As a part of our Industry blog series, we interview marketers from an array of industries to get their perspective, advice, and predictions of everything marketing. 

In 2023, we interviewed marketers in the Retail, Manufacturing, Travel + Tourism, Technology, Healthcare, Higher Education, Packaging, Health + Wellness, Sports, and Financial Service industries.   

Having periodic conversations with marketing leaders not only helps us keep a pulse on every industry, but reveals common trends and challenges that all marketers face.  

Here are marketing lessons from 2023:

1. A great customer experience starts by being memorable.

   Angela Johnson, the Chief Innovation Officer at edible shared, “Creating a great customer experience online and in-store isn’t enough anymore, it also has to be memorable. I believe the strongest brands will find ways to make every shopping moment unique, enjoyable, and meaningful to their customers, which, in turn, will drive brand loyalty.”

   Ways to do this could be “a change in how you package your product, or how you train your employees to not only be experts in the service or product your company is providing, but encouraging them to find a way to connect with the customers.”
   

2. Be a storyteller.

   Know the meaning behind your product and connect the customer to it. Look internally within your organization to understand your product better so that you can tell that story. 

   Andrea Arnold, the Senior Manager, Global Marketing, eMobility at Eaton noted, “The exciting part is being able to tell the story of the journey that happens in manufacturing. From concept to design to the manufacturing line, telling this story effectively helps build confidence for our customers that we have advanced production capabilities and can bring success to their business. So the marketing lesson is to be authentic and share the product development journey – whatever that may look like – and emphasize how your solutions are making a positive impact for broader audiences and your customer’s customers.”

3. Continually innovate.

   Marcus Lennon, Sector Marketing & GTM at Jabil noted, “Looking for new ways to be efficient at scale while not sacrificing quality and continually innovating is the name of the game in manufacturing. Whether the adoption of AI in marketing or PLCM/project management processes, look within your own organizational teams and you’ll often find things us marketers can use to get better.”

4. Educate the consumer to make an empowered decision. 

   Kelly Chartré, the VP of Marketing at Fox World Travel, shared about the Travel + Tourism industry, “We simply want to empower clients to know when it’s appropriate to do what. For example, with little research and time invested, clients should feel empowered to book domestic flights and hotels.” 
   Healthcare contributors also echoed this. “Successful Healthcare marketing starts with an understanding of how solutions impact patient care. This is true for marketing applied to direct patient care, but also for providers of the clinicians who deliver direct patient care. No matter where a company fits in the line of patient care, it must always consider how the patient benefits from what is being marketed. Other industries could learn from this practice allowing the end customer to drive their marketing decisions,” stated Amanda Costanzi, the Head of Marketing and Communications at Swisslog Healthcare.

   The Financial Services representative agreed about the importance of educating the consumer through content. Karen Doyle, a Senior Content Writer at Hiscox USA, added, “We can do a lot of education in the financial services space, and we take the opportunity to do that. If you take a look at the blogs of insurance companies, banks, financial advisors, and other finserv companies, you’ll find an amazing amount of information on just about any subject that relates to financial services. It’s not a big sales pitch, it simply informs and educates so that consumers and businesses can make the best choices for their specific situation.”

5. Industries should learn from one another. 

   Martin Stoll, the CEO of Sparkloft Media, referenced that ratings and reviews, Instagram travel, and rise of influencers were some tactics used in Travel before other verticals took a hold of them. 

   “The rise of Instagram is directly tied to travel – we all wanted to show the amazing places we went to, and the better we could make it look, the more we got into it. And the rise of influencers also happened in travel and tourism before it spread to other verticals. There is a lot for other industries to learn from travel and tourism.”

6. Be deliberate in your targeting and know your audience. Outreach for the sake of outreach is a time waster.

   Co-Founder and CEO of ReaLift LLC, Ronald Dod, noted for the Technology industry, “If you are outreaching to the wrong people, not only does it waste your time, but it wastes theirs as well.”

   When your industry requires outreach to multiple audiences like in Higher Education, Hallie Schorman, the Director of Enterprise Marketing and Research at Syracuse University, shared that “You have to address each of these audiences in a way that appeals to them while still maintaining an authentic voice that is true to your brand.” 
   

7. Trust, whether internal or external, bleeds into everything. 

   Ellen Donahue-Dalton, the CMO of VillageMD, shared about “the importance of trust as a cornerstone of brand, experience, talent management and culture.” Marketing is human-oriented. Consumers want to know that they can trust your service or product, and employees want to trust your company, so, as a leader, you should always aim to be trustworthy. 

8. Embrace and focus on sustainability practices. 

   The Packaging contributors emphasized this notion, but any industry can benefit from awareness. “Companies from various sectors can learn to prioritize sustainability by adopting eco-friendly packaging materials and minimizing their environmental footprint. Sustainability not only benefits the planet but also aligns with consumers' growing concerns about ecological responsibility,” noted Garry Wicka, the VP of Global Strategic Marketing at Sealed Air.

9. Harness community building.

   How can your industry get involved in and support the community? Jamie Eslinger, the SVP of Marketing + Integration at The Little Gym & Snapology, believes in Community Building because it counteracts isolation and positively impacts everyone. 

   “As a society we have learned the negative impact of isolation. This has placed a greater value on creating communities. Companies that place greater emphasis on community around their followers and brand advocates, collaboration with like-minded businesses, and leveraging the power of collective efforts will create positive change.” 

10. Retail + Real Estate can be profitable. 

    The Sports industry is expanding beyond their typical retail marketing stadiums into real estate, creating entire communities centered around the fan’s experience. 

    In our “Marketing is a Team Sport” recap blog on an AMA event featuring executives from Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, and AMB Sports and Entertainment, multiple leaders shared how Marketers of Sports Team jobs has gone way beyond the traditional marketing scope of broadcasting the team, and into encompassing the full fan experience with restaurants, shopping, activities, and more. Venues like State Farm Arena for the Atlanta Hawks hosts concerts, Disney on Ice, and more. They even expand into community outreach by serving as a polling place during election season. 

Our Industry Blog series is an informative cheat sheet to know what industry leaders are focusing on across verticals. Although every audience and product is different, the lessons we can learn and implement from one another will help elevate strategies, services, and business. Subscribe to the newsletter below so that you never miss an update, and can keep a pulse on any and all marketing trends.