How review the latest technologies illustrate the range of systems available to support marketers

How review the latest technologies illustrate the range of systems available to support marketers  Desktop, laptop and notebook platforms

1 Desktop browser-based platform. This is traditional web access through the consumer’s browser of choice, whether Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari.

2 Desktop apps. We don’t hear this platform talked about much; increasingly users are accessing paid and free apps from their desktop via the Apple App Store or the Microsoft equivalent, like Gadgets. This gives opportunities for brands to engage via these platforms.

3 Email platforms. While email isn’t traditionally considered a platform, it does offer an opportunity separate from browser and app-based options to communicate with prospects or clients, whether through editorial or advertising, and email is still widely used for marketing.

4 Feed-based and API data exchange platforms. Many users still consume data through RSS feeds, and Twitter and Facebook status updates can be considered a form of feed or stream where ads can be inserted.

5 Video-marketing platforms. Streamed video is often delivered through the other platforms mentioned above, particularly through browsers and plug-ins, but it represents a separate platform. Television channels delivered through streaming over the Internet (known as IPTV) are related to this platform.

It could be argued that the major social networks Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter also provide a form of platform, but these really exist across all of these technology platforms so they haven’t been identified separately.

Mobile phone and tablet platforms

The options on mobile hardware platforms are similar in many ways to the desktop.

Since they can be used in different locations there are many new opportunities to engage consumers through mobile marketing and location-based marketing.

The main platforms are:

1 Mobile operating system and browser. There are mobile browsers which are closely integrated with the operating system.

2 Mobile-based apps. Apps are proprietary to the mobile operating system, whether Apple iOS, Google Android, RIM or Windows. A big decision is whether to deliver content and experience through a browser and/or a specific app which provides an improved experience.

If you check the latest research you will see that the majority of mobile media time is app-based.

Other hardware platforms

Apart from desktop and mobile access, there are a host of other and growing platforms through which to communicate with customers.

 For example:

1 Gaming platforms. Whether it’s a PlayStation, Nintendo or Xbox, there are increasing options to reach gamers through ads or placements within games, for example in-game ads.

2 Indoor and outdoor kiosk-type apps. For example, interactive kiosks and augmented reality options to communicate with consumers.

3 Interactive signage. The modern version of signage is closely related to kiosk apps and may incorporate different methods such as touchscreen, Bluetooth or QR codes to encourage interactive gives a futuristic example.

4 Wearables. Smart watches such as the Apple Watch and smart glasses such as Google Glass.

Software platforms for managing modern marketing

There is a bewildering range of software, services and systems available today for managing marketing. Many are now available as SaaS platforms which have made services to manage marketing more affordable for smaller businesses and easier to manage for all since no installation is required.

The range of options have been ably summarised by Scott Brinker, who publishes a summary of the marketing technology landscape each year. 

The six main categories of system he recommends marketers review for the range of technologies available are:

1 Marketing experiences. More specialised technologies that directly affect prospects and customers across their lifecycle, such as advertising, email, social media, search engine optimisation, content marketing, A/B testing, marketing apps the ‘front-office’ of modern marketing.

2 Marketing operations. The tools and data for managing the ‘back-office’ of marketing, such as analytics, Marketing Resource Management (MRM), Digital Asset Management (DAM) and agile marketing management.

Purpose review the latest technologies. illustrate the range of systems available to support marketers and to explain the main categories of service available.

Activity 

1 Search for Scott Brinker’s latest technology roadmap for the current year on his ChiefMartec.com site. 

For each of the six categories of service summarised in  write a layman’s description of how they can support digital marketing activities by reviewing the proposition as described on the websites of the most popular services in the category (the most popular are listed first).

2 Make a note to understand the different types of service defined in each category.

3 Choose one or two vendor systems and visit their website to see how they explain the proposition and explain it to others in your group(s) alternatively identify the most popular service(s) in each category.

4 Marketing middleware such as Data Management Platforms (DMPs), tag management, cloud connectors, user management and API services.

5 Marketing backbone platforms such as customer relationship management, marketing automation, content management and e-commerce engines. (These are quite different in their application, so need to be reviewed separately.)

6 Infrastructure services such as databases, big data management, cloud computing and software development tools.

7 Internet services such as Facebook, Google and Twitter that underlie today’s marketing environment. (How you integrate with these key platforms.) Complete Activity 1.2 to review the latest technologies.