Summary

The leaders of Razorfish share their strategies for merging marketing and IT

To create rich, technologically enabled experiences, enterprises need close collaboration between marketing and IT. Converge explains how the merging of technology, media, and creativity is revolutionizing marketing and business strategy. The CEO and CTO of Razorfish, one of the world's largest digital marketing agencies, give their unique perspective on how to thrive in this age of disruption. Converge shares their first-hand experience working closely with global brands—including AXE, Intel, Samsung, and Kellogg—to solve business problems at the collision point between media, technology, and marketing.

With in-depth looks at cloud computing, data- and API-enabled creativity, ubiquitous computing, and more, Converge presents a roadmap to success.

Explains how to organize for innovation within your own organization by applying the principles of agile development across your business
Details how to create a religion around convergence, explaining how to tell the story throughout the organization
Outlines how to adapt processes to keep up with and take advantage of rapid technological change

A book by practitioners for practitioners, Converge is about rethinking business organizations for a new age and empowering your people to thrive in a brand, new world.

Author Biography

BOB LORD is the Global CEO of Razorfish. He began his career as an engineer intrigued by marketing, not knowing that one day the disciplines would collide. Now, he leads Razorfish on its mission of creating brand experiences that build businesses. Additionally, he leads the world's largest digital agency network for Publicis Groupe. Bob is also active in the TED community and a founding member of The Nantucket Project.

RAY VELEZ is the Global CTO of Razorfish. His career has been devoted to the software development life cycle, from inception to rollout, working with clients ranging from Citibank to Ford Motor Company to the National Football League. He previously worked at Cambridge Technology Partners.

Introduction

Chapter One: The Collision of Media, Technology, and Creativity

Media

Technology

Creativity

Building the Renaissance Organization

How Delta Got Its Groove Back

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Two: Media

How the Fickle Consumer Uses Media

The Upfronts

Just Because It’s Digital Doesn’t Mean It’s Fast

Imagining Brands As Publishers

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Three: Ubiquitous Computing

What is Ubiquitous Computing?

The Home, Connected

The Self, Quantified

How Business Can Respond

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Four: The Cloud

Grasping the Cloud

From EC2 to the Royal Wedding

Fast, Cheap and In Control

A Tsunami of Data

Clouding the Cloud Issue

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Five: Marketing is Commerce, Commerce is Marketing

The Store is Dead, Long Live the Store

Retail’s Challenges

Toward A Single View of the Customer

Roads to Innovation

The Moosejaw Model

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Six: Next-Generation Storytelling

The Death of the Mad Man and the Birth of the Creative Technologist

The Democratization of Creativity

Collaboration: Chief Creative Becomes Chief Curator

Brands as Services

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Seven: Data-Driven Experiences

How Obama Used Data to Keep the White House

The Road to Marketing Utopia is Lined With Columns and Rows

How Targeting Is Failing Consumers

Executives fail to prioritize targeting

The Road To Better Targeting

Convergence Catalysts

Chapter Eight: Creating Religion Around Convergence

The Convergence Mantra.

Find Your Visionary.

Turn Outward and Workshop, Workshop, Workshop

Build a Big Boat.

Write Your Roadmap.

When Telling Your Story Think Right Brain and Left Brain.

Chapter Nine: How to Change Your Organizational Structure

The Rise of the CDO

Bottom-up solutions

Create cross-functional project teams.

Create new roles within both the marketing and IT functions.

Employ internal account or relationship management.

Establish a Collaborative Culture

Chapter Ten: How to Change Your Processes

1. Change Measurement and Establish Objectives

2. Change Planning

3. Change Budgeting

4. Think Like a Software Company

5. Change Incentives/Compensation

Chapter Eleven: Achieving Convergence Through Agile Methodology

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

How We Use Agile

Another benefit of Agile lies in how it facilitates communication.

How to Get Started

Convergenence Catalysts

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

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The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.