DIGITAL UP Magazine NO. 1 | Page 23

Digital Up Magazine DigitalUPMagazine.com
David Sable DIGITAL IS STILL EVERYTHING, BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS DIGITAL - OR BIG DATA.
My readers know of my skeptical view of analysts and Digibabble. They can predict and prophesize on
Monday, reverse themselves on Tuesday and go back to where they were on Wednesday and then start the
process again — what a gig!!! However, as a lowly marketing guy, I am held to my predictions and only
as good as what I deliver every day. Ergo, I am accountable no matter what, so let me hold my own feet to the fire and see how my predictions for 2015 panned out.
Last year LinkedIn asked what would be the one big idea to shape the next year? My answer: DIGITAL IS EVERYTHING, BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS DIGITAL.
That the world is becoming more and more digital is obvious and pervasive. That new technologies enhance everything we do, also true and, yes, spectacular. But what I predicted last year was that more and more we would recognize that we live in the real world — and that the smartest companies would understand,
embrace and better engage the physical with the digital to create experiences that captivate consumers and capture market share.
So what happened in 2015? The year saw my prediction play out in different ways, as the relationship between online and physical retail got more intertwined and interesting. Last year, I mentioned Warby Parker and Bonobos as among those retailers who figured out ahead of the pack that people still like to touch stuff before they buy. Over the year, retailers have been finding
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