Zain Raj, CEO-Discovery, North America, Global Practice Leader Retail Brands Euro RSG Worldwide talks about understanding tomorrows customer and how marketers will serve them.

Prosumers have the ability to influence a huge amount of people and develop forward or backward momentum for brands. We must:

1. Deliver value + values - consumers are consuming based on conscious. Competitive price is important but quality is key. We need to serve clients well.
2. Build brand momentum - a brand has to feel like it is moving forward or it moves backward. Key drivers of momentum are that you have to be visionary, unique and you need to entertain and not just educate.
3. Piss them off at your own peril - satisfy customer service values.
4. Focus on behaviors not just attitudes.

In a world of commoditized clothing products, how do you stand apart? Gary Wohlfeill, Creative Director, Moosejaw finds success by:

• Being notable - creating something that is unexpected. And share it.
• Engage customers - create one to one relationships. Not mass communication.
• Orchestrate in your brand voice. Let it be consistent and let it be heard.
• Every single customer touchpoint is a brand event. Treat it that way.

Break time from NR&I. Strolled over again to Rasputin Music & DVDs. Great wall of vintage tees. And others like this little ditty.

Customer Centricity - the new vision of Macy’s with Peter Sachse, their Chief Marketing Officer. They understand their loyal customer is king/queen and therefore, moving forward in all media/mediums, Macy’s is putting the customer at the center of every decision they make. A simple concept that demands consistency at every point of contact.

Earliest of text campaigns. At NR&I conference, Cyriac Roeding co founder of Shopkick talks about the mobile revolution. And what successful mobile has to do for retailers:

• Drive foot traffic
• Drive in-store experience
• Drive close rate and basket size
• Drive loyalty - offers, social rewards
• Drives customer acquisition through viral expansion

Jeffrey Rayport - Founder/chairman Marketspace LLC introduces Customer 3.0 at NR&I Conference. They are specifying the relationships they desire with brands. 5 things brands and marketers need to do to relate to customers. 1. Target the core 2. Activate the community 3. Work the web - let the outside in and inside out. 4. Design for the occasion 5. Integrate the experience.

Pat Connolly - CMO of Williams- Sonoma speaking at RI&M Conference. Catalog marketing has changed. Multichannel marketing is changing the game. Now is the time for retailers to meld merchant-aesthetic cultures with strong Internet cultures as one brand unit. The best retailers will deliver a frictionless shopping experience accross channels. And focus on being and remaining relevant.

Retail Marketing & Innovation kicks off. Aims at getting retailers and partners out of comfort zone, think differently about retailing and building a collaborative community.