Business has rapidly become digital-dependent. Less than 10 years ago, IT departments were in charge of deciding what technologies business needed to run. Today, leading companies are relying more and more on departments like Digital Marketing when it comes to technology spend. And it makes sense–we are now doing business in a world where 'the largest taxi company (Uber) owns no vehicles.'

Business in general has become Digital. In fact, the key drivers of business (marketing, advertising, customer-experience, relationships, commerce) are predominantly digital. Digital is driving strategy, creative, and analysis. More than half of the colleagues I talk to from other companies, are working on assessing marketing technologies and creating new digital business models.

No matter what some still believe, Digital is reshaping the vision for business. It is perfect for testing and agile marketing models. And it is creating competitive advantages for those that have embraced it.

The Challenge

Effectively managing Digital is intimidating. A lot of companies have data silos. Most are still figuring out how to integrate CRM, CMS/WCM, Social Media, Marketing Content, Web Apps, Mobile, et al. And relationships between IT and other units still needs bridging.

Digital is a new domain, and it requires a more agile organization structure. Everyone needs to understand how to leverage digital, and its technical complexities. Organizations need to invest in a digital structure to attract, acquire, and retain customers.

15 years ago when I started doing business online, web analytics became a must-have, and it helped us get to this 'Digital' point. Today, analytics is about sending any data in, and taking any data out–giving us a complete view of the business in real-time. My role these days is collaborating closely with senior executives, IT, and the broader marketing team to personalize customer experiences across channels and devices, and integrating digital marketing and e-commerce data across other systems.

Is your business going Digital, or is it focused on making decisions under circumstances that are becoming history?