The Way Forward for Digital
By Jeremy Glass
Last month the 5th annual AIMIA Digital Summit once again brought together the thought leaders in digital media and marketing to discuss the latest trends as well as future opportunities and directions.
I was fortunate enough to attend on both days so I thought I'd share with you my wrap up of the digital marketing event.
DAY #1
Sessions on day #1 were strongly focused on the importance of enhancing the consumer's online experience. Michael Kordahi, the Developer Evangelist from Microsoft Australia presented the Microsoft Office Labs 2019 video showcasing possible future technologies and digital services.
While the video focused on the technology, Michael's presentation also concentrated on the importance of the consumer experience. Michael claimed that the user experience is the most important element to successful digital marketing. A unique and valuable user experience is what can differentiate you from competitor brands in the digital space.
Jonathan Sinton, Strategy Director from research company TNS also focused on the importance of the consumer as a key part in executing a digital marketing campaign. He presented some very interesting consumer insights stemming from a Google sponsored study which looked into the information sources consumers are consulting before buying online.
The most interesting point that came out of this session for me was that he identified a lack of product variety available online in Australia compared with internationally. This is something that was also recognised at the recent Online Retailer Conference in August.
Jonathan also highlighted that Australian retailers face loosing some of their customers to international online shopping sites because these sites offer easy online purchase options and variety that is not available in Australia. This threat is made even more significant by the fact that many US and UK retailers offer free shipping to Australia which is attractive to Australian consumers.
Anthony Dever, an Interactive Strategist of BCM Partnership delivered an interesting session on the "Power of One" strategy and its effectiveness in maintaining consumer engagement. He posed the idea that putting the consumer at the centre of your digital marketing strategy can increase engagement and achieve stronger results.
His main point was that customer engagement could be further strengthened by providing customers with interactive assets and enhancing their user experience. This interaction between the consumer and the brand helps to increase the brand's relevance rating and strengthen the customer relationship.
Mobile marketing was the focus of the afternoon with Jennifer Wilson, Chairperson of the AIMIA Mobile Industry Group delivering insights into trends occurring in the mobile marketing sector in Australia.
It seems as though the iPhone should expect some serious competition over the next few years with other handsets and mobile application stores seriously challenging Apple's dominance in the marketplace. Mobile advertising is predicted to 'take off' in Australia within the next 24 months says Claudia Sagripanti the Mobile Communications Director from Group M. She talked further about how advertisers will need to develop different targeting strategies as place and purpose of usage of mobile will become more of a driving factor in the future compared to regular internet behaviours.
DAY #2
The second day of the summit kicked off with Paul Fisher, CEO of IAB Australia citing some facts and commentary on the local online advertising industry. Now that reach and frequency are being delivered online in Australia major FMCG brands will start to realise that digital marketing can have a real impact on sales. This should see shelf space in stores being allocated to digitally orientated brands implementing effective digital campaigns.
Stuart Tucker from Aussie Home Loans together with Ian McDonald of Amnesia delivered an excellent case study on using digital channels and analytics strategies to build business success. Aussie Home Loans first started investing into digital back in 2000 and hasn't looked back since. They now generate over 75% of their business through the web by making their focus all about the customers online experience.
Their success is largely attributed to their dedication to analytics. Live monitoring of web analytics and analysis of business data against online activity enables them to continuously optimise the customer experience and ultimately maximise conversion potential.
Ian Nairn of Witchery group also delivered an interesting case study on the company's online store. Like Aussie their success can be attributed to diligent analysis of website analytics and striving to improve the customer's online shopping experience. Since the 2008 store launch it has grown to be the 10th largest in their group and turns over $90,000 per month.
Overall the summit was a great success with some very interesting and thought provoking points raised by many of the event's speakers. There were a terrific range of speakers covering many of the industry's angles. There was definitely something for every marketer to take away and consider toward their 2010 marketing strategies.
If you are interested in finding out more, viewing the presentations or
listening to the podcasts that I recorded, give me a call on
(02) 8024 5400
