ME52-54: In an industry of constant evolving, marketers cannot stay complacent

With an engineering background and an artistic talent, Richard has dabbled in various areas which provides him with a rich & diverse approach to marketing. Being a Digital Strategist in an environment that is in the forefront of providing measurement solutions, Richard touches on a very hot topic that no one in ME52 has not addressed yet - attribution models. And while the digital landscape is constantly reinventing itself, it’s imperative for marketers to evolve and innovate, especially in analytics and measurements.

Richard Wong

Client Services and Digital Strategist

Performics

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtwong

What site(s) do you have to visit every day for Marketing new?
Adage, MediaPost, Search Engine Land, WSJ...

What site(s) do you go to at least once a day for fun and inspiration?
Facebook, Gilt, Groupon, NYTimes.com, Urban Daddy, Youtube

Greatest skill a good Marketing professional requires?

Identifying unmet needs of your target audience

What's the recent "it" Marketing phrase/trend of the moment that you hear almost every day and what does it mean for the industry and the marketplace?

Attribution. As marketers are increasing their presence across different online and offline mediums, they are struggling to quantify the true return on dollars from individual mediums. We can no longer look at each channel as a separate silo, and need to come up with attribution models that can take the full picture into account.

There have been fads in the Marketing world. In your opinion, what are recent developments that are here to stay?

I think Augmented Reality (AR), while still in its infancy, it has a lot of untapped potential and its definitely here to stay. I am excited to see how it will transform the way people interact with their surroundings, and how marketers will capitalize this space.

What is essential NOT to do when it comes to your area of Marketing specialty?

To be complacent and only rely on what’s considered tried and true. The digital landscape is constantly evolving and reinventing itself, so its imperative for marketers in this space to do so as well.

What's an imminent hurdle in the Marketing world that you think will cause significant changes to the way we market to consumers or businesses?

Being afraid to try something new ,bold, and disruptive.

Can Marketing ideas travel across continent and languages? Does globalization work or is localization more effective?

Yes, I believe it’s possible for a great marketing idea to transcend all those barriers and more. But to truly be effective and efficient, it is important for multi national corporations to think glocal.

Best piece of advice you have received professionally or personally?

Don’t make lateral moves just for a higher pay. In the end, you’ll be just as unhappy ( if not worse) and will also have to start all over again in a new organization.

Growing up, what was the first think you can remember wanting to be?

In kindergarten, I said I wanted to be a doctor. But that’s because I was the last person in class to speak up, being a doctor was the only option left. In truth, I really did not have a clue what I wanted to be.

Is Marketing more of an art or more of a science?
Marketing is both an art and a science. The most creative marketing message fall on deaf ears, if you don’t have the “science” to identify WHO you should be speaking to, and HOW you can measure the impact of your messaging.

To tweet of not to tweet? Fad or here to stay?

I personally had an account, but quickly abandoned it after a month of use. I do all my tweets, if you will, through my facebook status updates.