MK mastermind Peter Metzinger: important decisions will be made in 2019

The fact that I was chosen as an MK mastermind was probably due to the fact that I have always been involved with the latest technologies and techniques and used them immediately to learn how to use them successfully. As early as 1987, I networked computers to coordinate actions against nuclear transports within a supra-regional network using digitally encrypted communication (the police were tapping our phones at the time), in 2000 I carried out the first purely online campaign, I was a social media pioneer, in 2003 I designed a concept for an international campaign that was practically identical to Facebook, and in 2014 I predicted that campaigns would be designed and controlled by intelligent machines in the future.

Anticipating the future has always been part of my work

But today, or to be more precise, for the past two years, I have found it increasingly difficult to predict where the journey will take us. The possibilities are too diverse, the conceivable scenarios too varied. The only thing I dare to predict about 2019 is that it will be a year of directional decisions and ethics.

Two megatrends are currently dominating development

the rapid spread of artificial intelligence in all areas of life and the economy, and climate change. Despite all the prophecies of doom, both phenomena are developments that are taking place much faster than the boldest voices dared to say just a short time ago and both have a massive impact on our lives and our economy. While artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing and whatever else you want to call it are leading to more and more repetitive tasks being delegated to machines - it's only a matter of time before we can delegate virtually everything repetitive - climate change is increasing awareness that we can no longer continue with growth measured purely by GDP - a pretty idiotic indicator.

Pupils strike against climate change worldwide

More and more companies are realizing that they need to take a stand and do something to preserve the basis of their business, because politics is unlikely to succeed. And dealing with artificial intelligence also raises considerable ethical questions. They are now a perennial topic at every AI conference. Both trends are having a massive impact on the way in which companies are managed and products and services are produced or developed, right through to their marketing. Positioning and values are becoming more important, which in my business campaigning® model corresponds to the content of Strategic Campaigning Principle No. 1 (polarize, profile, position). However, this will not only be due to climate change, but also as a counter-trend to the digitalization megatrend.

Every megatrend is known to have a countertrend

This counter-trend to digitalization combined with artificial intelligence is called: humanity, empathy, trust. Ethics create the basis for this. While research, analysis, issues monitoring, creating media reviews, drafting text sketches, brainstorming, newsletter mailings, content marketing, advertising, etc. will soon be massively supported by artificial intelligence in the day-to-day work of agencies, which will also provide analyses of the best time for a marketing or sales measure, we can use the time freed up for what makes us who we are:

Building real relationships with our customers

Building real relationships with our customers, understanding even better what really matters to them and what would really help them, and then ensuring that they get this delivered with the highest quality - while respecting ethical guardrails. Increasing automation, of all things, means that the ability to create customized offers is becoming increasingly important. In the B2C sector with consumer goods, the combination of these factors leads to a move away from mass communication and instead addresses members of the target group individually on a mass scale. #YouMarketing is what my colleague Steffen Konrath, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence in marketing, calls it.

We are experiencing the beginning of the end of mass production and communication at all levels

Scalability will be defined very differently in the future. No one can credibly predict how quickly this will all happen, but important foundations will be laid in 2019. Those who fail to take a close look at these developments and their scenarios and set the course could miss the opportunity to prepare in good time. Canon and Nokia, flagship companies that were literally blown away by disruptive inventions at an incredible speed, should serve as a warning. The homework is therefore to identify repetitive tasks, make precise plans for what will happen when they are automated and then do everything possible to ensure that this actually happens as quickly as possible.

Conveying values credibly

At the same time, you should take a close look at the values that your company stands for and that are relevant to your target groups. It is a task of the marketing and communication strategy to convey these credibly. I know that none of this is new, but the importance will increase massively. If new technologies threaten existing business models, it is better to cannibalize yourself than to wait for others to do so and then divide the roast among themselves. That's one reason why I founded evAI Intelligence GmbH in 2018 together with Steffen Konrath and Comitas AG, the first company in Switzerland to develop AI solutions for everyone on request. Together, we are now working on the first product that will automate some of my company's repetitive agency services. I already know how I'm going to use the hours I save.

Oh yes, one last thing 

With the increasing need for change in companies, content marketing - also in its curated version - is increasingly being used in change management, i.e. to digitally transform companies.

*About Peter Metzinger

Peter Metzinger has been a campaigner since 1982 and is an international speaker, lecturer and consultant for campaigning, change and strategic campaign management. The business campaigning® model he developed in 1998, which he now also calls The Science of Change, allows him to develop campaigns and change processes in a very systematic and structured way and to find rather unconventional solutions for particularly tricky problems.

For example, it was the basis for the Open Forum concept of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which Metzinger developed. His company business campaigning GmbH also implements campaigns as a creative and communications agency, but he is currently developing a new brand for this, as his strength lies in consulting, where he can now draw on 36 years of practical experience.

Peter Metzinger has hosted the Campaigning Summit Switzerland since 2013 and business campaigning GmbH is the main sponsor. In 2018, he and his partners founded evAI Intelligence GmbH, the first company in Switzerland that you can turn to if you want to use artificial intelligence and are looking for a product or solution. http://www.businesscampaigning.com