Shanghai – Presenting to a packed session at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness (AME) Festival, OMD Worldwide CEO Mainardo de Nardis startled his audience by warning them that within the next two or three years, their brands could be irrelevant.
de Nardis’s prediction was proffered as he presented the findings of an ambitious study on the influence and impact of digital platforms. “The Digital Inflection Point” is a look at where the global digital landscape is going over the next two to three years and how that will continue to shape and change the fundamental principles of consumer engagement. 


The study’s title refers to a concept first posited by Intel co-founder Andy Grove, who identified the “Strategic Inflection Point” as the point at which a business has to fundamentally change in order to grow, or risk becoming obsolete.
According to de Nardis, the rapid evolution of digital platforms and consumer behavior is causing a similar inflection point for marketers. Unless marketers understand the implications and impact of the digital inflection point across all aspects of consumer engagement, they risk losing relevance and, ultimately, market share.
Over the course of his presentation deNardis examined the impact of inflection point indicators such as access, mobility and the socialization of commerce, and how the combination is driving a new engagement dynamic that reflects the dramatically different role that media has today in the life of the consumer.
As de Nardis explained, “In today’s world consumers don’t simply use media. Nor do they necessarily choose media. Increasingly, consumers’ day-to-day lives are infused with media.”
According to deNardis, consumer engagement in the media-infused era will be defined by the “Four Fs” — fluid, focused, fast and forecastable.
With this future picture in mind, de Nardis urged organizations to transition their mindsets to think about digital as an enabler to achieve broader business objectives, rather than just as a media channel.
adobo magazine. The Word on Advertising.
