As I mentioned at the end of Marketing Velocity 2014, I am starting a fun blog series based on the marketing superheroes introduced at the event in Chicago. I will spend the next few months talking individually about the five superheroes we introduced at Cisco Marketing Velocity:

• Wonder Vision-The power to see what no one yet can see
• Alchemist-The power to blend art with science in a way no one can ignore
• Super Voice-The power to reach millions at the same time
• Data Man-The power to turn piles of data into competitive insights and deliver real marketing value
• Mega Mentor-The power to get the most from others

First off this week,Wonder Vision!

"Business as usual" is no more, and marketing super powers such as Wonder Vision are needed to keep pace with the unprecedented change in our industry. 

Generating rich customer insights has always been core to any marketing effort. However, now you truly need Wonder Vision on your team. Our ever changing world is creating so many additional touch points to consider. Finding the next big opportunity, strategic connection, or eye-popping customer insight is now a job that spans 24 hours a day; seven days a week. As the video says, you have to be able to see the forest for the trees!

Wonder Vision is all about analyzing and deducing new patterns among the millions of hits and clicks we capture every day, but you must be ready to act on those opportunities immediately. If you are prepared to see what's around the bend and act on it, you give yourself a competitive advantage and that's what having Wonder Vision is all about.

At Cisco we pride ourselves in our ability to "see around corners." We have a history of predicting trends, starting with our focus on growing the Internet from our early days. Today, we see another trend the size of which we have not seen before. It's the Internet of Everything. We just released a series of use cases that quantify the tremendous potential value available to public-sector organizations ($4.6 trillion over the next decade). I encourage you to learn more about these use cases and begin your journey to establish your organization as an IoE provider of choice. Get your Wonder Vision on and capitalize on this unprecedented growth opportunity.

I know that some of you already have Wonder Vision, and that's great. If not, you need to identify who has that skill in your marketing department, or who can develop it. The Wonder Vision ability is vital, because it can lead your company to:

• Find potential revenue
• "Click" with customers
• Discover the next "big thing"

Who in marketing doesn't want to bring those three things to the table? "Being what's next" in marketing ties in with all of the revenue marketing steps we've taken at Cisco as well. You simply have to be able to integrate your marketing teams into the business as a whole, and show how the leads you're generating are driving sales. Part of doing that is finding those on your team with Wonder Vision, who are able to see around corners and guide you to the next trend.

While the superhero theme may seem a little whimsical, make no mistake, skills like Wonder Vision are needed on your marketing teams more than ever. As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments section. I'm always happy to hear your thoughts on what we're doing in marketing at Cisco and how it's working for you.