iGB Affiliate 52 AugSept | Page 31

FUTURE OF DIGITAL MARKETING “As machine-based learning, data-based algorithms and artificial intelligence become more commonplace, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these nuggets of actionable information or insight will provide the competitive advantage marketers seek.” The rise of marketing engineers Following hotly on the heels of the data scientist, the new hyperbolic term trending on the worldwide web is marketing engineering. The term, which at the time of writing has yet to enter the Cambridge Dictionary, is believed to have been introduced by Professor Gary Lilien, a renowned Professor of Management Science at the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University. He is one of the founders of DecisionPro, pioneering a new marketing philosophy As machine based learning, data-based algorithms and artificial intelligence become more commonplace in the marketer’s toolkit, it doesn’t necessarily mean that discovering nuggets of actionable information or insight through the usage of these data-savvy and data-intense technologies will provide the competitive advantage marketers seek. If anything, our understanding of how ‘things’ work has lessened, but our reliance on them has increased. In fact most people now believe Google Now, Siri or Cortana, “I’ve yet to witness a marketing technology that exhibits or mimics human creativity and passion.” that blends concepts and frameworks from economics, finance, information management, with the aim of translating marketing ideas and concepts into specific operational decisions and actions using analytical, quantitative, and computer modelling techniques. The future of marketing There is no denying that marketing as a discipline is becoming more data-driven and increasingly automated, and that will impact on decisions and operational efficiencies for any business. which have now effectively replaced the old Parish Priest, to be the de facto oracles of knowledge and answers. The reality is that a computer program is only as good as the person that wrote the code and as the person inputting the data and analysing the outputs. As a fo ɵ