THINK attended the Forrester Consumer Forum in downtown Chicago at the end of October 2011.  Held at the beautiful Chicago Hilton on Michigan Avenue, the marketing conference attracted nearly 2000 marketers from around North America.

The opening keynote address from Forrester VP and Principal Analyst James McQuivey set the tone for the conference, clearly presenting the theme of the Forrester Consumer Forum: disruption.  “The traditional sales funnel is out,” claimed McQuivey.  “It’s more like a hornet’s nest now,” he continued, explaining how countless consumer touch points exist across the digital space, and they’re constantly changing. McQuivey also encouraged marketers to build a “customer obsessed culture” and to “enable with technology, experiment, fail, and repeat the process with lessons learned.”

Another standout session from the Forrester Consumer Forum was an address given by William Lynch, CEO of Barnes and Noble.  True disruption, Lynch explained, must be fueled by a cultural shift.  Lynch cited examples from the Barnes & Noble Nook team, including posting big signs in workspaces to cultivate a focused team environment.   Lynch finished the presentation with a virtual tour of the new 2000-square foot Nook Outlets coming soon to Barnes & Nobles stores.

Other insightful pieces included breakout sessions with Aaron Forth, GM of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group (including Mint.com products) and Rick Wion, Director of Social Media for McDonald’s as well as a wildly entertaining lunch conversation with Forrester’s Josh Bernoff, acclaimed author of Groundswell and Empowered.

In light of these new learnings and discoveries from the Forrester Consumer Forum, THINK is excited and ready to face the challenge of driving disruption in these constantly-evolving times.  Onward and upward.

THINK specializes in helping brands understand their customers and then finding ways to break through the cluttered marketplace to make meaningful connections with them. We’re skilled in the creation of compelling experiences with sustainable models that drive ongoing ROI for businesses. Please feel free to reach out to us; we’d love to hear from you.