The digital age has drastically altered how businesses market their products. Thanks to the meteoric rise of digital solutions, marketing has now emerged as a more powerful and a resource-rich function of business. Marketing, now more than ever, is the most integral function responsible for creating and sustaining an enduring relationship with the most important asset of business: the customer.
As a part of Outreach 2016 – The Digital Marketing Summit that’s being held in Dubai today at the Grosvenor House Hotel, where digital marketing leaders will be gathering for the next two days to discuss the latest trends, key elements and breakthrough strategies in digital marketing. As marketers have come to realize that customer engagement is key to winning in the digital age, creating immersive customer experiences is what will make brands stand out against all the white noise out there.
“Marketing is no longer telling people what you do, it’s about telling stories and engaging people”, said Anwar Al Amin, a Dubai based ad film director. “A successful digital film is like the golden light at the end of a tunnel, however the fact remains that 90% of all attempts at making a successful digital film end in failure. So what exactly defines good digital film that goes viral? I am not surprised that most people don’t have a set definition, given that even the biggest names in the industry don’t seem to be able to agree on a single definition and scope.” he added.
Outside of their comfort zone, digital marketers are faced with a series of challenging tasks. From understanding the need to market across cross-platform devices and channels, to running customer segmentation based messaging campaigns; these and other digital marketing trends are defining the future of marketing. A special panel of entrepreneurs at the ‘Entrepreneur Talks’ session agreed that while content is an integral part of any brand strategy, deriving real value for content is what consumers look forward to the most.
Luma Bourisly, Founder and Vision Creator of KOOOT.com said “From quick makeup tutorials to Trump’s latest antics, there is no shortage of content out there. So, as brands, how can we convince our customers that we offer them something valuable? As someone who’s been in the communication industry for almost three decades. The answer is to show people how your product can transform them, people they know and their community”.
From her side, and speaking about embracing and translating failures into success for startups and entrepreneurs, Her Excellency Sara Al Madani, Board Member of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board Member of ShjSEEN and Founder of Rouge Couture, said: “To overcome failure you have to overcome the fact that you have failed. If I succeeded 3 times I have filed 300 times. I wouldn’t be standing here speaking in front of all of you if it wasn’t for all my failures. I am who I am today because I failed. Failure makes you it doesn’t break you, if it broke you that means you chose to break yourself. Take that experience that’s called failure, turn it into fuel that will move your car towards success.”
In a special address, Antoine Caironi, Senior Client Partner (MENA) at Twitter addressed how brands can capitalize on the rise of mobile usage and video to create live connections. “The growing trend in live video and mobile usage in the region provides a great opportunity for brands to capitalize on. The public nature of Twitter, a platform where live events come to life, allows brands to play a significant role in offering premium mobile content to tailored audiences where people can both tune in and engage in real time conversations,” Caironi added.
