Andy Main, global CEO at Deloitte Digital, stands behind the company’s stance that human contact is required for a business to grow and build relationships — especially today, amidst the “need for the global economy to grow on the back of what’s happening right now” in the world.

Marketers and those who run companies need confidence in media to get through difficult times. “There’s a number of events taking place like Brexit,” Main said, naming several challenges that marketers are facing worldwide, but stopping short of mentioning the spread of SARS-CoV-2, causing COVID-19 disease, also known as coronavirus.

Despite challenges, growth remains a topic of discussion among companies, so it’s still important for strategies to remain solid to enable quick decisions. And that’s the focus of a recent release that outlines key trends shaping business in 2020. The study focuses on how marketers need to adapt to elevate the human experience, which remains essential to build brand loyalty, even during trying times.

“Even though the world sees a reduction in media spend given present conditions, I don’t think it’s anything to panic about,” he said.

Main says he loves to have conversations with people. The executives he engages with “all still think about growth, and to grow business they must have confidence in the media to get out their message.”

Deloitte Digital’s global marketing trends still point to “the human experience” as a topic that remains critically important. The source of innovation stems from thinking about the moments in people’s lives that make the brand relevant and what additional moments can they introduce to produce new sources of revenue.

Cross-functional teams will require marketers to move past demand generation and the customer journey and into cross-functional teams. Marketers will become strategy officers, transformation offers, and chief talent officers, Main says, and will take on roles in analytics and data.

The seven trends identified in the company’s first global marketing trends report aim to help marketers refocus on humans after interviewing more than 80 people across the globe. They all remain valid, Main said.

Two trends that are cited in the report — purpose and human experience — place people at the center of the strategy. The other five weave throughout. They include fusion, trust, participating, talent, and agility.

The report identifies ways that marketers can help preserve and cultivate human connections. It’s the combination of several trends that can amplify the strategy, he said.

When asked to name the best advice he has received throughout his career, Main said “someone needs to go first, so it might as well be you. Don’t wait around for someone else to go first and then copy them.” 

Scottish Firsts, a book Main received as a teenager continues to be a major inspiration in his life. Some of the inventions such as chloroform might surprise many readers.