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.