So email does matter after all. Buying ExactTarget not only plugs gaps in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. It could be just what the vendor needs to solve impending renewal challenges in its core Sales Cloud business.
Yesterday Salesforce.com announced plans to buy up email marketing firm ExactTarget for a cool $2.5 billion. Wall St got a bit twitchy, but industry analysts take a longer term view of what could be a bulls-eye move from Benioff.
If you still don't get that idea that Salesforce.com is serious about the Marketing Cloud then think again after the decision to splash out $2.5 billion to crash into the email marketing sector with the purchase of ExactTarget.
Maybe they might think about paying some more tax here and there, but Starbucks is setting an example when it comes to the use of digital, social and mobile to extend its brand beyond the bricks and mortar.
While all the talk in CRM and marketing is about the omni-channel, at practical level the likes of online retailer Zavvi continue to fail. Why?
Banks are just really, really bad at customer interaction, yes? So why aren't they tapping into digital channels to improve the situation? Maybe they just don't care.
World class service often appears to be a myth. Yet some companies are getting it right, leveraging digital channels and benefitting accordingly. More important, customers are the recipients of a consistent and pleasant service. Nike is in that class.
CRM Idol is the must do competition for those start up and small companies in the CRM and social CRM spaces. Past winners and competitors have gone on to great things. This year, diginomica is providing a couple of prizes as a way of giving back. Come join the fun.
Gartner's assessment of who leads the lead management sector sees Marketo and Eloqua ahead of the pack, but with Salesforce.com looming close behind.
IT leaders like Jeroen Tas of Philips are being challenged to create a strategic vision for how their organizations can exploit the vast amounts of customer data becoming available to them through big data initiatives – while instilling and growing customer trust.
Instead of wiping out bricks-and-mortar retail, the internet is bringing a new type of shopping experience to town centers and malls. While retailers who don't adapt are failing, a new breed is finding success.
Consumers expect an immersive digital experience, both in terms of creation of content, as well as in terms of the consumption of content, says Adobe. So no more software for them!
Half way up a mountain in India or in a back street in Putney, trust is the new currency for the digital economy, argues JP Rangaswami.
