Goafest 2013: "Technology and creativity can't sit in separate office corners!": Ray Velez, Razorfish

A witty New Yorker and techno-whiz, Velez spoke about how memorable brand experiences can be with the culmination of technology and creativity.

What's a technology guy doing at Goafest? Well, by the time Ray Velez, global chief technology officer, Razorfish, was done with his presentation, thought bubbles hovering above the audience with this question in them, vanished.

Velez's basic mantra is: Technology + Media (data) + Creativity = New Brand Experiences.

Business strategy and insight, he said, provide the context in which this equation comes to life. He shared an example to explain this formula: Audi City's auto showroom sans cars in Piccadilly Circle (2012). Here, customers could experience the product with the help of an interactive interface in the form of a screen. Using a touch-sensitive device, customers were able to change the information flashing on the screen as per their requirements. This way, they were able to explore all the features of the car, in the absence of the car.

According to Velez, the three elements - media, creativity and technology - converge best when the brand is treated as a service, when silos of any kind are rejected, when diversity is embraced and when the customer is treated as the king, at all times.

This leads to customer loyalty, and loyal customers, he claimed, purchase around 75 per cent more than others. "You're no longer in the business of selling stuff; it's about fulfilling consumer needs," Velez said.

What fun is a presentation by a tech guy without some jargon? Velez spoke about how API, short for Application Program Interface, allows brands to leverage social media as a tool to create new experiences for consumers.

He left the stage with food for thought. Marketing, technology, media and creativity, he noted, are no longer discrete problems that can sit in separate corners of the office!