Navigating the Cutting Edge: Insights and Strategies in Modern Marketing

Shownotes

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Philip Warren chats with Siara Nazir about integrating your marketing strategy with artificial intelligence and data science. Siara discusses the transformative impact of Mixed Media Modeling, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the MarTech stack’s future direction in the evolving digital marketing landscape. Siara also shares her experience creating an AI chatbot powered by natural language processing that improved customer engagement and boosted non-branded keyword revenue.

About the Guest

Siara Nazir is an award-winning global digital marketer and media leader who has pioneered AI-based solutions that quadrupled conversions and doubled engagement for marketing programs at Autodesk. She’s led digital transformation for two Fortune 500 companies and her strategies have been featured in Forrester and other industry publications. She speaks at many industry conferences and was recently the recipient of the Equality Impact Award for women in tech.

Connect with Siara Nazir

Key Takeaways

• Beyond just sales and clicks, recognising the revenue contribution of your brand’s equity is crucial.
• Mixed media modelling’s advantage – This approach goes beyond traditional attribution models, helping marketers understand the revenue implications of their brand’s presence across different channels.
• Multi-touch attribution, while popular, may not give a comprehensive picture of a brand’s value and impact. Consider alternative models for a fuller perspective.
• Achieving success in non-branded spaces, which are highly competitive and challenging, can significantly boost a brand’s visibility and conversions.
• Utilize AI tools to automate various marketing tasks, from content creation to customer engagement. These tools not only speed up processes but also enhance quality.
• Tomorrow’s Martech stack will thrive on seamless interaction between software components. Ensure interoperability with robust API connections.
• Balance the decision between choosing best-in-breed solutions and integrated ones. The right choice can significantly impact data flow and efficiency.
• Established tech platforms, though significant, might not always provide the most agile solutions.

Quote

“The beauty of mixed media modelling is that the software that it sits on actually looks at many other parts of the business that influence revenue, including brand presence.”

– Siara Nazir

Highlights from the Episode

Could you give insight into your background and share your current focus area at Autodesk?

Siara shares her diverse background in marketing, spanning from the traditional subscription models of magazines to gaming and across five industries. Her expertise now lies in marketing, data science, and artificial intelligence. She actively speaks at conferences, guiding marketing professionals and CMOs on harnessing the power of AI and data science for their marketing objectives.

What do you think about Mix Media Modeling, and how has it impacted marketing strategies and resource allocation in today’s digital advertising landscape?

It’s essential to realise multi-touch attribution’s limitations in today’s market. Mixed media modelling can offer a fresh perspective. Instead of just tracking purchase-based credit, this model can help you understand the genuine revenue value of your brand’s presence and equity across various channels.

How can Mixed Media Modeling provide insights beyond alternative attribution to calculate the impact of your brand’s presence across various digital channels? Can it measure or predict potential revenue?

Attribution is about analysing the investment and its related returns. Mixed media modelling goes beyond evaluating other business components that impact revenue, including brand presence. Recognising the revenue that a brand’s equity generates is crucial. This understanding helps determine potential returns when shifting investments in areas like social media or display advertising.

Can you talk about your experience building an AI chatbot and its impact on the business process?

As a problem solver, Siara thrives on addressing challenges for customers and companies. Recently, she innovatively employed natural language processing to address a customer’s lengthy purchase decision time for a low-cost software product. Creating a chatbot using this technique enhanced customer engagement by recognising their intent, asking fewer qualifying questions, and directing them to relevant content. This method accelerated non-branded keyword revenue significantly, bolstered site engagement by 109%, and paved the way for marketers to harness various AI tools to optimise their operations.

How do you view the impact of AI in the field of Marketing and marketing teams?

Using AI in marketing can lead to significant efficiencies in cost and time. An example is Coca-Cola’s AI-generated commercial, produced in a shorter timeframe and at a fraction of the usual cost. Companies are recognising the power of AI in marketing, with some even establishing dedicated teams. Numerous tools are available today that can automate various marketing tasks, from content creation to customer engagement.

How can marketers build a future-proof Martech stack? What components are likely to phase out, and what new components are expected to emerge in the evolving landscape?

The Martech stack is evolving towards a cookie-less future, with AI playing a critical role. Previously isolated software will need to interact and share data. As AI synthesises this data, marketers must work alongside legal and privacy teams to maintain compliance. The challenge lies in selecting solutions that prioritise integration without compromising quality.