The Digital Edge - National Assemblies 2012

Friday, 5 October, 2012
Shante Hutton

Introducing heavyweights from the world of marketing and social media, the Digital Edge conference promised a witty and insightful look into today’s burning questions.

This year’s assembly took the form of a debate with opposing parties staking their reputations on answering digital marketing questions that have been deduced from a growing digital world. Whilst the likes of Graham Warsop and Jason Xenopoulos took the floor with well thought-out answers and arguments, there was plenty of room for nonsensical banter and quips keeping the mood somewhat light.

However, when it came to the question of “Are digital agencies 'blinding clients with science’? “, it was interesting to note the concern for the ‘walls of data’ that, due to social media and advancement of digital media, have become a confusing barrier, ‘our Achilles heel’ to growth. To be the difference, brands and companies need to be able to offer their clients a successful measure of success without the baffling data jargon.

Matthew Buckland, CEO of Creative Spark, stated that ‘online is currently too messy and complicated. We need a Universal language.’ No longer does Twitter accurately measure how well your brand is doing because we have reached the point whereby followers can be bought. Instead, we must go back to the old adage “Content is King”.

Indeed, a running theme was that South Africa needs to produce valuable campaigns that target consumer’s lives. Short campaigns require a lot of money and leave you high but dry with no safety net nor any follow-through. Real people give real feedback which is why mediums such as Instagram which builds brand familiarity and loyalty, is doing so well.

Taking this into the Wine industry, we should be looking at how we’re connecting with our consumers and our clients and whether we have the relevant content to keep the conversation going. Are we using Twitter to merely gain followers or are we building lasting relationships? Are we successfully using digital media in the right context and creating communities that further our growth?