Marketing has become consumer-led, not channel-led. Marketers need to think in terms of consumers’ journeys and moments, rather than focusing on channels. – Barbara Goose
Barbara Goose serves as Global Chief Marketing Officer of Altisource Portfolio Solutions, where she drives global marketing and communications plans. Prior to joining Altisource, Ms. Goose served as President, Digitas, Boston and Detroit offices; Director of Marketing Consulting at Veridiem; and Associate at Exchange Marketing Group (EMG). She started her career as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, then worked at GE Investments prior to earning an MBA. Ms. Goose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University.
We’re so excited to have a seasoned veteran like Barbara featured on our blog today. Here’s a look at what she had to say about 2016, and beyond.
What role do you see Influencer Marketing playing in brand marketing strategies in 2016?
Marketers are increasingly recognizing the value of the trust that consumers have in other consumers. This is a consumer-led shift, and the marketing profession is finally appreciating how powerful influencer marketing is when compared to direct messages from brands to consumers. Expect it to be the foundation of many marketing plans for the year ahead.
What is the most widespread mistake you’ve seen brand marketers make in 2015 that you hope they learn from in 2016?
This may seem unbelievable, but the most common mistake has been brand marketers not leveraging data to drive key marketing decisions. While data has been prevalent in marketing for decades, brand marketers still place unknown bets instead of using data to make more informed decisions more often than they should. Advanced attribution models and cross channel behavior modeling now give marketers a new edge.
Brand marketers need to get closer to the data that is available to them, identifying a more digestible way to understand and leverage it as the data has become more accessible.
What word do you hope is officially banned from the marketing vernacular in 2016?
“Offline” has got to go. Marketing has become consumer-led, not channel-led. Marketers need to think in terms of consumers’ journeys and moments, rather than focusing on channels. This reference to how to target consumers above versus below the line is antiquated at this point. Consumers see messages all day.
Tactically speaking, there are opportunities to engage consumers in all channels and to be relevant in all of them. It’s not a decision of a billboard versus digital anymore; mobile has changed marketers’ ability to reach consumers in many different ways and to drive engagement in ways that make it possible for singular brand messages can be anywhere. It is more about relevance than channel.
Mobile phones and tablets aren’t going away! Dropping the term “offline” from our lexicon will be a meaningful step in embracing a transition in how consumers see messages – a transition that has largely already happened.
What marketing events are you most looking forward to in 2016?
I’m most excited about what may seem like an unlikely candidate: the Mortgage Bankers Association Annual Conference where thousands of housing and banking influencers gather. This is where Altisource and our products really get to stand out as an industry leader and innovator, and it doesn’t hurt that it is in our back yard in Boston this year. I expect many marketers would agree that a targeted industry conference is much more effective for advancing marketing initiatives when compared to the difficult-to-quantify “buzz” you might see from a huge, overwhelming consumer event.
Taking a step back from my current role, but as a member of the MITX Board of Directors, one conference in the marketing field that I have tremendous respect for and find valuable is Future M, with its focus on technology and innovation, not to mention its convenient location in Boston every year.
Want to connect with Barbara? Find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, or making waves at Altisource.