16 big questions for marketers (and me)

[not quite] 20 questions

I've been asked to write a book on the future of marketing by the guys at Pearson.

Obviously, that's rather a broad remit.

I'd like to use this blog to test out ideas, gather insights - and, probably, beg for help.

In the first instance, I've put together some of the big questions I'd like the book to (attempt to) answer. I'd love to get

1. your thoughts
2. your answers

You can drop your feedback in the comments section, or you could email me at g.n.johnson@gmail.com.

1. What was marketing like when you began your career?
2. What do we mean by 'age of customer'?
3. Has 'brand been democratized'?
4. Has 'multi-channel' got more complicated? How?
   1. How do you assess strengths/weaknesses of new channels
   2. How do you ensure that you 'conduct'/coordinate these many channels to deliver a consistent brand voice?
5. How has the flood of customer data impacted on you?
   1. How do you 'find the signal in the noise'?
   2. How do you ensure you share data better internally?
   3. How have you prepared for the future re privacy/data risk?
6. Has customer expectation of their interaction with your brand changed? (personalised, content, storytelling)
7. Has customer expectation/centricity meant you've made changes beyond simply the marketing department?
8. How has 'building and preserving a brand' changed?
9. Should marketing be 'real time'?
10. How do you change your company to ensure marketing can move 'at the pace of the customer' (conversation, creative in house, etc)
11. How can companies sensibly reorganise themselves/change process and organisation to ensure customer insight is gathered effectively and shared quickly to inform relevant people within companies? Should marketing therefore take on a more strategic lead within business?
12. What should companies do to provide better customer experience? How should they refashion internal departments and priorities to give themselves the tools to do so?
13. Agility and Efficiency - how should tracking impact and measurement sensibly change to do better at showing results? Equally - what can companies do and change to become more agile - without becoming more cavalier?