Digital marketing trends 2013 - Trends in marketing with the best potential for commercial growth

What do you think would be the major digital marketing trends in 2013?

My bets? That would be mobile, data and content.

Mobile adoption and usage would continue to explode especially in Asia. This would have great impact to the way we communicate with the customers, be it B2C or B2B. Website would be design with mobile first in mind. Social campaigns that would target mobile users, with location in mind. Android would continue to increase in market share, increasing dilemma and splitting of budgets for both iOS and Android apps. PPC and search campaigns would also have to consider mobile channels.

Data should continue to be a cornerstone of any self respecting digital agency. The volume, type and sources of data that can be tapped for insights and intelligence would rise exponentially. Agencies need to be on the look out on how we could tap on these to market smarter and more efficiently. There would also be increased need to invest in developing skills in analytics and data visualisation. We also need to look out for potential pitfalls and steer our clients around data privacy issues.

Content marketing would also be a key focus area in 2013. Brands needs to generate relevant and meaningful content. Content is king and customers love it. Focus by agencies would be to determine type of content, how should it be created and managed, where should the content be published to amplify its effect as well as rigor in planned content creation and agility in reacting with unplanned content.

Read more here.
http://www.smartinsights.com/managing-digital-marketing/marketing-innovation/digital-marketing-trends-2013/

How to Get Anything You Want with Minimal Negotiation

Ahh. Something we hate (well i do), yet its so important in our day to day. We started negotiating when we are babies (try convincing a toddler not to have that candy or get on that car seat). Yet most of us suck at it. 

To most, there's only 2 methods to negotiating. By shouting and bulldozing your point across or give in to reach that middle ground that on paper is win-win but in reality its lose-lose.

There's more than that in negotiation. Here's some simple techniques. 

Read more here.

http://lifehacker.com/5974807/how-to-get-anything-you-want-with-minimal-negotiation/all 

Performance focus: What opportunities does mobile offer performance marketers and should mobile tracking be integrated more?

Good insights into performance marketing, especially with the growth in mobile marketing.

Read more here.
http://m.thedrum.com/news/2012/12/18/performance-focus-what-opportunites-does-mobile-offer-performance-marketers-and

Why we need Digital Wisdom?

This is an interesting article. But I would like to challenge it.

It conveys the idea that we need Digital Wisdom in addition to conventional wisdom.

Well, I suppose it make sense in this highly digital and fast pace world. I do not refute that. A whole generation of homo sapiens exist who do not know a world without smart phones, siri, laptops and Internet.

But take step back and hear me out. Do we control technology or does technology control us? Are we 'enhanced' by technology like what the article narrate or are we handicapped by it.

When was the last time you had a meal and did not checked your phone, for that email, that latest status update, that trivial message, that liked for the post you just made....or When was the last time you brushed aside a loved one because you were busy with your Mac, your phone, your game console....you get my drift here.

And did technology really enhanced us? How many of us followed blindly the directions given by the GPS, turn to a calculator to make a simple addition, rely on spellcheck for our proposal etc. Did we truly became smarter? The human brain is any amazing organ, a miracle of life. But like most parts of our body, it gets better the more you use it. Whether its judgement, memory or sense of direction.

I hope someone is studying this. Would the humans of the next generation be different from our parents? Where face to face conversations are replaced by digital interactions, where touch means cold smooth glass, where privacy is non existence, etc.

Maybe it should be titled "Why we need digital intelligence?"

Because we might be smarter, but maybe we are not wiser.

Read more here.
http://spark.qualcomm.com/salon/why-we-need-digital-wisdom

Which should come first? Digital or Traditional?

Well it depends on who you ask really. Ask any Ad-Man and the answer would be traditional. Digital is always the little bawling kid that makes the most noise but gets the least attention.

I had the chance to work closely with a top tier Japanese traditional agency on a partnered pitch to a automobile brand recently. The initial idea was integrated with them leading on the big idea and strategy while digital will complement.it. The usual.

Half way thru, they did a 180 and asked for digital to lead instead. We would loved to have the opportunity to do that. But even then, it kinda shocked me. Really? Digital on the forefront instead of being dragged along like a dog on leash. Eventually we went ahead with a big digital push. The ideas and strategy were great, but I'm not sure if the conservative Japanese client were ready for this paradigm change.

Look around you. More time spent on TV or streamed TV? Paperback or ebooks? Magazine/Newspaper or Flipboard/Pulse? Meet up with friends or Facebook/Twitter? When was the last time you NOT HAVE a phone/tablet before you drift to sleep? We are spending more time on digital interactions, whether we like it or not. An entire generation of adults are in the making right now, who does not know a world before mobile phones, tablets and Internet.

But I agree with the article, they can both be in the front. I recently mentioned about an interactive print ad. There are tons of other examples where traditional and digital fully complements each other and forms a bigger whole than the parts.

Now if only our clients recognize this and be cognizant that digital is equally important. And blardy show us the money already!

Read more here.
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/10/digital-first-print-first-both-should-work-together291.html

Image credits: http://www.pbs.org