Page 36 - Gulf Marketing Review

C O V E R S T O R Y

t,ZJVM[ JZN VW_ OWL][RVP
\QNRZ NOOWZ\[ WV KN\\NZ
targeting and more relevant
LWUU]VRLJ\RWV[ KJ[NM WV
L][\WUNZ MJ\Ju

MASS COMMUNICATION IS DYING

Stephane Paraiso, Managing Director, Azur Digital

The year 2017 saw a shift to a customer-centric approaches, enabling more integrated
and integrated approach to marketing. As shopping experiences fuelled by cross-
touchpoints and audiences are increasingly brand customer knowledge. right channel, they should remain mindful of
fragmented, we observe a change in power play. This should translate into new digital services sensibly managing the commercial pressure.
E-commerce is increasingly being adopted available in store and the emergence of multi- Modern marketing should not only be
as a marketing channel by retailers, with click- brand online portals. about creativity and feeling. As the industry
and-collect, search and dynamic merchandising The marketer’s role will evolve and gain is shifting away from mass communications,
boosting cross-channel traffic and conversion. in agility to cope with the speed of change. CMO increasingly is also about analytics and
Personalisation has become an industry Organisations will restructure to embed ROI, from understanding media targeting impact
imperative, as mass communication is dying. content management, UX design, legal, IT to mastering the art of predictive marketing
Brands are now focusing their efforts on better and project management functions around through machine-learning algorithms.
targeting and more relevant communications, the Marketing core team. Content marketing Omnichannel excellence is no longer optional.
based on customer data. will become central to the success of the Marketing departments can no more afford
As data becomes more central to their shopping experience, from product sheets to operate in silo.
engagement, we expect marketers to lessen via tag scan in store through to landing and In order to create a seamless and
the commercial pressure on customers. social pages. rewarding experience across channels, a
This will translate into a progressive increase Marketers used to think in terms of offline close collaboration with technology, product,
of cross-channel messages relevance and better and online. They now have access to an supply chain, stores and customer service
timing, as brands adopt new data management abundance of specialised digital tools and teams has now become essential.
and AI-based services. Cloud-based marketing need to arbitrate which new ones to consider Marketers will increase collaboration with
services will also gain in popularity. and which traditional media to divest from. regional influencers and content providers to
Franchisee operators will shift away from In their quest to push the right message to fuel their search and acquisition strategies
group loyalty strategies to customer-centricity the right customer at the right time and via the with relevant and quality content.

36 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018