When Is 5G Coming for Marketers? Q&A; With Jennifer Kyriakakis of Matrixx Software

“The key here is that 5G is the game-changing delivery system that connects the individual to a more robust IoT and AI infrastructure that make innovative content experiences possible.”

A wave of 5G-ready products is on the anvil in 2020 and we will continue to witness such innovation. But the big unanswered question remains: Does 5G marketing have the power to revolutionize our daily lives?

CUSTOMER DATA PLATFORM (CDP) BUYERS’ GUIDE 2019

Welcome to the 2019 edition of CDP Buyers’ Guide. As customer data platforms are becoming increasingly necessary for enterprise marketers, it is also becoming more complex to choose the best fit CDP platform amongst the pool of new and old vendors.

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In this edition of MarTalk Connect, we caught up with Jennifer Kyriakakis, founder and VP marketing, Matrixx Software, where she answers what 2020 has in store for the future of marketing and whether businesses are prepared for 5G. Kyriakakis throws light on the best way to leverage data and marketing technology from 5G marketing, and more.

Key takeaways from this Q&A; on 5G marketing:

• Learn how 5G can reinvent brand engagement for Gen Z and millennials
• Tips on tools marketers can use to get started with 5G marketing
• The latest trends in 5G and 5G marketing for 2020 and beyond
   

Here are the edited excerpts of our conversation with Jennifer Kyriakakis of Matrixx Software on 5G marketing:

How can enterprises prepare themselves for 5G? What are your top 3 tips for legacy brands starting to explore 5G?

Enterprises can prepare themselves for 5G by looking back, for example the transition from dial-up to broadband. It’s not what the pipe does, it’s what happens when your customers expect instant response times, richer experiences and deeper engagement. This means optimizing the organization for more speed, less latency, improved personalization with how it behaves – and that’s inclusive of the systems it runs as well as those offered to consumers.

Follow the big tech leaders and embrace a test and learn approach to your digital initiatives. Spend less time in focus groups and arguing about what people might want and more time out in the market seeing if people want and like what you want to do.

Don’t be afraid to be boring. Some of the best and most successful digital brands are not sexy in what they do, but they leverage network resources to deliver a seamless and bulletproof experience.

My top three tips for legacy brands who are starting to explore 5G is to note that 5G is the delivery mechanism for the experience, not the experience itself. Focus on innovative products and services – and then look at how a 5G network can make them better and more engaging.

How best can marketers leverage consumer data and marketing technology to increase ROI from 5G marketing?

One of the big promises of 5G is new network control capabilities for optimization. This matters to marketers, because it means operators will be better capable of allocating resources to marketers for innovative experiences they might want to offer. Thinking about a large-scale, mixed-reality marketing stunt that only lasts for a few hours? Operators will now be able to support that kind of initiative much easier than before.

High speed / low latency: High speed paired with ultra-low latency paired with advances in edge computing mean that marketers will be able to process and deliver personalized experiences that are simply not possible right now with today’s network constraints.

Learn More: In the Age of 5G, Is Privacy Just A Myth?

Do you see a difference between how millennials and Gen Z consumers interact with brands? Can 5G marketing reinvent the way both generations engage with brands?

Yes! Have you seen Gen Z (or Gen Alpha) and how they consume data? They are documenting their lives in video on Snapchat and Instagram, they’re live streaming, they’re Facetiming. Where 5G bridges the gap is that it will enable levels of personalization that are simply not possible today. So instead of taking a mass-market, lowest-common denominator approach to experiences, marketers will have the ability to deliver much more tailored content, instantly. This is a huge game changer because it will mean that multiple generations could enjoy the same experience while having entirely different ways of engaging.

Gen X’ers were excited to be able to send SMS from their pagers(!). Millennials came of age with iPhone and 2G/3G and were just as excited that there was a thing called an app. Gen Z was the 4G/LTE generation and expects Snapchat to send instantly, to be facetiming from wherever they are and to do pretty much everything instantly. Now Gen Alpha will come of age with the speed of 5G.  

What are the 3 tools you recommend to marketers to get started with 5G marketing?

Though not technically a tool, absolutely you should be investing in a data strategy team. A data scientist to help you make sense of the data stream that increasing connectivity will create, paired with a data strategist who can work with the marketing team to make sense of the data and help turn it into targeted opportunities to drive marketing ROI.

A CDP platform to help automate and leverage customer data streams to drive more strategic programs across multiple channels.

Lastly, a CMS platform – if you want to pursue any kind of personalization strategy, you’re absolutely going to need to build a library of content that can be quickly and easily repurposed in near-real time. This will change what it means to create content, a benefit and a risk.

How can marketers connect the dots between 5G, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)?

IoT represents the data receptors that are collecting information that can be processed and analyzed by AI to inform the best type of experience (AR / VR) that can be delivered via a 5G network. The key here is that 5G is the game-changing delivery system that connects the individual to a more robust IoT and AI infrastructure that make innovative content experiences possible.

Learn More: How 5G Will Impact Customer Experience in Mobile Marketing

What are the upcoming projects in 5G marketing at Matrixx Software that you are most excited about?

Verizon recently did a red-carpet experience where guests could interact with digital Storm Troopers who were being performed by actors on a remote stage. Regardless of what you think about Star Wars, what this represents is the idea of having massively interactive entertainment and marketing experiences that break out of the constraints of a traditional screen.

With 5G, what’s to keep fully immersive mixed-reality experiences from being delivered wherever potential customers are located? There was another recent test done with the NFL capturing a game using volumetric video, streaming a massive 3TB/minute that would enable a viewer to choose the camera angle they want for the game. What both represent is game-changing volumes of data being streamed out and creating evolutionary ways of consuming content.

Could you share any predictions in this space for 2020 and beyond? 

I think in 2020 mixed and augmented reality represent the massive game-changers coming because those change how we engage with devices and the world around us. Right now, we primarily interact with a flat screen limiting the volume of data that defines a rich digital experience. What happens when the flat screen goes away? When the entire world around us is filled with rendered data and imagery that’s processing for objection location, movement, etc? It’s going be very exciting to see these changes.

Neha: Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your insights on how brands can leverage 5G marketing. We hope to talk to you again.

About Jennifer Kyriakakis

MATRIXX Founder and Vice President of Marketing, Jennifer Kyriakakis, brings deep expertise in both telecoms and software with roles ranging from complex systems delivery to technical sales to strategic marketing. Her 20 plus years of experience helping Telcos reinvent themselves has propelled the growth of MATRIXX into markets all over the globe. In 2009, Jennifer co-founded MATRIXX Software with the vision of transforming how Telcos do business in the digital economy. Jennifer is a Forbes contributor and is often recognized for her impact on the industry.

About MATRIXX Software

MATRIXX Software provides next-generation, cloud native digital commerce solutions that transform how companies do business. Serving many of the world’s largest communications companies, IoT players and emerging digital service providers, MATRIXX is committed to delivering a modern commerce platform that easily scales to support global marketplaces and consumption-based services.
 

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