EditorKhumalo Nkosazana
It’s a known fact that eCommerce has outgrown expectations due to much non-anticipated COVID-19 pandemic. While it shook so many brands, brand managers are adapting rapidly and steadily to the demands of technology and customers, it is important to remember the role of technology first, and marketing.
In this article, I will be breaking down some of the basic functions of tech in today’s marketing landscape. Hopefully, our understanding of technology will help us do better with all these readily available technologies.
Tech
Technology has been deeply rooted in the desire to simplify and make our lives an ease. This is done through the process of identifying a problem and carefully designing a technologically led solution that solves the problem far better than anything else that already exists.
This has resulted not only in actual products that help us ‘type’ or ‘call’ but over time, there has been better computers, better phones, better cars — there’s always been an inventive/innovative/contemporary way to get things done. This is done through amplifying people’s experiences by providing them with something thats a better performer than what they already have.
In the world of digital, technology helps perform functions digitally, without having to physically involve ourselves and that’s the biggest shift in today’s two key business functions: retail experience and brand contact.
The retail experience online has replaced the traditional shopping experience where you have access to ‘actual products’, readily available ‘in store assistance’ and access to a variety of ‘options’ — which as you can guess, is the biggest shift both consumers brands have had to consider.
Brand Contact or brand touch-points here, refers to key touch-points where brands have the opportunities to claim their ‘claim’ of being say helpful.
E.g. In the case of “FNB”, the contact points have changed from ‘branch’ experience to online experience whereby if help needed, options such as DMs (direct messages), Emails, Tweets, and Comments are the new ‘managers’ and ‘relationship holders’, which . So how we choose to make a difference when ‘in contact’ with consumers has also changed from a brand contact point of view.
Marketing
When it comes to marketing, without arguing too much, a lot has shifted. While it is important to take into account that a good demographic profile of consumers are still far from switching to digital especially in SA, it is important to develop best practices for Marketing & Technology from the current pool of first adopters. This can be achieved through the development of a blueprint that will help migrate consumers effortlessly into the digital world.
So what is there in marketing to do?
For me, it’s an opportunity, there are no rules, no laws, just opportunity to be greater and better at every turn, by fully utilising technology readily available.
So, judging from the above, the bigger question I guess is, what role can and should marketing technology play in marketing departments?
The roles of MARTECH in today’s marketing are limited but for the purposes of this piece we will cover three: education, experience & amplifying brand ethos:
Education:
The online space is a competitive space with content published every second. This leaves a gap to educate consumers on the brand and what it truly stands for. Driving sales is important but a sales media driven campaign has no definite place when the consumer has no true knowledge of the brand, and as such that can be considered as a gamble.
Another key point to consider in an African context is that in most African countries, a great number of consumers are not early adopters — meaning, education has to be a key focus first and far most before driving sales, if a brand is to successfully take advantage of a market share.
Driving Brand Experience Post Purchase:
Brands online are doing well converting and driving sales. However, the post transaction phase is highly neglected point where brands are not fully leveraging the final contact point.
Opportunities such as personalised packaging, quality control and an after care messaging are missing. In fact, there’s been brands that have assumed that I have gotten my package and have no actual proof, besides a signed register from. Brands need to start questioning: how can that customer be converted into another buyer?
Amplifying Brand Ethos:
This last point has seen brands tragically fail. The fail has been a result of the need to digitise a brand message by making it felt in the online space through the technology available.
- If you are a brand manager behind a brand that offers comfort and peace of mind around finances for consumers, how best should you be going about it using tech?
- If you are a brand manager behind a beauty brand, the same question applies — what’s the best way to amplify a neuro-brand beauty?
These are some of the ways brands can take advantage of Technology & Marketing and if well understood and executed, they can drive success and help build better brand equity.
Johannesburg, Milpark
