The Argentines occupy the eighth place in the world ranking of Internet connection: eight hours per day. At the same time, they spend at least three hours a day on social networks, which positions them fifth at the international level. And they spend another three hours to watch TV and one to listen to music streaming.As if this were not enough, today they have at least four connected devices, they move from one screen to another, only pay attention 5 seconds and the amount of messages they receive is ten times greater than in previous years.What should brands do to this new reality? For Hernán Litvac, member of the Board of Directors of AMDIA, there is no way of thinking about "modern" marketing without technology."At this point, it is an indivisible relationship. It does not make much sense to inquire about whether it was technology that pulverized traditional marketing or if marketing, as we knew it, required technology to realize the 1 to 1 yearning" , the co-founder of ICOMMKT tells iProUP.For his part, Lucila Costantini, president of MMA Argentina (Mobile Marketing Association), postulates: "I think that technology raised and sophisticated the way brands connect with their consumers. There is a lot of information, the smart thing is to know how to use it and manage it to bring insights that allow you to build more relevant products and messages. "Innovations also transformed the way people search, choose and buy a brand and not another. Today, the consumer is more sophisticated and wants a personalized item or service, in the place and time that he needs it."Communication goes in multiple directions and is interacted by thousands of people at the same time. The technological transformation seems to have no limits, so it challenges the marketing and communication industry to continue evolving more rapidly and not all companies they are ready, "notes Costantini.According to José Ignacio Guerra, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of TiendaMIA.com, "marketing today is five times more efficient in terms of ROI (return on investment) than 10 years ago, since we invested atomically. This is not something of one day for the other, it is a process of continuous improvement. For a decade, what does not work is optimized, without stopping. Learning is exponential and the client appreciates it. ""Organizationally, the change is also noticeable: today the marketing teams are 80% focused on digital, when 10 years ago there was almost no area," he says.Debora Goldschmidt, Equifax Communications Manager for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, adds: "Marketing 4.0 allows you to decipher consumer trends and preferences through the information provided by the data.""Technology has been providing new tools that amplify the ways of working. Traditional methods were added email marketing strategies that allow to reach specific people with specific needs," says Laura Vaillard, marketing and communication manager for VU Security."From Google we prefer to talk about a new marketing paradigm: different rules arise and to adapt it is necessary to conceive other work modalities. Today, consumers are more impatient and demanding than ever. They make decisions in a short time and expect the experiences that they companies offer are up to par, "says Eugenia Denari, Marketing Director of the technology giant.According to the executive, "machine learning allows complementing people's work and finding much more efficient and effective ways to generate and capture demand, at a time when consumers are increasingly faithful to their needs and not to brands."While this innovation has multiple applications, in digital marketing it can be found in dynamic creatives and automated auctions, making budgets more efficient and allowing teams to engage in critical business issues.Natalia Giménez, Managing Director of Teads for Cono Sur, highlights another point of the transformation: "We went from mass marketing to a personalized one, since the platforms today allow us to speak in a more precise and focused way to the objective segment that we want to reach ".According to the expert, "advertising targets specific audiences, with personalized messages based on their browsing and consumption behaviors.""Carrying out marketing actions involved working with a media mix where the analysis of the return on investment was not so demanding. Today we have a thorough knowledge about the impact of the campaigns, interaction with the creative pieces, residence times and even up to the level of generated engagement, "Giménez explains to iProUP.New paradigm, new rulesAt present, marketing strategies must be thought of in a real and integrated way, putting the user in the center (Customer Centric)."This means that the consumer should not only be central in a marketing action, but also in all organizational decisions. The user crosses all areas of the companies, so its relevance has to be set as integral," says Litvac from AMDIA.The expert highlights another key technique: data driven, that is, the analysis of the data that allows decisions to be made with Customer Centric in mind."Not all users look for the same, nor are they informed in the same way. When the company understands that, according to the journey, there are different profiles of consumers at different stages in which they interact with the firm or make decisions, it is important how you understand what they need, "he completes.Litvak remarks that "the data today play a key role because everything is documented" and it is important to know how to use them, because "they provide the tools so that it can be activated at the moment when the user needs it to sell a product or service."In this line, Goldschmidt, of Equifax, understands that Big Data applied to marketing "allows deciphering trends and preferences of consumers through the knowledge and information provided by user data".For Vaillard, the new marketing rule is governed by metrics and personalization. "It is no longer necessary to make bulk shipments, because there is the possibility to deliver personalized messages to each person thanks to remarketing and artificial intelligence."Litvak emphasizes that "omnichannel is key, since the consumer has to have an experience that is integral in such a way that, if he initiates a communication through one channel, he can continue through another.Real time, key to successThe technology has to be transparent to consumers, because "a naturalness and fluidity is sought in the relationship with brands that does not imply an identification of the same in linking," says the spokesperson of AMDIA.For years, companies conducted studies that lasted a long time to obtain insights, but in the digital era the paradigm changes: it is possible to analyze what the user does within an ecommerce platform. "If you don't look at that experience, you don't convert and you don't have a successful campaign either," says the spokesperson.For Litvac, the technological improvement does not replace the sellers in the "smart stores", but instead extends the possibilities of making sales. For example, smart mirrors in clothing stores allow consumers to begin a purchase process in which the seller's intervention is driven by data and technology.The seller is informed of a new requirement through an app, reducing search times for sizes or complementary products. "It is a good example of the technology present in the conversion that also increases and improves the experience," he says.For the Equifax executive, "the user seeks quality and originality, so it is still essential to create value relationships with consumers.""Lead nurturing is a technique of creating value relationships with customers based on support during purchase. Brands should be able to predict trends and tastes. Now objectivity prevails: data science is sought to predict what products and services will be really valued ", complete.From traditional to digitalMigration is inevitable because it is the consumer who chooses. "Companies must adapt to this wave to be in the right place at the right time. There is no ABC, it is simply about breaking the barrier and fear of change to test the digital and its repercussions," says the spokeswoman for Teads.For Soledad Moll, Southern Cone Regional Manager of MMA, this process is not overnight. "Companies need to learn, always think first of mobile and then other formats, adapt their structures, establish processes and hire the most appropriate partners for the stadium of their brands."The head of Equifax remarks that the digital transformation is not only technological. "Firms must have a digital attitude, work with their teams so that everyone gets involved in the process and begins to think with a different logic," he completes.In this way to innovate and incorporate technology, consumers seek personalized and relevant experiences, be surprised and access more and more products and solutions that improve their lives and decision making."The key to generating and loyalty to a client is to work in a sustained way on the emotional relationship that is being built with the brand. Today, it is not enough to just comply: it must be done through a rewarding path of stimuli," says Goldschmidt.For Litvak, "the company must focus on understanding what consumers need to then choose the right technology and understand if the teams have the capabilities to accomplish this."Meanwhile, spokesman TiendaMIA.com highlights that "today the competition is not a one-on-one match, but is a 360-degree fight for the public's attention.""Each company has thousands of competitors at different levels and the number grows easily, since in a few days a new startup can come out that sells a product that one sells, but it does it incredibly better. To compete then you have to offer value, segment and communicate in the right direction, "he develops.While for the Teads spokeswoman, the best way to compete is to arrive first and make a difference. "The user spends most of his time in front of mobile devices and executes almost all actions in this way. Understanding this gives brands a comparative advantage for planning in digital premium media."Some sources all coincide: companies that do not get on the wave of marketing 4.0 will lose dialogue with their consumers."Having a constant conversation with the audience is key to remain top of mind," says iProUP Natalia Giménez, of Teads, who adds: "The user today covers their needs with a click. The brand that does not meet these expectations does not it will disappear, it simply won't be the first brand chosen. ""The time has come for companies to adapt to the customer and not vice versa as it has happened so far," concludes Laura Vaillard of VU. "Charles Darwin already said: to survive is a matter of adapting or dying.