MCPC 2009 Thu 9th September 2010

30.7.09 14:07:45

As one of the keynote speakers for the conference, I have agreed to write some posts here and to encourage you to share your thoughts as the event approaches.

Since 1996, I have been actively involved with personalization. For much of this time, I was promoting an idea that appealed to me: companies should treat individuals like individuals. That meant working with innovators. It meant selling the idea, and using logic, persuasion and energy to convince others to invest real resources behind this idea.

But over the past year, something shifted. Personalization passed the "tipping point." It is now advancing much faster. It is, quite literally, everywhere.

Personalized medicine is starting to produce significant revenues, as well as better patient care. For example, profits were up 31% at S&P 500 company LabCorp, a leader in personalized medicine.

In education, differentiated instruction is finally acknowledging that not everyone learns in the same manner, or at the same rate. Schools are adopting technology in an intelligent and practical manner, in some cases providing a better education while also lowering costs.

In e-commerce, personalization is generating real revenues and profits. This week, the photo site Shutterfly announced that sales of personalized products and services were up by 20%, and Zappos, which sells shoes online in a highly personalized manner, sold to Amazon for almost $850 million.

I could go on, but there's plenty of time for that later.

My point is that in developed countries, we are experiencing a fundamental change in the foundation of our economies. The mass production model is finally disappearing, and it is being replaced by an economy in which most individuals and companies expect customized services.

I'm no longer selling this idea. I'm just trying to keep up with the changes, and they are coming faster with every passing week.

I urge you to look beyond your own research and interests. In my posts to follow, I will try to highlight how everything is getting personal, and why it makes sense to share insights and experiences across disciplines. To that end, I hope you will write me to share your own thoughts and ideas. My email address is "bruce" at my domain, which is nowpossible.com.

Bruce Kasanoff
Keynote speaker

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