Digital marketing as a service.

Today at a global marketing meeting I was asked for my point of view on which company is doing digital right.  My answer?  Delta.  The reason I chose Delta is two-fold:  First, they're using digital to reshape marketing as a service (MaaS); second, they are quickly distinguishing themselves in an industry often associated with poor customer service.

I admire what Delta has done over the last few years to employ digital tools to transform marketing into something that serves customers and not simply sell to them.  Witness these examples.

The Delta mobile app provides friction-free service.  I can shop, book and manage my account while sitting in Starbucks.  It will help me remember where I parked my car at the airport.  The iPad version even includes something called Glass Bottom Jet, in which I can watch the world pass underneath me in-flight.  Several weeks ago, in that wretched moment when the baggage carousel stopped without first producing my bags, the app enabled me to scan my boarding pass and find my bags.  That is mobile marketing as a service.

Delta uses social media (@DeltaAssist) to provide real-time, personalized customer service.  Their social service team attempts to resolve customer complaints on the spot.  It's impressive.  A colleague recently told me how on a recent flight his family's seat assignments were scattered throughout the plane.  So, after not receiving help at the boarding gate, he tweeted his plea to @DeltaAssist and received a direct message resolving the issue by seating his family together.  That is social marketing as a service.

By the way, I'm posting this using GoGo in-flight wifi, a standard on almost every Delta flight.

Native Advertising 101

I found this primer on native advertising – aka, content marketing – to be very helpful.

Persuasion and the Power of Story.

Jennifer Aaker studies happiness, and how stories can affect our happiness; she believes that stories are more meaningful–more memorable, more impactful, and more personal–than statistics alone.  This short film captures the persuasive power of storytelling.

I've long believed in the power of stories.  Stories convey meaning.  And meaning trumps information.