Each of us have a marketing hero. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the marketing space or have worked in the industry most of your life. Each of us know someone who inspires us to be a better marketer today than we were yesterday.

You might think that business executives, marketing consultants, technology gurus, data scientists, and digital specialists would have varying ideas on what makes a marketing hero. Our idea of heroism isn’t as different as you might think. I’ve been talking to people in Dallas, San Diego, Chicago, and other cities to learn what traits people look for in a marketing hero.

Have a marketing hero characteristic to add to the list? Let us know on Twitter using #MyMarketingHero!

1. Socially Responsible. Some of our favorite marketing heroes embrace a philanthropic cause. It’s clear their end goal is to build awareness and spread resources to those in need. Marketing hero Pete Frates, creator of the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge campaign, reminded us of the power of a smart digital strategy powered by community engagement. Retailers, non-profits, and business-to-business brands alike can learn from these passion-filled philanthropists using marketing to help the world.

2. Data-Driven. Our favorite marketing heroes focus on reaching goals in the most efficient way possible. They don’t rely on assumption or hunches, but seek data that informs them on the best route to generating results.

3. Tech-Savvy. A hero sees technology as a tool to provide a more seamless and meaningful experience for both the business and the consumer. They don’t hesitate to learn a new platform and develop creative ways for pushing its capabilities to the max. What if the technology doesn’t exist? No problem. Marketing heroes are oftentimes entrepreneurs of marketing tech.

4. Mentor-Centric. Whether it’s in an auditorium of five hundred people or the corner table of a coffee shop, marketing heroes are eager to share bits of wisdom. They teach us tips and tricks, and inspire us to push the boundaries of what we think is possible. They are positive and give constructive feedback. While they may not always spell out the answer, they provide direction so we may discover the answers for ourselves.

5. Resourceful. Marketing heroes have this amazing ability to make the most out of the tools and talent around them. They have trained their mind to recognize opportunities when others might only see obstacles. A hero also doesn’t expect to go the journey alone, and welcomes those who are willing to work hard to achieve goals.

6. Curious. This is perhaps the most important characteristic of a marketing hero. Curiosity feeds knowledge. It’s a trait that pushes us to look for solutions even before the problem arises. Marketing heroes look beyond the obvious. They see failure as a growth opportunity, and always welcome a challenge that gets them a step ahead from where they were.

Who is your marketing hero?

Who is your marketing hero? Is it a committed mentor or conference speaker? Is it your colleague or friend? A celebrity or client?

Nominate your hero on Twitter using the hashtag #MyMarketingHero.

Randi Summit 1Randi Zuckerberg Emerging Tech Trends Recap

 

We last left off in the middle of Randi Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Zuckerberg Media, talking about what she believes are the emerging trends of technology.  She spoke mainly of the internet empowering the “everyday man” to pursue their entrepreneurial spirit, she spoke of how tech giants and social media sites are becoming the popular news sources, and she mentioned how teens of this generation are the most influential and well-connected due to their prowess with social media and other similar tools.  In this blog we will conclude with her other 5 trends so without further ado here are Randi Zuckerbergs 5 more trends of technology.

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY= Women have been pigeonholed in the technology world as being inferior to women.  To counteract this there have been movements to increase women’s proficiency and activism in the technology world. Websites such as Girls Who Code have been created to promote the spread of knowledge among women and in fact the youngest mobile app developer is actually a 7 year old girl.  Women are most definitely tech savvy and they just have to overcome the stigma against them.

GAMIFICATION FOR MOTIVATION= This refers to turning daily tasks into games in order to motivate ourselves to accomplish more.  One such example is an app that acts as an alarm with access to your credit card information.  Each time you hit the snooze button it automatically donates money to the charity of your choice.  Running, one of the most popular exercise forms has evolved with motivational apps as well such as one that simulates zombie sounds in your headphones to motivate you to run farther and faster.

PASSION PROJECTS AS A SIDEJOB= This trend is the increasing likelihood of people with passions or hobbies to turn those into sidejobs that they can earn extra income and pursue their passions.  Randi spoke highly of this trend as stimulating the entrepreneurial mindset into the “common working man.”

WE ARE ADDICTED TO OUR PHONES= More of a negative trend but a very real one we face.  As we become more connected in the social media world, we tend to miss out and become disconnected from the real world.  We ignore friends in our immediate company to text ones who aren’t there and our FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) has caused us to believe that we lead boring lives compared to the crazy stories we read on the internet.

DISCONNECT AND BE MORE MINDFUL OF TECHNOLOGY= Randi mentioned that it was great to be connected with people far away but in order to not lose sight of those around us we must put down our devices and reconnect with friends, family, and nature.  Technology is evolving to connect the opposite sides of the world even faster but we can never disconnect with what is right in front of us.

 

Randi touched on some very poignant and deep issues in her talk.  She is encouraging us all to disconnect and reconnect with the world around us and stop and smell the roses sometimes.  I believe that we should embrace the technology around us and integrate it into our lives instead of being consumed by it.

Enhanced by Zemanta

MBTC Names Amrit Kirpalani as Emerging Company CEO Finalist for Tech Titans 2012

On July 20th, the MBTC announced Amrit Kirpalani a Finalist for the Emerging Company CEO Tech Titans 2012 award. This is a tremendous honor for me personally and for the entire Nectar Team. The announcement can be found HERE.

For a young, emerging company this type of ‘external’ recognition is important on a number of levels — it helps to bolster our credibility and gain some excellent exposure while also affirming our leadership in the predictive social commerce space. For our current (and future) team members, the recognition is a tremendous boost to our Mission and the hard work that goes into making it come alive everyday!

On behalf of the entire team, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers, partners, advisors, and the MBTC for helping us every step of the way.

While the outcome won’t be known until late August, just being on the ‘Finalist’ list is a tremendous honor!

+amrit.
(Husband, Father, Entrepreneur – Loves Life!
Founder & CEO, Nectar Online Media, Inc.)

Enhanced by Zemanta