It’s no longer just a marketing function. In today’s digital world brands that are successful recognise that business intelligence along with analytics are key to driving successful business outcomes. 

These brands and categories start out by finding where they can simplify and amplify their brand’s experience. 

Brands are starting by identifying pain points in the brand experience journey, then investing big dollars for analytics and innovative technology which can unlock fertile grounds for potential marketing opportunities.

Let’s take sports as our first example… 

Sport venues

Sports venues are being faced with several challenges, young fans want to stay connected or else they will lose interest by halftime, sponsors want quantifiable data to justify budgets and the in-home television experience has improved tremendously. 

Thus, sport venues across the country are stepping-up and elevating the customer experiences by bridging the gaps in marketing with the help of technology.

WiFi is being installed at arenas so fans can stay connected. Beacon transmitters are being used to pinpoint location of the fans. All of which are enabling fans to have the option to order food from the nearest stalls, check the quickest way to their seats or find the nearest restrooms with the shortest wait times.

In addition, mobile apps are allowing teams to stay connected with fans in and outside the arena by sending actionable marketing messages. 

The data collection and analytics is not only helping build a deeper relationship for future activities and purchases, but also providing quantifiable results for sponsors to justify ROI. All of this is elevating the customer experience and increasing revenues. 

Disney

Historically, the experience at Disney has been anything but magical for parents and children navigating the complex theme park. 

Consumers were inundated with various touchpoints throughout their stay. Disney’s insight in to the complex experience of the theme park led to an innovative solution: MyMagic+ bracelet.

The bracelet technology is a wearable device that enables people to have their park passes, room keys, loyalty status and even credit card information all stored on one device. The bracelet acts as a unifying device to all Disney experiences and is a marketing element in itself. 

The wearable technology was estimated to cost Disney close to a billion dollars, but it will drastically simplify the way 30+ million visitors a year do just about everything while staying at Disney. 

In conclusion…

Companies should no longer be viewing technology departments as support staff. Technology is now becoming an integral part of the consumer experience. 

Brands across different industries need to invest and partner with technology and mine insights that can elevate customer experience and in turn revenue.