While we are running behind automation in marketing space and making it more productive. Isn't it a time that we rethink about our strategies to make sure we are not only copying things without brains, but the need of otherwise also plays an important part.

1. Last night I was thinking about what I have done and doing for last 7 years. A
sudden repercussion of neuron and I had my answer which is marketing
(which again I am not sure how much is plain vanilla). Then there was another
thought came creeping in, that this is not something I started working.
Obviously as the time went by, along with corporate environment the
marketing eco-system also changed a lot. From someone who saw this from
ground zero, I think I have a ‘point of view’ about all these changes /
movement / so called modernization (which is negative, to some extent).
But before you make your assumptions please read though. To start with let’s
see about the innovation which came into the picture –
New technologies like marketing automation, statistics models (Being quite
weak in maths, this segment translates as hebrew to me) changed the whole
ball game. For instance,
How I used to plan the marketing activities? Still remember those funnel
planning to connect revenue with approx. number of leads or responses
depending upon some numbers (they were easy though I must say than the
current marketing models). Do we still follow this? I don't... I do it with the
help of more statistical, probability models which seems to predict where we
should invest and what to expect. But I don't think marketing is that easy. If
you feel otherwise then would like to know with the growing complexity of
marketing models did the results grown? Please don't tell me your sales has
increased because that's bound to happen because of your existing brand
value, increased market, increased budget of other companies etc. You are
bound to get more than what you have got last year (Else you are almost out of
business in this competition). If you are growing more than market's growth
then I would say please don't rest of the topic because you don't need them
your models and complexities are paying their price, but leave a comment so
that I can learn something.
What I feel about this whole scenario is, these technologies are taking out
human touch. I forgot to understand our clients and started to define them
with some attributes (e.g. persona) i.e. revenue, vertical, sector, employee
number. And by doing so I might have increased the number of target market,
responses, efficiency. But without increasing the conversion ratio, which
resulted into nothing but ability to sustain in this market (either growing
below market growth rate or running business as no profit organization).
Personally I would say my previous work scenario was better because even
though I couldn't target 100 people per day but I knew my target market
personally. Because I had to understand each of them by their name not only

2. by the attributes. Yes attributes then also played a role but not as main criteria
instead it played a secondary subtle one to classify people. Now because of all
these technology I missed that human touch to understand to each of my
clients separately from each other. And along side I am not able to target them
with their specific pain points and connect them personally.
This circumstance is available not only in marketing. For a
better understanding lets take another great example of this technological
catastrophe. Think about your resume what it is today? A 2 page document
with full of generic jargon's. Every-thing is point based, but actually point-less.
We don’t feel like explaining things in details, at least for them who wants to
read them anymore. Lets think why this change happened? It’s because our
HR friends (please don’t take anything personal friends because I might need
your help too in future..) they search their fit for resume as per the key-words.
But that doesn't give a proper selection panel / view? For an example suppose
I have some previous experience in java, j2ee product selling and it’s
mentioned in one line deep inside of my resume. But still I get java j2ee
development job offers because our friends doesn't have enough time to check
why I wrote those words.
Not sure if this helped anyone but creating a nuisance into the environment. I
still understand that the volume of work is humongous. Adding up
personalization into everything is gonna take 100% time than what’s current
performance yardstick. And reading up resumes which are 5-6 page long is not
gonna reduce the job. Instead I am advocating on the basis of penetration rate.
Don’t you think if we are facing this issue it’s time for us to decide what we
need, is it quality or quantity. I know many of us are thinking quality in our
mind but while executing it, we will choose quantity way for it's thin risk
distribution. I think this mindset is restricting our new ideas? Are we that
afraid that can’t go beyond technology and place innovation above all?
After reading all these you must be thinking that I am against technology, I
hate technology, sophistication, statistics. To all of you who are thinking in
this way would humbly say that “no, I am not”. I love technology, automation
but will withstand when technology suck out the best part us, 'human touch'.
In current market it’s huge getting into this market without the help of
technology will be a foolishness. Today’s market is not only driven but
depended on technology like mobile, internet. So technology is the way-out
and may be only one because traditional mediums are kind of either became
or becoming obsolete day by day. But does that mean, there isn't a way to
utilize the technology and personalization together? I would say “sure thing,
mate” we just have to find the break-even point. Don’t let the automation do

3. what you are supposed to do. Use your gray matter then take help of
technology to make the best use of it. I would like to have a personal touch
with every one of my clients, because there is no way better than hard-way.
Because usage of internet and mobile doesn't change my client or their
mindset, then why should I.
Sometime I also think about this if I am working in this way (without
personalization), why shouldn't I be replaced by a fully automated marketing
system which will automatically find its target audience based upon given
criteria, finds out the best marketing campaign previously worked on them
change it with relevant data (up to date numbers and stats again) and run the
campaigns and then follow up. Am I doing enough to be relevant in this
world? Am I using my gray matters (automation's can be the result of gray
matter but can’t evolve because it’s not with them) to the best? I would like to
use technology as a cart behind horse, but the horse.
This is a personal scribble ground. The opinions expressed here are all personal they do not express any
direct or indirect linkage to the organization I am attached to. But I love changes so they might be
changing time to time. :o)