Market research firm Forrester has been making significant forays into the event production space. Upon analyzing a wide range of conferences and finding a gap between what many attendees said they wanted and what the conferences offered, Forrester decided to create its own shows to fill the void. The result was Forrester Forums, a series of events that offer “deep-dive” sessions, immersive workshops, and plenty of networking in a variety of different fields.
Earlier this month, Forrester hosted the Consumer Marketing Forum, a show conceived in response to its observation that many retail businesses are having a hard time adjusting their marketing strategies to changes caused by new direct-to-consumer models and other forms of digital innovation. In addition to featuring new ideas on the subject, the Forum showcased a variety of tools and technologies that are helping businesses transform these transitional challenges into real opportunities.
Below are seven tech companies I encountered at the event that struck me as having the potential to dramatically change the way marketing is done in this new era (in no particular order):
1. RevJet is a software-as-a-service platform that allows marketing departments, third-party agencies, and digital advertisers to experiment with and make adjustments to creative content as rapidly as possible.
2. Marketing Evolution developed its technology suite on the premise that to build strong relationships with customers, companies must have the ability to collect, sift through, optimize, and use relevant data.
3. OneTrust is a technology platform designed to protect the security and privacy of customers of all sizes.
4. Thunderhead is the company behind ONE Engagement Hub, a cloud-based platform that scans all channels where customers may be interacting to build an in-depth view of their behavior.
5. AdRoll allows marketers to serve digital ads, launch social media and targeted email campaigns, and gain actionable insights from one centralized platform.
6. Esri is a powerful software that allows organizations of all kinds—from those responsible for national defense to those responsible for sales and marketing—to map and analyze geographical data.
7. Resulticks is a marketing automation tool that allows businesses to interact with their prospects, leads, and customers from the time they first click on a piece of content to the moment they buy and beyond.
