• Customer buying journey has changed due to speed.  Speed is the BIG change. Speed creates opportunity for the most dynamic organizations that can stay out in front of it.

• Marketers need to start thinking more about 1) search approach and how to keep up with the changes and understanding it from a customer’s perspective, 2) Marketers have to become digitally transaction capable and that has to be tightly integrated with your frontend of search, social process and backend support process, 3) mobile is key in two ways; most transactions and engagements will increasingly be from mobile devices and 4) Brand becomes increasingly important, having a clear representation of what your product, company or service stands for.

• Bottom line – Know what your brand stands for and amplify your brand, leverage mobile, and embrace the digital marketplace.

Charles A. Peters was appointed to senior executive vice president in 2000 and is responsible for helping Emerson and its business units develop innovative global business models and strategies that build the company’s capabilities to support and create value through its customer relationships. He also oversees Emerson’s information technology, marketing and customer support programs that provide a foundation for implementing these initiatives. Peters has served as a management member of Emerson’s Board of Directors since 2000.

Peters joined Emerson in 1975 as an engineering cooperative student at its Browning business in Maysville, Ky. He moved to corporate planning in 1978 and later served in strategic planning positions at several Emerson business units, including Skil power tools. In 1986, Peters was named president of the Harris Calorific welding equipment business.

Peters went on to hold several corporate positions at Emerson, including vice president of strategic planning, vice president of development and technology, and senior vice president of growth programs. In 1998, he assumed operating responsibility as the business leader of the industrial components and electronics business, and was promoted to executive vice president.

Peters received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. Peters lives in St. Louis and is married with five children.