Page 26 - Communicate

Q1 2018 | X-PERT FILE

Put your money where the data is!

By Danielle Jamal, communication director, Leo Burnett

t’s been three years since I landed in the UAE and not what brands might think they want. To
Iand the same question still comes to mind: deliver on that, brands need to start mapping
DMPs, dynamic banners, A|B, multi-variant, and behavior data against preference data to figure
programmatic, are all buzz words being discussed out the strategic blind spots by looking broader
among agency and brand peers; however, are and understanding their consumers’ real needs
brands in the MENA region really using these and tailoring the offering on every level of the
capabilities to their full potential? business to serve them smarter.
In fact, many conversations and attempts to By 2018, IDC has forecasted digital transforma-
activate DMPs have taken place. However, there tion spend to reach over $1.3 trillion worldwide.
is always reluctance to go ahead due to several It is inevitable for brands to drop their current
barriers be it investment, lack of content, data, approach i.e. increasing the number of campaigns
infrastructure or the skillset to interpret data across channels in a bid to reach more consumers
into actionable content. and instead adopt a data-driven approach that
Furthermore, over the last year we’ve seen will increase awareness, generate quality leads,
a few articles questioning the effectiveness of and maximize revenue.
data-driven content and whether it loses the emo-
tional connection we are trying to build with ROI. AS ALWAYS, IT’S ABOUT
our audiences due to it being perceived as an QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.
invasion of privacy.
It is true that many have discussed the fact
DATA IS NOT TAKING AWAY FROM THE that most brands are still hesitant due to the lack
CREATIVITY SPARK AND AS LONG AS BRANDS of solid e-commerce capabilities, which often
ARE ADHERING TO PRIVACY GUIDELINES, makes it difficult to justify the ROI. However it
THEN THEY ARE SIMPLY UTILIZING DATA is important to note that according to October
TO PRODUCE CONTENT THEIR AUDIENCE 2016 data from Effective Measure, 62 percent of
CRAVES. THIS MEANS CONTENT DONE RIGHT Internet users in the GCC make digital purchases
WILL DELIVER RELEVANT AND COMPELLING
MARKETING MESSAGES VIA ANY MARKETING
TOUCHPOINT WHILE BUILDING BRAND
AFFINITY. BRANDS DEFINITELY NEED TO DROP
THE ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH.

DATA IS THE FUTURE. It is a very powerful tool
that brands need to start using strategically to
cater to their audiences’ expectations. Consum-
ers are more empowered than ever before and
they have expectations and, more importantly,
options. To prevent consumers from looking
elsewhere, brands need to address their expec-
tations by serving them what they really want

26 I Communicate