Mobile has changed everything, but it’s only Act One. Machine learning in marketing is set to drive the industry’s next revolution. Google’s Senior Vice President of Ads & Commerce, Sridhar Ramaswamy, reflects on the implication of this change and how leading brands will navigate the shift.
What’s the next big thing? What comes after mobile? Where is marketing headed?
I often get asked these types of questions. Many of us who work in ad tech do. And while fortune teller is a job title most of us wouldn’t claim, I am increasingly confident about what the future will hold because it’s coming so clearly into view.
Here’s why: The future coming into view is an acceleration of what we see today. It’s unfolding before our eyes. And if we press pause and reflect for a moment on what’s happening, it’s as exciting as anything I’ve witnessed or worked toward during my 14 years at Google.
For consumers and marketers alike, mobile has forced a rewriting of the rules
Reflecting on the big picture reveals—in an equally obvious and striking way—just how much of a game-changer mobile really is. For consumers and marketers alike, mobile has forced a rewriting of the rules. Consumers have become more empowered than ever to get what they want, when they want it. Waiting has become a thing of the past. That translates into today’s pervasive micro-moment behavior—immediately turning to a device to know, go, do, and buy. To capitalize on that behavior and win over consumers, marketers have been forced to rewrite the rule book. You’ve had to double down on addressing the needs of consumers in the moment, committing to being there and being useful each and every time you can help advance the journey. In short, marketers have had to start being a lot more assistive.
But mobile isn’t just an epic game-changer. It’s a prerequisite, Act One. Just one critical leg of the journey. Pick your analogy, but I like to think of mobile as the force that’s accelerating a train we’re all now aboard. It’s critical to get it right—because strategic shifts made today lay the groundwork for what’s coming.
