I’m lucky enough to be sitting on a tropical beach in the Caribbean Sea as I celebrate 10 years in my Marketing Consulting and Thought Leadership Practice and yet another birthday while taking the time to sort out where my practice leads me next. I know these things to be true –
- I am getting ready to launch my first podcast – Marketing InSecurity. I’ve been a guest on probably a dozen or so podcasts and I am super excited to be at the other side of the virtual table, interviewing an amazing set of guests (I can say amazing because I already have the first 8 guests lined up and they are truly a who’s who of Cybersecurity Marketing stars!
- After 8+ years I am moving offices. The new facility is an amazing co-working space less that 2 miles from my home in Menlo Park. The energy is super cool and I’m both scared and excited to clean out nearly a decade of office stuff. The shredder is at the ready and I can’t wait for the change
- I still wake up every day kinda amazed that this is now the longest “job” I’ve ever had, and I have every intention of making it last another 10-15 years. THANK YOU to all my amazing clients who never cease to inspire me to be of service to their causes!
Here’s the things I am wondering about as I think about the next decade ahead:
- The future of business storytelling – I’ve build much of my practice on the assumption that Story and using it to create context and framing of business value, is the most critical piece to Business to business messaging. I know this is true as long as people are selling to people. But will the ‘bots take over selling and or buying, and what would that mean to marketing and messaging. If algorithms rule, does marketing still matter?
- The future of “truth”. This is one that matters in my work, but is probably a much bigger topic well beyond my pay grade. I’ve always said that one of the keys to great messaging is VERACITY, another way to say truth. But it seems that truth is becoming harder and harder to judge, identify and know.
- Art versus Science – Is it true that the art of marketing is done? Is the growth hacker truly the new CMO? Is influence dead to be replaced by data driven manipulation? If truth is truly illusive and storytelling relegated to literature class, what’s left? I may be an engineer by training and love a good science read, but there’s no doubt that I love a great story even more.
Speaking of stories, I’m in the middle of Neil Stephenson’s D.O.D.O and I need to wend (inside book joke) myself back to the lounge chair and see what year I land in. And If the next 10 are anything like the last 10, one thing for sure it won’t be is boring! – Cheers Ken