October 2024

As I started to read Personalized by Mark Abraham and David C. Edelman, I was excited to realize that the authors were describing, in very tangible and practical terms, specific ways that the Connected Intelligence Revolution is changing how businesses operate, industries compete, and how we as individuals interact with the world around us. In the dozen or so years that I’ve been writing and talking about this technology revolution, I’ve been able to point to specific anecdotal examples of the transformative impact of ubiquitous connectivity, comprehensive data collection, data analysis and machine learning, and natural interfaces between the computational and real worlds. But personalization, as described by the authors, is a significant and broad demonstration of this impact, similar to the ways that Smartphones (in the Mobility Revolution), the Web (in the Internet Revolution), and PCs (in the Microprocessor Revolution) fundamentally impacted all people, businesses, and industries.

The book teaches the lessons that the authors have learned from Boston Consulting Group’s engagements with large businesses across industries who are striving to leverage big data and AI to deliver a more personalized experience for their customers.

The first half of the book is largely structured around what the authors call the Five Promises of Personalization:

– Empower Me: Help customers achieve their goals.

– Know Me: Interact with customers in a way that demonstrates awareness of and sensitivity to their current situation.

– Reach Me: Reach out to the right customer in the right channel at just the right moment to deliver the right experience.

– Show Me: Provide customers with relevant content tailored to specifically meet them where they are in their journey.

– Delight Me: Over time deliver a magical experience that demonstrates that the company is paying attention and learning from every interaction in order to truly empower customers with awareness and sensitivity.

The second half of the book addresses issues companies will need to deal with that extend beyond the Five Promises with chapters on technology choices (“Building Personalization through Smart Integration”), executive sponsorship, buy-in and focus (“Expanding Roles in the C-Suite”), ensuring acceptable returns on investments (“Measuring Impact”), legal and reputational impacts (“Navigating Risk and Privacy”), competitive strategy (“Competing on Personalization”), and strategic planning (“Personalization of the Future”).

Bottom line, Personalized provides a clear picture of how the Connected Intelligence Revolution is redefining how companies across industries interact with their customers. The book explains how those companies will need to change to deliver the promises of personalization. Big companies need to understand these changes, but will likely need help from big consulting firms like BCG (the authors’ employer). Smaller companies will likely continue to deliver personalization the old fashioned way — by personally knowing their customers individually. 

I recommend that big company executives, especially those focused on marketing and the customer experience, read Personalized and consider how quickly they can or should pursue the vision.

Read my full review here.

Restoring Our Sanity Online by Mark Weinstein makes a strong case for the need to reinvent social networking and for the author’s new category concept of Restoration Networks as the solution. It is a good example of a new category point of view narrative for anyone trying to define a new product category.

Weinstein is not a disinterested outsider reporting on the challenges introduced by the social networking industry. He deeply understands the space and is passionate about the problems Big Tech has caused and the potential to fix what is broken. That passion comes through in his writing which is often fiery and pointed. Although well referenced (there are 43 pages of endnotes), this is not an academic tome, but rather a fervent manifesto challenging the status quo.

Through the first 19 chapters of the book, Weinstein introduces the need and pieces of the solution. He addresses the big problems caused by Big Tech Social Networks (privacy, anonymity, bots, trolls, hate, cyberbullying, profit-driven algorithms, targeted ads, boosted posts, divisiveness, mental health challenges, etc.) and how other proposed solutions (Web3, blockchain, decentralization, etc.) fall short of solving the problems. Along the way he introduces components of what he sees as the “real” solution.

In chapter 20 Weinstein fully defines his new category of social network in the form of “The Restoration Networking Constitution”. 

He closes the book with an optimistic assessment of what he has laid out: “Now is our time to advance humanity’s genuine connectivity. In tandem, we can bolster mental health, personal privacy, civil discourse, and democracy. Starting right now, let’s escape from the social media asylum and restore our sanity.” The (over) optimism expressed in that closing statement reflects the spirit of the entire book. Weinstein cares deeply about the problems that Big Tech have caused and he believes he has the answer. 

We can argue over whether the author’s vision is achievable, but hopefully the book will create enough awareness to get the debate started. It’s an informative book for anyone who uses social media today, and an essential book for those interested in helping fix the problems.

Read my full review here.

God is completely self-sufficient. He needs nothing from us. He isn’t checking His Facebook feed every 5 minutes hoping that we will “Like” his creation. So, why is it so important to worship Him?

God created us to worship Him. He deserves our worship. If we are His, we will be worshipping Him for all eternity. The old catechism tells us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Worshipping God is our highest calling. As business owners, we are tempted to claim to be too busy to worship God, which is really just one aspect of worshipping our work.

In Romans 1, Paul writes of the “wrath of God” which “is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” What have men done to deserve this wrath and condemnation? Paul says “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts” and “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.”

When we fail to worship God, or worse, when we worship something in place of God, we don’t do any damage to God, but we hurt ourselves. At the very least, we miss out on the joy and we pull away from the One who loves us beyond measure. Infinitely worse, we earn God’s wrath.

If our desire is to bring glory to God through our businesses, it is literally impossible without worshipping Him!

Read the full article here.