By Darren Gilbert

And like all good business strategies, digital needs to be viewed as a long-term plan. The sooner we as a country understand this, the better. Only then can we possibly move forward. Only then can we focus on how best to deliver tangible results. No agency understands this better than the one built around digital: Fogg Experiential Design.

Founded by Shervin Pruthab in 2005, when digital was still largely misunderstood in South Africa, Fogg presented itself as a digitally-led creative studio agency. It was true foresight if you consider the impact that digital has had on society. Digital has changed the way we live.

Fortunately, since then, South Africa has reached the stage where everyone is agreeing that it is important. Fogg’s chief digital officer, Prakash Patel is relieved: “It is amazing to think where we are today if you look at us five [let alone 10] years ago.”

Today, people are encouraging the growth and education of digital. Businesses are beginning to understand the importance of digital and what it can do for them. However, as much as our thinking has evolved, it doesn’t mean that everyone knows how to do digital. “There are a lot of traditional agencies today who believe that they understand digital because they can build a website,” says Patel. “But that is not digital. That’s them ticking a box, saying they do social media and this and that.”

“In the past, it was ‘blah blah blah, let’s do a digital campaign’. How? ‘Oh, we will just do a quick website’,” says Patel. “But how does that fit in if your LSMs are on feature phones?” At the same time, how does that have help your business grow? The answer to both questions is that it doesn’t. It also means you are wasting your time and money. Instead, businesses must look at who they are talking to.

“The true digital agency is the one who understands how consumers interact,” says Patel. With digital having changed the behaviour of your customer, you need to approach them strategically. It is now about understanding their behaviour and providing a solution that will fit into their lives. “Today, if I see something and like it, I can go to a shop and try it on. I can then ask: is this best price? So I’ll hop online to check if it’s better priced elsewhere.”

A true online decision-making moment in practice, it shows that your traditional linear model has competition. And it’s now happening more regularly than it did five years ago. “You have a zero moment of truth where you jump out of the circle,” explains Patel. And as a brand you have to follow them. “You have to strategically understand those journeys, away from the norm.” Once you do, you can set about creating an experience that engages with the consumer while simultaneously adding value to your clients’ business.

Just remember not to do something for the sake of it. “Don’t do an app for an apps sake or build for the sake of building,” warns Patel. “There has to be true value behind it.” Only then will your efforts have any longevity. And isn’t that what digital is: a long-term business strategy?

That is how you should approach digital if you want to be successful. It’s certainly how Fogg approaches digital. They don’t do it for the sake of doing it. They do it because it makes sense. And that is the true meaning of digital with purpose.

For more information on Fogg Experiential Design, visit
fogg.agency.