EVENT RECAP
#SCIPEU12: Future Ready – Have You Tried
Social Market Intelligence (SMINT)?
|
| |
By Luis Madureira
Business Partner
OgilvyRED |
|
I was asked to share my perspective (all opinions are just my own), on the 18th SCIP 2012 European Summit in the scip.insight eBulletin. This is also my first contribution to this eBulletin, and that is just because, only now, I feel I can add value to all stakeholders by sharing an informed opinion after participating in SCIP’s summits first as an attendee and, in this last summit, with the honor of delivering the Executive Address.
The first time I attended was back in 2008 in Rome when I was a newcomer to the CI discipline, and was setting-up the CI in-house capability for a large beverage multinational. On the side, I was building the CI Portuguese Community (CPCI) as a way to support my endeavor. The Summit proved very useful as I met a lot of CI professionals (CIP) and was exposed to an array of different tools and methodologies. We even got a meeting with SCIP board to leverage CPCI as a SCIP chapter, with no success though.
The second time I attended the Summit in Barcelona, I manage to share my experience on setting-up the CI function with the Good, Bad, and Ugly dimensions that come with it. I also shared my Sensory Marketing Intelligence approach, which by all standards, was a winner of a presentation. Looking back, I believe it was too early for that, but it is now more actual than ever with companies trying to provide the best customer experience to differentiate themselves over competitors. I even guess this was the reason why former SCIP CEO Ken Garrison asked me to do the Executive Address in this year's Summit, as I tried to be Future Ready back then with this innovative approach.
This then was my third European Summit! And what an honor it was, to have been invited to do the Executive Address. Here, I would like to send a word of "Thank You!" and "Congratulations!" to all the team involved as everything went according to plan, even though a hurricane somehow got in the way.
Starting as an attendee, passing through the speaker+attendee status, and finally addressing the broader audience on a theme like Future Ready, I believe puts me in a great position to share the next few lines with you.
Instead of referring to specific lectures and take-aways, I would like to share the insights I brought from the Summit:
1. Lots of new faces mixed with the usual suspects: This means CI is alive and kicking and that new CIPs are coming into the discipline with the CI Business being there to support them. On the usual suspects, I think some of the very best were there, and I even met some I did not know, so, all in all, a great experience.
2. Some new very good topics (for me at least) and
great up-and-coming lecture talent: It was not more of the same, although you always need to revisit the Basics even if just to welcome more junior practitioners (which did happen), with completely new angles, twists and sometimes new material. For me, the mix worked very well. This held true both on Topics and Lecturers! I would like to make a special mention to my friend Edwin Vlems, which Inbound Marketing presentation greatly supports, as a real life B2B example, my Executive Address. If can find more of SMINT, later below.
3. A broader scope and
more holistic approach to CI: I met people from new Countries I do not remember acknowledging in previous editions I attended, from different business backgrounds (e.g., Marketing) and even within the CI and Strategy usual presences, a new interest and participation from the Big Consultancy houses (e.g., E&Y), Academia (e.g., URJC, Mercyhurst, etc) and a wide number of different Industries and Companies.
4. "SCIP is now stronger and here to stay": As Michel Bernaiche, Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO, SCIP, put it, and I would like to reinforce, thank you to the work of Ken Garrison and the SCIP Board over the last few years. SCIP has put its act together, communicated it, and deployed a great conference with the help of Frost & Sullivan on the background. I must say I was not impressed back in 2008 (and I am not referring to the SCIP Italia organization which I think was great and worked quite well for me). I now believe to have a glimpse on the value SCIP has to offer me as a CIP.
5. I had great fun! A word to the guys in Aurora WDC, who sponsored a very interesting Social Momentum with the Dinner at a Dublin's landmark, the Guinness House, and which proved that CIPs can party, too.
6. Still missing (for me) is the Communities of Practice (Chapters if you like)
inclusion in the main event: I guess this is what keeps CI going and supports the CIPs on the ground on a Country level, throughout the year.
Last, but not the least, I believe Summits must have a place for debate on the direction of the discipline, topic, or whatever the theme is, which gathered us all in the first place.
In my Exec Address I tried to ignite this discussion bringing a "fresh approach" to CI. I called it SMINT, which stands for Social Market Intelligence (please be careful not to confuse with Social Intelligence, in the realm of Social Sciences).
SMINT will bring us CIPs, THE OPPORTUNITY to finally “get a seat at the table.” Why is that? Because all C-Suite's around the world are trying to figure out how to leverage Social Media, Analytics, and Big Data are astounded by the success of companies like Google and Amazon. CIPs need to seize this attention and integrate the Social, Big Data, and Analytics dimension into their current Analysis and Deliverables, providing extraordinary added value. SMINT is the missing link we need to present CI as the integrated solution to support the Strategic and Tactical decision-making in our organizations.
SMINT is an approach which builds on top of the current Intelligence Cycle adding what I coined as Mixed Sources, as in Social Media sometimes you have a Primary Source and a Secondary Source in the same piece of communication. The volume, velocity and variety of data are now much bigger (Big Data), which brings the need for powerful Analytics to develop insights that otherwise would never be possible. These insights are, as we all know, the basis for developing actionable perspectives, in summary, Intelligence. Some Top Companies and Marketing Executives are already starting to do this on a Company, Competitor and Brand Analytics level. The challenge for CIPs is now to integrate this primarily Consumer Intelligence dimension with the Industry, Players, Geography and External Environment dimensions to come up with a reinforced and most complete form of Competitive Intelligence.
You can have access to my Executive Address through my
LinkedIn profile (you must be within my network though) or
Slideshare.net for more details.
Hopefully, this will not be the last time you will hear about SMINT, and even if just as a Vision, I would love that this contribution would bear fruits in the development of CI within Modern Management. Please join the conversation
@Luis_Madureira or
#SCIP12EU using #SMINT.
About the Author
Luis holds a unique and balanced set of skills derived from 17 years of proficient and resilient International leadership in senior roles across Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom and Angola. He has a vast functional expertise in Competitive Intelligence, Strategy, Advisory, General Management and Commerce (Marketing, Trade Marketing and Sales), developed in Top FMCG companies such as Heineken, United Coffee, Red Bull, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Diageo. He is now Business Partner for OgilvyRED. Holding an SCIP / ACI CIP-II certificate, he is a visionary and creative entrepreneur being a regular International Lecturer and Invited Teacher of Marketing in Internacional MBA Hispano Luso, of Competitive Intelligence in Master Interuniversitario en Analista de Inteligencia in Universidad Rey Juan Carlos / Carlos III de Madrid, and part of the Institute for Competitive Intelligence Faculty.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
Share your professional views and experience in the field of
Competitive Intelligence. See upcoming themes slated for the
monthly SCIP Insight eBulletin below; choose a topic and
submit an article: |
|
|
|
|
Jan |
A Look Ahead |
|
|
|
Feb |
Analytics and Methodologies |
|
|
|
Mar |
Organizational Structure |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
The Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP)
merged with the non-profit Frost & Sullivan Institute in
2009. The partnership between Frost & Sullivan Institute and
SCIP provides a powerful opportunity to enhance the benefits
SCIP offers its members. |
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Attending a live event? Reserve your complimentary,
customized session with a Growth Strategy Consultant today!
Ask questions and brainstorm with experts to evaluate and
enhance your growth strategy. For more information, contact
Megan Houliston at 1.877.GO.FROST or
Megan.Houliston@frost.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
