Every year, data collection continues to grow. With all of this data, there needs to be platforms and infrastructure to ease the collection, storage and utilization process.
Rik van der Kooi, the Corporate VP of Microsoft Advertising Sales revealed the future of data collector: cars. Normally people just use cars as a way to get from point A to point B. However, BMW and Microsoft along with other companies are beginning to realize the potential of cars beyond just transportation.
BMW and Microsoft want to change the digital experience in the car with the Microsoft platform. This will connect any driver to the world by using only their voice.
The new platform consists of Office 365 so that your contacts are easily available. From there the possibilities are endless from emailing to Skype conference calls. Cortana, the personal assistant will also be included to help connect all of your devices together.
The value in connecting all of this information to your car is simple. Your car can communicate that you will need winter tires to go on that trip you booked online. Here he says, is where the marketing comes in.
However, the innovation doesn’t stop there. Microsoft’s other new product called: Intelligent Cloud. This can build the artificial intelligence (AI) on all of Microsoft’s apps and services. This can help tailor each user’s experience.
Van der Kooi, says that all of this new technology leaves serious implications for marketers. They need to start thinking about data strategy. Since all of this data will be brought in beyond just clicks, they need to be able to sort through the noise and create an experience.
Another force that is changing the marketing industry is the consumers. Van der Kooi says that now, consumers expect that you know who they are and any previous dialogue you have engaged in before. By being connected to CRM strategies, marketers can more informally participate in dialogue with its consumers.
To speak from the perspective of an agency utilizing these new technologies, Richard Hartell, the Global President, Strategy and Transformation Publicis Groupe joined van der Kooi on the stage.
Hartell spoke of the various clients that have begun to utilize AI and how they have developed.
One of the client cases he mentioned was Sephora. They began by utilizing AI to analyze pictures of people’s faces along with other aspects of data like purchasing history enabled them to give purchasing recommendations.
Hartell does recognize that while not a lot of customers are into data, organization of this data is truly the first key into making it more digestible. By using AI and data sets together, this will be possible.
The speakers left the audience on the note that every marketer should start utilizing these new functions now. Even if you start small, you can easily see the interconnectivity of AI.