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And just like that, another annual Connections event comes and goes. Today, we talked about innovations in marketing and customer service, how to unpack the power of AI in our businesses, and master personalization. The day ended with an inspiring fireside chat with “Scandal” star and activist, Kerry Washington. We hope you’ve had as much fun connecting and learning this week as we have! And in case you’ve missed anything, here’s our daily recap of the top five highlights from Day 3:
Kerry Washington, star of the hit ABC drama “Scandal,” told the crowd of several thousand gathered for the final Connections keynote that inclusivity must extend to everyone. “Information is everything,” she told Ellen McGirt, a Senior Editor for Fortune who writes on diversity issues. “Having access to tech is going to be the great equalizer.” She said the world is in a “very dangerous place right now” regarding a technology divide based on class. “Everyone should code,” she said. “Everyone should have access to tech.”
That complete welcoming extends to all issues of inclusivity, she continued. “Are we really bringing everyone into the fold?” She also praised social media’s role in making “Scandal” a hit even though “I was so resistant to social media,” initially. “Scandal” wrapped up its seventh and final season in April. Kerry is now producing a series of 10-minute dramas on the Facebook Watch platform.
She encouraged the Trailblazers in the audience to continue experimenting. “Failures are a necessity in business. They are a necessity in life. You only get to the good stuff if you’re willing to take risks.” At the conclusion of the interview the crowd cheered Kerry, some standing in an ovation. She stood and clapped in return in one of the warmest moments of the conference.
The only hurdle standing in the way of providing a truly connected customer service experience is data. Yet after listening to the Service Cloud keynote today, that challenge doesn't feel so unmanageable — especially with the launch of Service for Commerce.
Meredith Flynn-Ripley, Salesforce’s Vice President of Mobile Messaging, told the crowd that 75% of customers expect a consistent experience regardless of channel. We also heard from Trailblazers like DoorDash, who has harnessed the power of AI in just one year, and Marriott, who has embraced every digital channel to create a 360-degree view of each guest and their preferences.
“Personalization brings data to life,” Liam Doyle, Salesforce’s Senior Vice President of product told the audience of marketers and other attendees at the Marketing Cloud keynote. Then, he and other Salesforce execs personalized that approach, and brought real customer examples to life. Robert Begg told the audience how Ducati, the luxury motorcycle brand, could market to browsers with reminders, ads, and offers online that connected buyers with local dealerships. Meghann York explained how Ticketmaster can cater to the individual music tastes of concertgoers, and projected an Instagram photo of her and her kids at a Taylor Swift concert.
At the heart of this year’s Connections Campground, adidas brought their flagship New York store to life for all conference attendees, showcasing how they deliver premium, connected, and personalized experiences for customers using Salesforce — including the opportunity for attendees to design and purchase their own adidas shoes!
As Bret Taylor, Salesforce’s President and Chief Product Officer, told diginomica, “When our most sophisticated customers are coming to us, they’re not coming in to buy a product that has this feature; they’re saying, ‘We want to transform the experience of our customers across all these different channels.’” Campground attendees got a taste of exactly what that looks like for adidas.
The buzz at the conference on its final day referenced the wide range of new products Salesforce unveiled the day before. Integration with Google 360 Analytics took center stage in the press, with Ad Week, TechCrunch, ZDNet and others writing on the new way for marketers to access data on paid media performance in real time. Oh, and there were enthusiastic Twitter shoutouts, too:
Well, that’s a wrap for this year’s Connections conference. We hope it was filled with as much digital marketing, commerce, and customer service goodness for you as it was for us. Of course, if you missed any of the action, there’s a few ways that you can catch up:
Salesforce Blog - Read all about what happened during the conference.
Salesforce Newsroom - Where you can find more information about all of the week’s major announcements.
Marketing Cloudcast - Our beloved marketing podcast featured live highlights from the conference. Tune in on Apple iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.
However, it’s not a wrap for the year! We’re already gearing up for Dreamforce in San Francisco September 24-28. Register now!
