What do you do if your brand strategy team is struggling to keep up with emerging trends and technologies?

If your brand strategy team is struggling to keep up with emerging trends and technologies, I believe that fostering a culture of continuous learning is critical. Here's how I suggest this can be done: - empower your team members to take ownership of their own professional development. - provide them with time and resources to explore new trends, technologies, and industry best practices on their own. - encourage them to curate a personal learning plan - subscribe to online learning platforms, such as Udemy, Coursera and give team members access to these platforms. - offer incentives or recognition for team members who are actively engaged in learning. - organize in-house training sessions or workshops.

Begin by conducting a thorough assessment to identify the specific areas where your team lacks knowledge or skills, particularly in relation to emerging trends and technologies relevant to brand strategy. Understanding these gaps is crucial for determining what kind of training or expertise is needed to bring your team up to speed.

I think that for you to understand the tool necessary to apply relevant technology and trends in the market, it is essential to first know your objective. There's no point in buying advanced technology if you don't know what your company's DNA is. By starting with well-structured strategic planning, this will provide support for understanding the appropriate tools and how and when to apply them.

Consider giving folks a regular-ish digest of what's interesting and new in the emerging cultural space. However, do consider this: people will only pay attention to something to the extent they see immediate relevant for a problem they're facing. So the more you can know about what's on everyone's agenda, the more you can tailor your contents to how it might help them solve said problems. Just like with the customers of your product, service or brand, don't just think "what is it", but think "what's in it for me?".

Invest in targeted training programs, workshops, or courses for your team to bridge the identified knowledge gaps. This could include sessions on the latest digital marketing tools, data analytics platforms, or trends in consumer behavior. Encourage continuous learning and professional development to ensure your team remains adaptable and informed.

Keeping abreast of technological trends is no easy task. Some tips can help you keep your team up to date, such as: constantly improving your team's skills; having people who are naturally curious working in your team; promoting the internal exchange of knowledge and trust with each other; regularly testing your market positioning in relation to your competitors. The world is changing rapidly and everything we know and do today could be considered obsolete in a few months' time. The fear of becoming obsolete is the biggest driving factor for a marketing team or an entire company to strive to keep up with trends and technologies on a daily basis.

Consider bringing in external experts or consultants who specialize in the latest trends and technologies in brand strategy. These experts can provide valuable insights, share best practices, and even mentor your team members. Collaborating with specialists can help your team quickly acquire the necessary expertise to stay competitive and innovative in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Keeping abreast of technological trends in your business can either stimulate or suppress them. When a company promotes integration between areas and departments, it puts this concept into practice. The fact that a company has cross-functional teams doesn't mean that it will automatically be up to date with technology. It just signals that there is potential. I once organized a braisntorn with a team of chemical engineers from 4 different business units. it was frustrating. They were all brilliant people in the field of chemical engineering but the profile of the group was very similar. When you put people from different areas together, the diversity of thoughts and profiles generates much better results.

How can you monitor your team's progress to keep up with trends and technologies? You can create metrics and KPIs for this, regular brand tracing surveys would be a good way to do this, but the most practical way is to follow the competition. You don't have to be better than everyone else at what you do, but you do have to be better than your neighbor.

Remind teams that technology moves much faster than human behaviour. Brands often chase innovation because of the opportunity to grab attention through novelty. Beyond the first few brands who do this, a technology boils down to use, and that requires connecting innovation back to where human behaviour and needs sit. The best brands are a bridge between people and where the world's technology is going.

To address the challenge of keeping up with emerging trends and technologies, it's crucial for the brand strategy team to prioritize continuous learning, external networking, and comprehensive market research. Collaboration with other departments, innovation workshops, and hiring specialists can also enhance the team's capabilities. Pilot programs and an agile approach to strategy development enable quick adaptation to changes in the market landscape, ensuring the team remains competitive and responsive to emerging trends and technologies.