Howard Kaplan, speaking about disconnects in the customer experience with Forrester Research's Peter Kim

Consumers are very adept at tuning out all of the hype that they see in the media today. A consumer marketing receptivity study by Yankelovich Partners reveals that almost 70% of respondents actively seek out products to help them opt out of marketing announcements and eliminate pop-ups as well as other distractions. The study also makes note of the fact that consumers want to be in control of when and how they interact with marketing messages.

Those Waiting For Your Cat To Bark enthusiasts out there are tiring of hearing this, because they've already moved on to the solution. Those of you who haven't, honestly, what are you waiting for?

Interactivity and the proliferation of media leave websites as the glue that binds all today's marketing efforts. Websites are the hub of the persuasive system that includes advertising, sales and all customer touch-points online and offline. In that spirit, wouldn't you like to:

• Ensure a positive brand experience online
• Stop customers from ignoring you
• Develop a customer-centric approach
• Use rich/multi-media elements to improve customer engagement on your site
• Track and analyze these rich media efforts

This presentation was taped as part of the Digital Lobby program: Improving Customer Engagement Online.