IBM’s Stuart Small presents to The Marketing Society’s Dubai Chapter

IBM, a Founding Member of the Dubai Chapter of The Marketing Society, recently hosted a breakfast session that featured some thoughtful insights from Stuart Small, Vice President for EMEA Sales at Silverpop, an IBM company. 

A career marketer known for his analytical skills, Small focused his talk on the current state of the market as well as on identifying the seven key major trends that are to force marketers to think differently within the next five years.

Facing what he called “the Tinder-ization of society”, the key trends he forecasted that will impact both consumers and marketers alike included:

• Web browsing
• Mobile apps
• Consumer shopping
• Blockchain
• Artificial intelligence
• The Internet of Things
• Dark Data

Small stressed the need for regional businesses to get on-board the business transformation spurred by the digital revolution and to embrace IT, not reject it. He complimented this point by sharing study results and statistics that broke down the mobile penetration, internet usage, etc. of the region, showing the high digital engagement levels of MENA’s society, and how this should be perceived as a sweet spot by any company. Small also highlighted the need to create a unified and cohesive approach for the customer, emphasizing that the traditional occupational silos we are used to no longer hold water in today’s world. He cited Coke’s recent leadership as an example of this; when their Chief Marketing Officer stepped down, instead of seeking a replacement for that position, they sought to fill two new ones: Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Growth Officer. 

Small’s presentation was followed by breakout sessions that saw attendees placed into groups and encouraged to discuss the matters touched upon in the presentation and determine how it applied to their business. Groups were then asked to present highlights from their discussion, allowing them share their perspectives and challenges with fellow members and peers.

Small is a seasoned sales and marketing leader with extensive experience and knowledge gained from working across a range of high profile companies throughout his career. Prior to his current role at IBM, Small held a role at Groupon, where he headed up several UK & Ireland regions. Small has also worked for Google, where he led EMEA and North American teams selling and servicing clients with PPC, display and video advertising.

Small’s session was attended by several MENA marketing and industry leaders. It was held at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Dubai’s Business Bay.