Accenture: To grow, hit the ‘reset button’ on technology

A report from Accenture is a must-read for CMOs. It might make you re-think your answer to a simple question: “What business are you in?”

In its “Accenture Technology Vision 2013″ report, Accenture finds that “because technology has become core to virtually every aspect of a business, every business is a digital business.” (I added the emphasis.) Therefore, according to Accenture, senior leaders need to “hit the reset button on how they use technology to drive market differentiation, deepen customer relationships, and deliver growth and profitability.”

Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology officer, concludes that leaders of today’s businesses should “re-imagine themselves in the context of an increasingly software-driven world.”

The implications of Accenture’s report for marketing executives are huge.   For example, Accenture notes, mobile devices and social networks increase connectivity with buyers – but there’s a risk of losing customer intimacy in the process if we put too much emphasis on technology as a transactional channel.

I can’t resist connecting some of the dots between Accenture’s report and what I’m seeing in the world of managing marketing events.   Here are some nuggets from Accenture– and my interpretations for CMOs: