In this month’s B&T magazine, Matt shares his industry expertise on the future of digital alongside fellow executives of Australia’s top digital agencies.
Matt Griffin chief executive, Deepend
Are marketers embracing digital media fully?
We’ve worked with some incredibly switched on clients over the past year who have really known what they are after and are incredibly savvy when it comes to digital. As an industry however, we still have a long way to go to educate them; to see digital as a provider of value as opposed to simply a cost. The key to this is agencies clearly demonstrating value with solid reporting and analytics on their work and clients realising that many digital assets can live out their lives on a balance sheet rather than the company’s thirsty P&L.
Is there still lack of digital talent in Australia?
Absolutely, everyone I’ve talked to is finding it tough getting good people. As a result it is driving salaries through the roof and the costs of services have to follow. The difficult thing still is that there is this divide between clients; most are now getting it (it’s 2012 after all), but some still think digital is a website with banners. That mentality will never be able to afford the wages that the experienced digital professional here in Australia is commanding.
What is the future for social media?
It has become increasingly difficult to sway consumer sentiment simply by having a creative approach to your communication message. Real change in consumer sentiment is increasingly led by the opinions of the masses themselves, so having a voice in the medium is essential to have some control over the way the conversations take place.
The future of social media is simply ensuring that your brand is in there communicating and having real conversation. Community management, currently left up to the 23-year-old communications graduate will increase in importance as this will become the centre of all customer support enquiries, management of brand health and the place where consumer insight is challenged.
What will be the ‘next big thing’ in digital?
I believe the next big thing in digital marketing is extending the conversation beyond marketing. When others use the phase “digital is all pervasive”, most mean that it is in every part of the marketing mix. The truth is that digital being all pervasive to me means that it’s in every facet of the business and is core to business success, not simply a channel of to be used to sell a message.
The conversations are now being had around a table with the full C suite of executives because digital is being used in all areas of the business including logistics, HR, product development, internal comms and others. Over the last 18 months we have found ourselves creating value across the entire business structure to help businesses be more successful using human interface design and technology. Marketing can no longer be thought of in a silo, and digital can no longer be thought of as a channel.
Via BandT
