Are you a Transformer?

I spent the majority of last week in San Francisco at the annual 4A’s leadership conference dubbed

Ariana Huffington at 4A's Conference

Transformation2010. As a self-styled transformative thinker, I was questioning the value or if the 3,000 mile journey would be time well spent. I’m pleased to report that it was beneficial and I wholeheartedly agree with Tom Carroll (CEO TBWA/Chiat/Day) who stated at the podium “nobody knows everything” or, in the words of HTC CEO Cher Wang, “what you have learned is never enough.” The list below represents the key sound bites:

• Consumers are galloping – they are moving faster than marketers and the onus is on marketers to catch up. Some have, but most have not.
• Consumers, not content, at the center – Represent the voice of the consumer. Don’t sell; sell the voice of the consumer. Agencies should be leading consumer driven innovation. Toyota’s fatal mistake; they lost sight of the consumer.
• Metrics are stifling – What data to ignore is every bit as important as what to pay attention to. There is an over reliance on metrics or a “numbing by the numbers.” Use the numbers as a guide to do it better, not to justify.
• Process kills – Process leads to a risk adverse mentality and process doesn’t think.
• Empathy counts – You are what you care. Major brands like Pepsi and Starbucks continue to pour energy and dollars into altruistic efforts.
• Frugal is fashionable – Frugality is not a fad, it’s a trend. A true economic recovery is four years away. Marketers need to learn how to leverage prudent consumer behavior.
• Trust is the new differentiator – Awareness is no longer the true measure of differentiation. We are in the midst of trust deficit. The most important thing a brand can do is maintain brand integrity and trust. A simple question to ask yourself, “if customers knew what I knew, would they trust us?”
• Disintegration is prevalent – Marketing is being spoiled by specialists. They compete, protect their turf and then blame the other organization. Become a person who can speak fluently in multiple disciplines and you will ensure a long and prosperous career.
• Marketing surfing is over – Every brand cannot grow, the pie only adds up to 100% and most categories are mature. The most important marketing question: where are we going to steal share from?
• Marketing renaissance at the beginning – It is a great time to be in marketing as technology doesn’t just allow consumers to avoid our messaging; it conversely helps us understand what kind of communication they want. We need to hire builders and artists and not organizers and processors.

Credit goes to some of the great speakers including Larry Light, Jeff Hayzlett, Rishad Tobaccowala, Chris Anderson and Arianna Huffington to name just a few. Let me know if you agree with the above or if you have any to add.