The Art & Science of Customer Generation

There’s an art and a science to so much in life—the mix of the curious and experimental develops us as thinkers, doers, feelers, and innovators. Take marketers as an example. You produce creative work that resonates with customers and you measure and optimize the results.

When it comes to shopping, today’s customers demand superior experiences. You create that experience by knowing more about the customer, and you gain this insight through data. With the right data, you know when and how to most effectively engage with your customer, which means you and your customers both win.

A popular example is Spotify, the on-demand music service that has been using big data, AI, and machine learning for years. With more than 170 million users, Spotify has been capturing extraordinary amounts of data to impact the experience of its listeners. They pay attention what you listen to, how you listen, and what you do next. At the heart lives a massive and growing data set, most of which is user-centric to provide music recommendations … which was great on my morning run last week when Spotify notified me that Bruce on Broadway was now available! (As an aside, my wife and I spent a ridiculous amount of money to see this incredible show this past summer. I was so glad that Spotify ‘knew’ how much I loved it!)

It’s this blend of art and science that we want to showcase at Jornaya’s 3rd Journey Summit, our thought leadership event that takes place April 30, 2019 in Philadelphia. During this annual conference for marketing, analytics, and compliance leaders, we’re bringing together renowned speakers and attendees to discuss the latest trends in MarTech.

Appropriately themed “The Art & Science of Customer Generation,” we hope the event will realize our original intent in starting this Summit series in 2016: Having worked with thousands of marketers over the past 20+ years, it’s apparent that the consumer shopping experience continues to change more than ever, and with it, a marketer’s job has to evolve accordingly. With so much data, technology, and innovation around these topics, we wanted to create an event that brings together the best and brightest minds to discuss how to effectively thrive. There is a simplicity of putting the customer front and center. Give them what they want—relevant, helpful information so they can make the best purchase decisions. Within that simplicity lies lots of art and science, that we strive to bring to the forefront at this year’s Journey Summit.

An Exciting Lineup

Seth Godin, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker, and one of my personal heroes, will present the keynote address. I was first introduced to Seth many years ago when I read Poke the Box and started reading his blog. I loved Seth’s style, personality, and his guts. He questions everything that should be questioned; and provides pragmatic answers, usually ones that we already know based on common sense and common humanity, but we might be too afraid to admit. I’ve subsequently read almost every Seth Godin book, and am currently partially through his latest masterpiece This is Marketing. In short, I’m a huge fan, and couldn’t be more excited that he’ll be speaking at our Summit!.

He’ll be sharing insights from his latest book, where he talks about doing work you’re proud of. He calls this “your quest to matter,” emphasizing three critically important questions:

• What change are you trying to make?
• Who are you seeking to change?
• What promise can you make to your potential customers?

Great marketers, says Seth, rely on empathy, connection, and emotional labor instead of attention-stealing ads and spammy email funnels. When done right, marketing seeks to make change in the world. Seth’s keynote will inspire you to build trust and permission with your target market. He’ll talk about why the old approaches to advertising and branding no longer work.

You won’t want to miss this message as he sets the tone for our discussions around generating new customers more effectively in ways they actually enjoy. Dave Helmreich, Group Vice President, Oracle Marketing Cloud, and Dave Yaffe, COO, LiveRamp, will follow Seth with an interactive discussion on what’s next in customer generation. Be sure to check our website as we announce other speakers.

An Unforgettable Venue

I’m equally excited to be hosting this event at Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, an art collection and educational institution promoting the appreciation of art and horticulture.

The Barnes was founded in 1922 by Philadelphia native Albert C. Barnes, who made his fortune by co-developing Argyrol, an antiseptic silver compound that was used to combat gonorrhea and inflammations of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. Today, the Barnes Foundation is filled with works from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Modernist masters. Dr. Barnes, believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. If you want to learn an incredible story of why the Barnes was moved from suburban Philly into the city, check out this riveting documentary, The Art of the Steal.

And so we have the blend of art (in many forms) and science … join us to share your experiences, build valuable connections, and develop practical solutions to today’s constantly evolving business landscape. I guarantee you’ll come away with approaches you can apply to your own organization. I hope to see you there!

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Ross Shanken is CEO & Founder of Jornaya.