What is the difference between launching a brand in today’s digital age and before that?
Launching a brand in today's digital era is very different from traditional methods like TV, radio, print, etc. Though these methods make a lasting impression in the audience's mind, their limited interactivity makes it difficult to gauge the audience's perception of the brand. However, today's digital environment offers brands many opportunities. By leveraging social media, targeted online advertising, and influencer marketing, brands can expand their communication globally, significantly broaden their reach, and foster two-way conversations with customers while building brand loyalty from the get-go. However, this also comes with its own set of challenges. Amidst fierce competition, establishing a robust and differentiated digital presence is essential to cut through the digital clutter and maintain consistent audience engagement.
What's the best piece of marketing or advertising you've done recently?
The past few months have seen the launch of so many interesting marketing campaigns, it's fascinating to see brands take their creativity quotient to whole new trajectories, showcasing a thorough understanding of their respective customers and an enduring commitment to their brand ethos.
Which brands have used digital most effectively in the last year and how?
It is very difficult to choose just one brand that is making the most of digital marketing today.
What are the dos and don'ts of digital marketing in a post-COVID world?
Digital marketing has evolved rapidly during and after the pandemic and is now an essential part of the marketing mix for brands of all sizes. But doing it right is key and can make all the difference in building and maintaining your organization's perception and reputation.
what I have to do:
- Show empathy: Consumers have become more discerning during and after the pandemic, favoring brands that resonate with human emotions and identify with causes such as health.
There are many social issues such as climate change, the environment, gender equality, human rights, etc. Therefore, it is important for brands to show empathy through meaningful content and messaging based on empathy. - Prioritize existing customers: While businesses try to reach new customer segments through digital marketing, it is equally important to retain loyal customers. This is even more important for B2B companies, where existing customers make up a large part of their business. Therefore, businesses need to target existing customers with campaigns that address their changing needs.
- Be data-driven: Organisations need to make extensive use of data and digital analytics to continually analyse their marketing performance, helping them identify what's working and what needs to be tweaked – this is crucial for businesses to stay ahead of the curve.
- Stay up to date on trends: Post-pandemic, we have seen that marketing trends have rapidly evolved and there is an audience for every content format on digital media. Moreover, with the advent of AI, consumer behavior may be very different in six months from now than it is today. Hence, it becomes imperative to customize your marketing strategy by identifying trends, learning from them and applying the right strategies for the right target audience.
Something you can not do:
- Becoming insensitive: Brands cannot afford to be indifferent to causes that resonate with their target audience, as this can seriously damage their brand reputation and increase marketing costs.
- Spreading misinformation: Authenticity is crucial. In the age of AI and deepfakes, any AI-generated content that brands publish in the public domain can spark a chain of misinformation. Social media managers must therefore ensure that the content they publish does not spread fear, rumors or stir up controversy.
- Ignoring competitors and the market
analysis: Brands that want to continuously improve their marketing need to pay attention to key market and competitive trends. The only key to success is to continually learn and sometimes unlearn in order to think in creative and differentiated ways to solve customer problems.
Can you remember a recent example of a poorly executed advertising campaign and explain why it didn't work?
I have deep respect for all marketers and advertisers. For me, there are no good or bad campaigns. What matters is the perspective. The key to a good advertising campaign is to be ethical, authentic, differentiated and simple.
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