Lessons from Mobile Matters: How to Get to the Fun Faster
by Michelle Lawrence | Last Updated: Jul 28, 2020
We’re impatient creatures and technology has only made this worse. We all want to get to the fun faster. No matter if it’s placing a mobile order to skip the lines at Starbucks or checking into your hotel room through your phone, we want to expedite these processes. And if there’s anyone who knows how to get to the fun faster, it’s Lillian Tomovich, Chief Experience and Marketing Officer at MGM Resorts. Lucky for Mobile Matters listeners, she gave us a few tips on what we need to do to get there.
Visit HR Once in a While
Yes, marketing is in charge of the brand, but there’s another group in your organization who should have some say...HR. Let’s be honest, HR isn’t always the most popular group in an organization. They’re almost as sought after as the ‘brand police’ in marketing (patrolling email signatures will be the death of me). So, it may sound odd when we say, to get to the fun faster, you’ve got to go through HR first. Part of HR’s function is to recruit the best talent for the organization. And if a marketing campaign is sending a message that isn’t aligned with your company’s culture, things may start to get disjointed.
Take MGM’s ‘Welcome to the Show’ brand reposition as an example. Not only does this campaign do an excellent job of enticing people to visit an MGM hotel, but it also helps train employees. S stands for a smile and to greet the guest, H stands for hearing their story, O is to own the experience, and W, of course, is to wow the guest. This totally changed the culture at MGM, so much so employees would send Lillian ways they were incorporating ‘Show’ into their everyday routines, like bringing in donuts into the office (I hope my coworkers reading this take notes).
Remember Who You Are Selling ToOur world may be one step from turning into an episode of Black Mirror, but we’re not quite there yet. Hopefully, we are many years away from doing business with robots, like Sophia. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re selling B2B or B2C - we are all selling to humans. We have to make sure we don’t go too far with technology where we remove the human element from our customer experience.
How do we add the human element back into marketing? Create personalized experiences for your audience. Consumers love to make something their own (hence why we love Chipotle so much). Give users the opportunity to create custom dashboards on your mobile app. Or better yet, simply give consumers options. Some people still enjoy checking into a hotel by communicating with the person at the front desk, while others who prefer technology can check in on MGM’s mobile app. Be wary of leaning too heavily into digital.
Quit Judging
Friendly reminder: what works for you may not work for everyone else. This is especially true in 2020. This year, parents acquired a new title of ‘homeschool teacher’ in addition to their current responsibilities. This meant working the traditional 9-5 is no longer feasible for many. People are doing the best they can in our ‘new normal’. Let’s make a pact to stop judging others for how they choose to manage their work.
Finding a work-life balance has always been a topic of conversation (take a look at how many times it’s been brought up on Mobile Matters). Because we’re all staying in our homes, taking a vacation can seem silly. But I think it’s important to realize that just because we aren’t going on our normal vacations this year, doesn’t mean we don’t need a mental break. And much like managing work, vacation looks different to everyone. For some, that means ‘going off the grid’...and for others, it’s routinely checking emails. Do whatever works best for you.
Do Better
We may not all have a poster in our office that reminds us to, “Do better” but Lillian gave listeners a good reminder to continually work on not only ourselves but also our way of doing things. Should I remind you how much technology has changed in the last decade? Don’t let your brand fall behind. Challenge yourself to constantly iterate on your mobile marketing strategy. Maybe there’s a mobile marketing channel you haven’t tried yet. Go ahead and lean into the unknown.
If you’re like us and want to hear more from Lillian, be sure to check her out on this episode of Mobile Matters, where she gives her advice to the next generation of marketing leaders. Spoiler alert: it’s time to get comfortable using technology. Lessons from Mobile Matters: How to Get to the Fun Faster
Meet with one of our experts to see how easy it is to centralize your product data, manage digital assets, and create digital product experiences. Trust us…you’re going to be wowed.
