The panel included the likes of:
• JP Farinha (CEO of 24.com)
• Richard Mullins (Acceleration's MD for the Middle East and Africa - MEA)
• Gavin Rooke (founder and MD of Trigger)
• Joanne Scholtz (group MD of Interaction)
• Ben Wagner (CEO of Stonewall+).
• Pete Case (creative director and founder of Gloo Digital Design)
• Yaw Peprah (GM of African Operations for Habari Media)
There seemed to be an inspired level of agreement about how online is slowly migrating to mobile. As one panellist said: “Forget about how small online is now; just think about how big mobile is going to get.” However, the tone was not always inspired, and much of the frustrations of those working in digital came to the fore, if only because they deal with the same sorts of problems every day. And all the problems can be narrowed to one root cause: how to convert an entrenched mindset amongst advertisers and convince them of the vast benefits of digital campaigns.
Indeed, no one seemed content that they were selling enough to clients. Queries from the floor also focussed on how to convince clients to employ integrated campaigns that include digital, but for this, unfortunately, no simple, straightforward answers were proffered. Several of the participants offered their insights on how to sell the medium more effectively, and pricing models were briefly touched upon, revealing that the supply and demand principle is still very much in operation in this industry.
There was also the widely agreed-upon opinion that user-generated content (UGC) is set to become more prominent, with UGC spin-offs possibly migrating to mainstream TV and magazines. There was some advice to use the UGC sites to gauge what engages consumers and what encourages collaboration. But once again, creativity is to be considered the backbone of any UGC-based campaigns, and would be best avoided if the purpose wasn't creative.
Generally there was agreement that all brands would do well to monitor the online buzz about their products, what with polls suggesting that over 70% of young people use their friends as their most trusted sources of information. Brands would do well to listen to what they say - and this is made possible by the internet's unique ability to allow advertisers access to consumer opinion. The ability to measure the impact of an ad by counting the number of click-throughs, and to link ads to search-engine results, has driven internet advertising to a great degree in the past. But, it was agreed, the days of “spoon feeding” are over.
Innovative stunts and events generate a lot of talk and can potentially reach far greater audiences than ever before. Within the next few years advertisers will be able to regularly and inexpensively embark on campaigns that target exactly the right prospects, with entertaining, attention-grabbing messages that can follow people via new high-tech media into their cars, offices and living rooms. For companies willing to invest in mastering these new techniques, the payoff is potentially huge.
Towards the end of the panel discussion, an interesting comment came from the floor, when a potential advertiser said that he had expected to feel more inspired by the symposium. “It sounds like this is more of a whinging session. Moan, moan, moan.”
The room fell silent for a moment, a silence that characterised the common frustrations of those in the digital industry: how to get definite buy-in from clients. Unfortunately this frustration is bound to continue while digital remains seen by potential advertisers as a supporting medium despite the statistics and the passion of those involved in the industry. With the biggest companies in South Africa collectively spending around R8 billion per annum on TV advertising, it is clear that they believe in TV and are therefore willing to spend on it. And while online ad and media agencies struggle to convince companies that online initiatives are not complex and difficult, there can be little progress.
There were clearly no easy answers or resolutions, and it was suddenly time to end the discussion as the next featured guest could not wait. The room fell silent again as a live cheetah from the Spier rehabilitation programme came down the centre aisle with its handlers in tow. Everyone instantly forgot their workaday concerns as they lined up to stroke the impressive predator, and the evening unfolded into great entertainment and fantastic food at Moyo, with many reportedly partying, and presumably networking, till 4am!
