Michael Brenner
Trendsetters: SAP's Michael Brenner Suggests that Marketers Act more like Publishers.
Michael Brenner, Senior Director of Global Marketing at software solutions company, SAP, recently quoted David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett Packard: "Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department."
He was addressing a sold-out crowd at an IAA New York Luncheon with a presentation entitled: "Marketers, Publishers, Agencies and the Battle for Attention." The provocative Packard quote set the groundwork for his thoughts on a changed marketing industry where content is becoming more critical. He also cited the famed words of management guru Peter Drucker: "The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous."
According to Michael Brenner, who is also the author of the B2B Marketing Insider blog and co-founder of the social news site, Business 2 Community, "we live in a mobile-enabled, socially-connected, real time world." In such an always-on environment, he recognizes that "consumer attention is the holy grail."
"Marketing today is difficult," he admits. "There are 200 million people on the U.S. 'Do Not Call' list. Over 86% of TV viewers admit to skipping commercials. Forty-four percent of direct marketing is never opened. Roughly 99.9% of online banners are never clicked. Buyers wait until they have completed 60-80% of their research before reaching out to vendors."
Yet he adds, "There's an appetite for more original content than ever-- distributed in all forms and in a manner that understands customer needs. People now seek the content they want, distributed through the channels they use, and personalized to recognize their individual needs. Content strategy is growing to be an exponential problem for marketers."
Michael Brenner asserts: "The challenge of marketers is to become publishers. And our businesses cannot respond quickly enough."
So how can publishers, agencies and marketers work better together to meet customer needs and help consumers engage in ways that matter most?
To answer, Brenner cites his boss, Susan Popper, SVP Integrated Marketing Communications at SAP: "We need strategic, big ideas that blend paid, earned and owned. Our strategic challenge is staying fresh."
Brenner gives an example of a smart marketer-turned-publisher in American Express’ Open program for small business. He says, “The American Express Open Forum helps small business to do more business. The website contains all original content, including sweepstakes, surveys, user communities, and experts to solve business problems. There are even white label services for areas like SEO or Creative, and new business solutions like applications via payroll, etc.”
He adds that Paul Adams of Facebook and formerly of Google has said that “Social networking is a means to an end. However, you need to understand what the end is.”
According to Michael Brenner that “end” is about meeting customer needs, and helping customers engage in the ways in which they need to engage. “We need content to be distributed to our audiences, so that it balances our customers’ needs to be informed, educated and entertained.”
Brenner continues, “We have all have entrusted our friends and business colleagues with our personal content. Our photos, music, various musings and CVs now live on the cloud. Yet, our businesses cannot respond fast enough. We need to become publishers.”
