Page 21 - Gulf Marketing Review

C O V E R S T O R Y

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FOCUS FURTHER ON THE OVERALL CONSUMER PATH

Devasish Auddy, Head of Marketing (Middle East, North Africa & Turkey), HMD Global

Brands are eager to grab the attention of consumer experience will be the major way or geography. We are committed to investing
the ever-elusive millennials and, in the non- forward in the coming year. in the right innovations that enhance everyday
liner consumer journey of today, marketers Furthermore, social media analytics are use and that translates into our marketing
need to create a connected experience for going beyond just the simple measurement of strategy as well.
them, no matter where they are within the clicks or shares. In addition to having relevant Providing the best connected customer
“Unified Commerce”. quality content, we need to focus further on experience at any and every touchpoint must
In the Middle East, digital transformation the overall consumer path and its multiple be the goal of all brands in the upcoming year,
has evolved from being just a trend to a touchpoints. as this will ensure customer engagement with
crucial component of business strategy. Multichannel marketing has become a the brand.
Businesses that do not place digital firmly norm. The number of touchpoints where we In addition, the experience must be consistent,
at the centre of their growth strategy run the can reach our consumers has continued to appropriate and positive in order to leave a
risk of increasing irrelevancy in the eyes of grow at an astonishing speed over recent years. lasting impression on the consumer.
customers and the market. We, as marketers, have often enthusiastically Data and analytics are necessary tools
As the world is now more connected run after these different opportunities to for success in this respect – it is imperative to
than ever, digital is the epicentre of where the engage with our customers. Yes, we all know know where customers are coming from, be
connected consumer experience takes place. what this causes – unconnected consumer it through social media, blogs or other online
Marketers need to engage with consumers experience. websites, and streamlining the interaction in
at relevant timings for them and with great The major opportunity we look forward to those high traffic areas, while enhancing the
personalised content throughout the entire in 2018 is to bring quality, useful and reliable experience, regardless of where they are on
consumer journey. The always-on connected phones to all consumers irrespective of budget the purchase journey.

DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I 21