MANILA, JUNE 5, 2013 – Digital strategist Christel Quek (one of the Guardian‘s "Top Ten to watch out for") kicked off adobo’s second Main Course: Winning the War of Hearts with an impassioned battle-cry: "We are at war every day because we are always fighting for something. And in this age of digital creativity, we are fighting for several things."
"We are fighting for relevancy… We are fighting to get our brands out there and connect with our consumers. As agency people, we are passionate for the brands that we work for," Quek carried on. "Because we feel something for the brand. And because we’re fighting for a good cause, we need to win this war."
There was a war to win and the army came willing. The event registered a full house at the Mind Museum, with slots having sold out the week before.
The battleground as we know it
According to Quek, IBM statistics predict that in 2013, the number of mobile devices in the world will exceed the number of people in the planet. And the influx of smartphone technology has ushered in what is known as the age of digital disruption. With a single click (or swipe), consumers are bombarded with so much information, so much advertising.
"But how much of it is relevant?" posited Quek. "How much of it really resonates with the consumers?"
Take the humble banner ad. A show of hands from among the crowd of brand marketers only proved a funny statistic shared by Quek: "The likelihood of you dying on a plane crash is higher than you clicking a banner ad." (Business Insider)
The battleground can be further defined by one more thing; Everything you post and all the interactions you make on social media constitute big data. And it took only two years to generate 90% of what we have now. Of course, it’s not all about social media platforms. Social media and all these buzz words are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s really about the user.
Users want relevant content on their feeds. The "always on" consumer is looking for brands that matter. Banner ads serve well for awareness but whether that actually translates to action is a completely different discussion. Quek likens big data to crude oil: In its original state, it is useless. But once crude oil is distilled and refined, it becomes variable commodity.
"Brand experiences are going to be very, very important. Mass advertising is not going to work well as it used to. Awareness does not spark action," charges Quek. It will take a convergence of technology, insight and intuition, plus an acceleration of user trends to spark brand experiences of constant evolution.
Christel Quek is the global social marketing manager of Havas Media. The Main Course with Christel Quek was presented by adobo magazine, in cooperation with the Mind Museum, Sodexo, Fairmont / Raffles Hotel Makati, Executive Decisions, WYD Productions, The Philippine Star, IMMAP and E-Learning Edge.
