Performance Marketing Q&A With Gary Skidmore, CEO Of Aberdeen Group

Performance Marketing Q&A With Gary Skidmore
We spoke with Gary Skidmore, the CEO of the Aberdeen Group, and asked him to share his insights on lead velocity and marketing performance.  Gary has a well-established track-record of innovation in marketing acceleration from his time as a small business entrepreneur, global company executive and currently as CEO at the Aberdeen Group.

Here are his thoughts on what he’s seen work when it comes to sales and marketing speed.

DECK 7: What do you see as major impediments to marketing performance and ultimately more leads?GARY SKIDMORE: Simply put, marketers continue to get bogged down when they don’t have a clear understanding of who their best customers are, how they think and then what type of information might be most useful for them. When it comes to understanding customers, clarity helps to focus all marketing acceleration efforts (and related lead quantity and quality) on the things that matter to your customer.  That’s a good thing.

D 7: How are leading companies addressing the issue of performance and velocity? GS: We see, from our Aberdeen Group research, that many companies continue to invest in data, predictive tools,

"Performance marketing requires a precise understanding of where to spend your valuable resources along with what to do to accelerate engagement."

content and other marketing technologies to try and solve the issue of performance. However, one of the problems is that while all these tools are great, they usually don't work unless you have some level of integration. For example, data is needed, but how do you align that data by segment with a message? Then, once you identify a trending message, how do you ensure that the content you’re creating actually gets noticed and can drive engagement fast. Best-in-class companies are ones that are integrating data, targeting, messaging and content into one continuous workflow.

D 7: What new innovations are making the scene to help marketers get results faster? GS: There are a number of companies that have launched over the last 12 to 24 months that address data and content discreetly. Regarding data tools, many of these new platforms talk about how you might “predict” who’s about to purchase.  The content and messaging tools might also give you the ability to create and distribute content more readily internally and externally. However, as mentioned above, sometimes these individual technologies don’t go far enough.

Where does Aberdeen play in helping clients improve their marketing velocity? We’re a company spending the majority of our time building solutions that integrate advanced data, machine learning and aligned content to help companies know who to approach first and what to say to them to drive accelerated engagement. Our data and content platform, Lead Essentials, does just that by aligning the best in-market accounts with content that is guaranteed to get them to engage. We've integrated these important functions into one platform and workflow. We’re changing the way marketing works and speeding up the process and related effectiveness significantly. In other words, more conversion and more leads, faster.



D 7: Who are your current customers and how does one take advantage of your solutions (both end users and partners)? GS: Lead Essentials, as well as our other products and services are right for just about any mid to large-size B2B organization. We don't just help organizations find more leads, we give them a fuller picture of who they are, how to reach them and how to get them engaged. We offer a SAAS model with our integrated data and content solution, as well as other ways to engage with us for more custom work. We are aggressively looking for ways to partner with other like-minded technology, data or content providers to help fuel their businesses with our unique data and content assets. To find out more about Aberdeen, visit us at www.aberdeenservices.com


ABOUT ABERDEEN GROUP

Aberdeen Group is a technology and services company that helps tech sales and marketing executives distill smart data science into actionable moments. Aberdeen helps companies win through their unique targeting capabilities (using the CI Technology Data Set), advanced analytics using their own innovative proprietary and public data sources, and their original and research based content engine.

For more information on Aberdeen’s leading data and content platform, Lead Essentials, check out the demo here. If you’re looking for ideas, check out the Aberdeen idea book, chock full of ways that you can use our data and content for your own marketing programs.

You may also be interested in Aberdeen’s latest Guidebook on Account-Based Targeting. Find out new ways to think about what accounts need to be in your account-based sales and marketing programs.  Enjoy!

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ARound and Immersal Team Up to Revolutionize Augmented Reality in Sports and Live Entertainment

PR Newswire | January 05, 2024

ARound, the pioneering shared augmented reality (AR) platform, part of Stagwell, is excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Immersal, leaders in spatial computing and AR localization technology, and part of Hexagon. By creating a turn-key WebAR solution for stadium AR, this partnership facilitates easier integration of shared AR experiences for teams, venues, and events, broadening the scope of interactive fan engagement. ARound and Immersal are poised to announce their inaugural collaboration with a major sports league next month, marking a significant milestone in bringing this innovative vision to life. This partnership combines ARound's connected, shared AR technology that has transformed live fan experiences for professional sports teams across three professional leagues – MLB, NBA, NFL – including the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Royals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Immersal's visual positioning system (VPS) that creates centimeter-accurate, large-scale indoor and outdoor AR experiences. "This partnership is a game-changer in the world of sports and live entertainment as we collaborate to make stadium AR experiences more accessible and ubiquitous to all fans and types of events," said Josh Beatty, founder and CEO, ARound. "By integrating our fan engagement platform with Immersal's robust localization technology, we can seamlessly create dynamic digital experiences that put fans at the center of the action while scaling to new audiences around the world." The integration of ARound and Immersal technologies yields greater access and broader use cases of AR experiences through WebAR, enhancing the overall quality and ease of integration for in-stadium entertainment. Fans can interact with live events in real-time, participating in AR games, accessing real-time game content, and enjoying shared experiences with fellow attendees, all from their smartphones without the need for a standalone app. Brands and sponsors will also now be able to connect with audiences in innovative, meaningful ways, enhancing their marketing mix and creating new avenues for engagement. "We're committed to innovating and enhancing AR experiences at live events and our technology, combined with ARound's exciting platform, will set a new benchmark in how fans interact with live sports and entertainment, offering them an engaging and memorable experience like never before," Matias Koski, CEO, Immersal. This groundbreaking partnership heralds a new era in fan engagement, offering sports teams, venues, and brands an unparalleled platform to connect with audiences. Combining ARound's interactive fan experiences with Immersal's precision technology, the stage is now set for a revolution in live entertainment. About ARound ARound is a first-of-its-kind stadium-level shared augmented reality platform and is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, a proprietary suite of SaaS solutions built for the modern marketer. ARound keeps audiences engaged by capturing their attention through immersive, interactive and shared experiences with fellow fans across the venue. Where other AR products offer isolating, singular experiences, ARound's massive multi-user AR – which uses 3D spatial computing to localize content – redefines what it means to be part of a connected fan experience. It was the winner of Stagwell's annual innovation competition which invests in new product ideas proposed by the network's 13,000+ employees. ARound and the Stagwell Marketing Cloud are a part of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. About Immersal Immersal, part of Hexagon, is building world-leading spatial mapping and visual positioning tools — the foundation of the metaverse. Founded in 2015, Immersal's team is based in Helsinki, Finland, and working with partners, developers and creators across the globe to reimagine how we explore, interact and create. Immersal also has sales offices in Hong Kong and in Silicon Valley, California, and is expanding its presence and partner networks globally. The company was acquired by Hexagon in 2021 and continues to pursue the vision of a metaverse built and experienced by everyone on any device. Hexagon has approximately 24,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.2bn EUR.

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