Marketing Beyond Episode 3: Transforming Marketing with 3D Spatial Data

Featuring Tom Klein, CMO at Matterport

Introduction

In Episode 3 of Marketing Beyond, host Alan B. Hart engages in an insightful conversation with Tom Klein, the Chief Marketing Officer at Matterport. Released on February 19, 2025, this episode delves deep into how Matterport is revolutionizing the marketing landscape through advanced 3D spatial data. Tom brings over two decades of marketing expertise, previously serving as Global CMO at Mailchimp, and shares his journey, strategies, and vision for the future of marketing in the digital age.

Tom Klein’s Professional Journey and Transition to Matterport

Alan Hart begins the conversation by revisiting Tom’s impressive career trajectory.

Key Highlights:

• Career Background: Tom Klein has spearheaded marketing efforts for leading global brands, earning a spot among Adweek's 50 most indispensable executives in marketing. He co-authored the book Enterprise Marketing Management: The New Science of Marketing in 2003.

• Personal Endeavors: Outside of his professional life, Tom shares his personal adventure of refurbishing a 120-year-old house, drawing parallels between renovating a home and navigating complex marketing projects. (02:28)

  Notable Quote:

  "Refurbishing an old house is sort of like starting a marketing project where you don't really know where it's going to end."
  (03:27, Tom Klein)

• Transition to Matterport: Three months after departing Mailchimp, Tom took on the role of CMO at Matterport. His passion for design and construction naturally aligned with Matterport’s mission to digitize physical spaces. (05:20)

  Notable Quote:

  "Matterport is really all about digitizing physical spaces and property marketing."
  (05:20, Tom Klein)

Understanding Matterport: Solutions and Market Segments

Alan and Tom explore the multifaceted solutions Matterport offers and the diverse customer base it serves.

Key Highlights:

• Primary Solutions:

  1. Property Marketing: Best known for 3D virtual tours used in real estate platforms like VRBO and Airbnb.
  2. Design and Construction: Creating digital twins for large-scale projects such as airports and manufacturing facilities.
  3. Facilities Management: Managing and maintaining large facilities through detailed digital replicas.

• Expanding Capabilities: Matterport has evolved beyond virtual tours to include high-definition photos, automated floor plans, room labeling via AI, and integration with platforms like AWS IoT TwinMaker for comprehensive facility management. (06:53)

  Notable Quote:

  "With one scan of the house, you not only get a 3D tour, but you have an unlimited number of high-definition photos and automatically generated floor plans."
  (17:33, Tom Klein)

• Customer Diversity: From real estate agents and architects to large-scale facility managers, Matterport caters to a wide range of users with varying technical expertise and needs. (20:39)

Marketing Strategies at Matterport

The discussion shifts to the complexities and strategies involved in marketing such a diverse and technologically advanced product.

Key Highlights:

• Multi-Faceted Marketing Approach: Matterport operates across e-commerce, services, and SaaS platforms, requiring a versatile marketing strategy to address different customer segments. (20:39)

• Self-Service and Enterprise Solutions: The company offers self-service options like a free mobile app alongside enterprise sales teams, balancing ease of access for individual users and personalized support for larger clients. (20:39)

• Challenges: Marketing a technologically complex product requires simplifying messages for non-technical users while addressing the sophisticated needs of professional clients. (22:41)

  Notable Quote:

  "It’s a breadth of customer from super technical, highly skilled architects to real estate agents who live on their phones and don’t have a lot of appetite for technical complexity."
  (15:09, Tom Klein)

Future of 3D Spatial Data and AI Integration

Tom Klein elaborates on the future advancements Matterport is pursuing, particularly in relation to AI and large-scale digital twins.

Key Highlights:

• Connected Spaces: Introducing the ability to link multiple spaces into a cohesive digital twin, allowing for expansive projects like entire campuses to be managed seamlessly. (22:41)

• Time Travel Feature: Enabling users to view historical data and changes within a space, aiding in projects like construction monitoring and facility management. (22:41)

• AI Enhancements: Leveraging generative AI to manipulate and customize 3D data, such as defurnishing homes or visualizing different interior designs, making property experiences more interactive and tailored. (19:23)

  Notable Quote:

  "AI is the thing I’m really all about... I just think that’s a great opportunity for marketers and something that is just honestly, almost entirely untapped today."
  (35:57, Tom Klein)

Personal Insights and Advice

Alan shifts the focus to Tom’s personal experiences and the lessons he’s learned throughout his career.

Key Highlights:

• Learning from Failures: Tom emphasizes the importance of embracing failures as learning opportunities, sharing his experience with a failed website launch at Mailchimp that taught him the value of cross-functional collaboration. (26:15)

  Notable Quote:

  "I have to ask... everyone has to be in it. Big cross-functional projects can’t just depend on one function."
  (28:23, Tom Klein)

• Continuous Learning and Adaptability: As marketing evolves with technology, so must marketers. Tom advocates for staying curious and adaptable, inspired by his grandfather’s eternal curiosity. (28:31)

  Notable Quote:

  "Have faith. Find the thing that you’re curious about and that you feel like will continue to expand."
  (28:31, Tom Klein)

• Advice to Younger Self: Tom advises nurturing curiosity and finding passion projects that sustain long-term interest, both personally and professionally. (28:31)

• Subcultures and Trends: He highlights the significance of design and creative subcultures in shaping brand connections, emphasizing the need to engage with creative communities to leverage their influence. (32:34)

  Notable Quote:

  "I’m always fascinated by the ability for design to help a brand connect with people... they are the great communicators and connectors."
  (32:36, Tom Klein)

Opportunities and Threats in Modern Marketing

In wrapping up, Tom discusses the largest opportunities and threats facing marketers today.

Key Highlights:

• Opportunities:

  • Holistic Customer Experience: Utilizing AI to create seamless and comprehensive customer journeys by integrating data from various touchpoints.
  • AI and Big Data Integration: Enhancing the ability to monitor, analyze, and optimize marketing strategies in real-time.

• Threats:

  • Complexity of Data Management: The overwhelming amount of data and the challenge of making it intelligible and actionable for meaningful marketing decisions.

  Notable Quote:

  "AI has the ability to, from a marketer’s perspective, give you a view across the entire experience... that is just a great opportunity for marketers and something that is still quite difficult today."
  (35:58, Tom Klein)

Conclusion

Tom Klein's insights offer a compelling view into the future of marketing, where advanced technologies like 3D spatial data and AI are not just enhancing but fundamentally transforming how businesses engage with customers. His emphasis on adaptability, continuous learning, and leveraging creative subcultures underscores the dynamic nature of modern marketing. For marketers looking to stay ahead of the curve, embracing these technologies and philosophies is essential.

Notable Quotes:

1. Tom Klein on Marketing Projects:

   "Refurbishing an old house is sort of like starting a marketing project where you don't really know where it's going to end."
   (03:27)

2. On Matterport’s Core Mission:

   "Matterport is really all about digitizing physical spaces and property marketing."
   (05:20)

3. Simplifying Complex Solutions:

   "It’s a breadth of customer from super technical, highly skilled architects to real estate agents who live on their phones and don’t have a lot of appetite for technical complexity."
   (15:09)

4. Embracing AI in Marketing:

   "AI is the thing I’m really all about... I just think that’s a great opportunity for marketers and something that is just honestly, almost entirely untapped today."
   (35:57)

5. Learning from Failures:

   "I have to ask... everyone has to be in it. Big cross-functional projects can’t just depend on one function."
   (28:23)

Takeaways:

• Integration of Advanced Technologies: Leveraging 3D spatial data and AI can significantly enhance property marketing, design, construction, and facilities management.

• Diverse Marketing Strategies: Successfully marketing complex products requires a multifaceted approach tailored to different customer segments.

• Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Embracing failures and staying curious are crucial for long-term success in the ever-evolving marketing landscape.

• Holistic Customer Experience: Utilizing AI to create comprehensive and seamless customer journeys represents both a significant opportunity and a challenge for modern marketers.

For more insights and to stay updated with the latest in marketing innovation, subscribe to Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart.