Real-time marketing (RTM) may seem like a spiffy new concept but it’s actually been around since the mid-90s. It was right about then companies discovered that, in some cases, months- or years-long marketing campaigns hamstrung their ability to be on the cutting edge of industry trends. Shorter campaigns and delivery cycles meant brands could be more adaptive to customers. Real-time marketing languished in the background behind more traditional methods and then burst on the scene in the early 2000’s with the advent of social media. Suddenly it was possible to find out what customers were talking about and respond in hours or minutes instead of months or days. Take these examples, for instance. ● Warburton’s Bakery launched a short but memorable RTM campaign and got caught up in baby fever when Prince George was born. ● Arby’s turned music star Pharrell’s unusual hat into an opportunity to gather charitable donations. ● Several companies used the method at the 2014 World Cup to promote their brands and engage customers. — Nike Soccer (@nikesoccer) May 24, 2014 Now that brands realize they can capture the ear of the customer on social channels, there is a growing trend to take real-time marketing even further. Using consumer analytics and big data pulled from social channels, call center activity, mobile app activity, purchase history, and more, companies are poised to deliver individualized customer experiences. As marketing expert Katrina Conn notes, “It's far more beneficial to understand what your customers are doing now, where they are located, and how they are engaging with your brand (which channels and devices) - all of this data allows the marketer to understand their customer's current context and update their profile which in turn enables them to engage customers with hyper-personalized communications that fit their needs in the present moment.” The history of real-time marketing may still be young, but it’s clear that existing and emerging technology combined with the new immediacy of customer expectation means the method is here to stay.

1. The History of Real-Time
Marketing in 500 Words

2. Real-time marketing (RTM) may seem like a spiffy new
concept but it’s actually been around since the mid-
90s.
It was right about then companies discovered that, in
some cases, months- or years-long marketing
campaigns hamstrung their ability to be on the cutting
edge of industry trends.
Shorter campaigns and delivery cycles meant brands
could be more adaptive to customers.
Real-time marketing languished in the background behind more
traditional methods and then burst on the scene in the early 2000’s with
the advent of social media. Suddenly it was possible to find out what
customers were talking about and respond in hours or minutes instead of
months or days.

3. Real-time marketing languished in the background behind more traditional methods
and then burst on the scene in the early 2000’s with the advent of social media.
Take these examples, for instance.
● Warburton’s Bakery launched a short
but memorable RTM campaign and got
caught up in baby fever when Prince
George was born.
Suddenly it was possible to find out what
customers were talking about and
respond in hours or minutes instead of months
or days.

4. ● Arby’s turned music star Pharrell’s unusual hat into an opportunity to
gather charitable donations.

5. ● Several companies used the method at the 2014 World Cup to promote
their brands and engage customers.
— Nike Soccer (@nikesoccer) May 24, 2014

6. Now that brands realize they can capture the ear of the customer on
social channels, there is a growing trend to take real-time marketing even
further.
Using consumer analytics and big data pulled from social channels,
call center activity, mobile app activity, purchase history, and more,
companies are poised to deliver individualized customer experiences.

7. “It's far more beneficial to understand what
your customers are doing now, where they
are located, and how they are engaging
with your brand (which channels and
devices) - all of this data allows the
marketer to understand their customer's
current context and update their profile
which in turn enables them to engage
customers with hyper-personalized
communications that fit their needs in the
present moment.”
The history of real-time marketing may still be
young, but it’s clear that existing and emerging
technology combined with the new immediacy of
customer expectation means the method is here to
stay.
-Marketing expert Katrina Conn
Photo Credit: Flickr.com/Didriks