Digital marketing, the new mantra for brands in 2016

An annual digital and media predictions report has highlighted the importance of brands to manage ‘context and content’ in the year ahead. The report states that digital is bound to deliver cost-efficient impact across brand metrics.

Many brands are already embracing interactivity and initiating dialogue with consumers via mobile for meaningful engagement. Fast moving technologies like augmented reality and Internet of Things will now offer new opportunities.

Millward Brown, WPP-Kantar’s brand, communications and media research unit, conducted its annual Millward Brown Media Conclave recently in Mumbai.

Though marketers have embraced the concept of creating seamless and rewarding brand experiences along the consumer journey, the complexities of coordinating across the multitude of retailer and media touchpoints has made consumer marketing difficult to put into practice.

Speakers noted that despite this, the opportunity for progress exists among marketers, who take advantage of shifting industry dynamics and thus re-invent their approaches.

It was pointed out that digitally enabled maps of the consumer journey will allow marketing executives to unify teams and meet both sales and brand-building goals.

Lincoln Bjorkman, Chief Creative Officer at Wunderman, said, “Consumers are much more in the driver’s seat now, asking how brands are going to be relevant? It’s a huge pivot, backed up every day by consumer behaviour.”

Though technology enables consumers to seek products, content and experiences, Millward Brown’s research demonstrated how consistent brand messaging across different media allows the traditional media to amplify the impact of digital assets.

Speakers noted that consumers, retailers and media owners will continue to adopt new behaviour and business practices in response to digital advances.

Mark Henning, Head of Media and Digital, Millward Brown, said, “Millward Brown has focused on the growing importance for brands to manage content and have it delivered in the right context. In India, we have invested in campaign measurement capabilities that will be available to advertisers – agnostic of whether their campaigns are static or programmatic.”

The Media and Digital team at Millward Brown collated and mined close to 130 plus Indian campaigns. Some of the findings showed that digital is adding newer audiences, incremental to the reach delivered by traditional media channels.

Despite low Internet penetration, digital campaigns tend to drive female audiences, registering favourability towards brands and a clear intent of purchase. As Ashish Karnad, Director (Media and Digital Solutions), Millward Brown (South Asia), pointed out: “Marketers in India have not been able to keep pace with the growth of the digital medium. We have quantified evidence to prove that digital is a very cost-efficient medium and can be very effective in building brand metrics across the purchase funnel.”

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