, we need to remember that “Big Ideas” drive successful brand building. And speaking of AI, our feature “Will AI Finally Make Smart Homes.…Smart?” asks what is starting to feel like an age-old question: When will technology finally deliver on the vision we’ve all been sold for the past fifty years? While we are still waiting, the generative AI boom is starting to show signs of creating exactly the kinds of new consumer behaviors that smart marketers will want to understand.
Influencers have always been an integral part of any marketing strategy, but with the decline of traditional media and the rise of video-first platforms like Reels and TikTok, they’re now central to getting your message across. As consumer attention has shifted to these platforms, it’s important to understand the distinctions between influencers and true content creators. Both can partner with brands, but creators can also partner with brands to tell new – and native – kinds of stories.
Lastly, this issue of Signal revisits two major trends impacting marketing – sustainability and the emerging technologies around blockchain, often referred to as “Web3.” At Signal 2020, we spoke with Frank Cooper, then Global CMO of BlackRock, a leader in holding Wall Street accountable to its sustainability goals. And for our Spotlight, we meet Eric Pulier of Vatom, a leading Web3 platform and investor. Just a year ago, both technologies were seen as moribund, but Web3 and the metaverse are once again in the news, as crypto currencies have rallied and Apple has launched its new Vision Pro headset. Just a reminder to us all that staying on top of tech-driven trends is always worth the investment – a mission we take seriously here at Signal!
Until next month,
Stan Joosten & John Battelle,
Editors-in-Chief, Signal360 / Co-founders, Signal P&G
