Leadership
When Danne describes what leadership in change looks like, the short answer is “be clear and dare to challenge.” But if he digs a little deeper, it sounds like this:
– Talk about the customer value in what the change brings. Communicate from the outside in. The problem is that many can’t translate their vision into customer value, which makes it unclear why we’re making the change.
In most organizations, there are countless abbreviations, especially within IT and tech. He believes this can make things unnecessarily complicated.
– Explain the complex things simply and remove the buzzwords. CRM, CRO, SEM, disruption, brand, and so on. What do they actually mean?
Danne pauses and takes a sip of coffee before continuing.
– I don’t know how many times I’ve sat in brand workshops where, for example, everyone says ‘quality’ is a USP. And when you break down what they actually mean by ‘quality,’ there are as many versions as people around the table. A common understanding of meaning is crucial. As a creative leader, I always encourage challenging and questioning. Which is easier said than done. Who really dares to question their client, boss, or colleague? Good ideas are created through healthy friction.
How do you balance data-driven decisions with the creative aspect of marketing?
– Can you measure emotions? The day we can do that, we can base everything on data. Decisions around data-driven marketing and creativity are based on both reason and emotion. Data rarely gives us insight into the target audience’s feelings, and feelings are crucial to people’s choices and creative marketing. So when I work with creative solutions, it’s partly based on analysis and data, but also on assumptions, experience, and a mindset of always A/B testing ideas. Cool AI services are popping up that claim they can ‘measure emotions’ for different types of communication.
The future of digital marketing and business development
Danne is certain that sustainability will become part of companies’ core business and won’t remain with a sustainability manager.
– I see that shift in all my client collaborations. I believe that values-driven services and communication will take up much more space in the future, simply because the market and the new generation value it much more highly. Sound values can sell more than ‘price, place, product.’
He also believes AI will replace some jobs.
– AI already replaces many tasks in marketing today. I think it will lead to people, with support from AI, spending more time on insights and idea work, rather than execution itself. Which is great in my world.
He thinks content marketing and a focus on engaging messages will increase significantly, especially within B2B. He believes that the new generation of B2B buyers will choose suppliers through content in digital channels.
– Eighty percent of all interactions in B2B sales will happen in digital channels by 2025 (according to Gartner). Here, I think human creative work supported by AI will increase. Video and storytelling, for example.
