Orchestrate IoT Efforts for Multichannel Success

Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover partnered with a manufacturer of small Bluetooth trackers to deploy an Internet of Things (IoT) program to enable car owners to integrate tracked objects such as keys, wallets and bags into Jaguar’s InControl app. The app syncs with the in-car entertainment system and notifies the driver to ensure he or she does not leave behind important items. The partnership transforms the vehicle into a valuable “life partner” for its owner and makes integration into the automaker’s post-sales customer experience program easy.

When Gartner polled marketing leaders in the 2016 Gartner Digital Marketing Channel survey, 72% said the IoT will either create innovative marketing strategies or fundamentally alter how they engage their customers in three years or more. In time, the IoT will usher in hardware and IT upgrades in every industry, enabling more streamlined digital business at the intersection of people, things and enterprises.

“The proliferation of IoT touchpoints and data will raise the noise-to-signal ratio for marketers,” said Noah Elkin, research director, Gartner for Marketers. “This highlights the need to effectively orchestrate multichannel efforts.”

What are the key “orchestration elements” that align various components to enable companies like Jaguar Land Rover to execute a successful IoT initiative?

Designate a champion

As social media and mobile marketing gained traction, companies designated mobile and social marketing specialists as a way to start making these capabilities central to the organization. The same holds true for IoT. Designate IoT specialists as a starting pathway to achieve a longer-term vision where IoT is central to the enterprise. Emphasize how the IoT can contribute to overall business growth to galvanize your team.

Explore a center of excellence model

A formal center of excellence (COE) to govern, evangelize and implement IoT best practices augments the efforts of individual specialists. The COE structure prioritizes a centralized approach to strategy, methodology and technology investment while allowing execution to be decentralized.

Partner with IT

Multichannel marketers need to work closely with IT peers to institute clear customer data privacy and security protocols that cover vendor and partner selection through to implementation. According to the Gartner Predicts 2016: Security for the Internet of Things report, device discovery, provisioning and authentication, and data protection will account for 50% of all IoT security spend through 2020.

Align processes

Ensure your marketing processes reflect user behavior associated with connected products. Look to integrate third-party connected objects like Jaguar Land Rover did with Bluetooth tracking. A consumer products company might work with Amazon to create a Dash button that leverages Amazon’s vast buying audience, then design a marketing program around the reorder frequency and specific quantities unique to Dash users.

“Engaging the IoT,” Mr. Elkin said, “provides multichannel marketers with an avenue to enrich customer experience through ubiquitous connectivity.”