Not really a presentation but wanted to share anyway. Will find time to upload a presentation format soon. This is part 1 of a 6 parts series on how Digital disruption is impacting business and how Nigerian companies can disrupt-proof their businesses
1. Stanislaus Martins
Head of Digital
Insight Publicis Nigeria
February 6, 2016
Digital Disruption - Part 1 of 6
You will be disrupted.
No business is immune. Disruption is a fact of life. It is not new, but it’s newest vehicle,
digital, is infinitely more powerful.
Let’s start with a specific case – Amazon. Now, everyone knows Amazon sells products
online. It is convenient, relatively fast and secure. It should be of no surprise that you can
purchase a book from the retail disrupter.
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2. Amazon selling books worldwide at the click of a mouse had an obvious negative impact on
bookstores that have higher overhead costs, less exposure and limited space for inventory.
Printers and publishers didn’t care because their services would still be needed.
Enter the e-book.
The electronic book
requires no physical
shipping, no printing; in
fact, it doesn’t even
require a publisher.
When the e-book
became common and
self-publishing became
virtually free, everything
changed. Almost 50 per
cent of all new books
are now purchased in
digital format. Amazon
commands upward of
two-thirds of the book
selling business. The
whole literature industry
has been transformed.
You are going to be disrupted. The difference now is that, instead of an idea taking flight
over a campaign of months or even years, digital technology makes it happen in a matter of
days, hours, even minutes.
Businesses are under siege every day. Technology is not only the product, and it is not
simply about communication, it is the culture of your business. And before you jump to
social media to save you, understand that “digital” is more than posting pictures and brassy
statements on Facebook. Digital affects your service delivery, your exposure, your brand
and your operations.
Digital eliminates borders. Nigeria lags behind much of the world in its efforts to digitize
communication. This will not always be so. Eventually, digitization will infiltrate the greater
Nigerian business community and, as it has done in the United States, Russia, China,
Japan and virtually every economically-developed nation, it will bring with it greater
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3. competition for consumer attention and money. With it will come new ideas that create
disruptions to businesses. Your business will
either embrace it or be bowled over by it.
Mark Knickrehm, Group Chief Executive,
Accenture, USA, said that to succeed,
business leaders must be able to balance
existing capabilities with big-bet investments
in entirely new digital business models. And
they must be prepared to take risks with
partners across industry borders”.
For all its trendy caché, disruption within your
business leads to one of the major tenets of
good business – diversification.
While the oil industry languishes over a single
pricing structure and a standard foreign
currency, industry investors can do little more than watch the pricing disruption happen and
wait. Their lack of diversification handcuffs them.
Coca-Cola, which is also facing its own downturn due to a
disruption, has begun a disruption of its own. Increasing
concerns worldwide about obesity in children and general
health concerns have led to Coca-Cola being vilified and
sales revenues dropping sharply. In response, the soft drink
giant has developed a line of fruit juice and milk. This
response to the disruption of their revenues comes with a
significant cost, but without doing so, Coca-Cola would
likely see their revenues continue to erode.
So Coca-Cola purchased 40 per cent of shares in Chi Ltd,
Nigeria’s largest juice producer. They plan to buy the
remaining 60 per cent over the next three years as part of an
over 17 billion USD, 10-year investment in southern Africa.
This investment in diversification through disruption creates
new revenues and enhances the value of the Coca-Cola
brand in Nigeria and around the world. Now smaller juice
companies in the country must battle the marketing pressure
of one of the largest organizations in the world. So guess
whose turn it is for a disruption. The same holds true for the dairy industry, as Coca-Cola
becomes a major player there as well.
You have been disrupted. You can watch and wait, to your end. Success will come only in
the form of disruption. You will adapt or die. Whether it is a new product, a new service,
better efficiencies in your company, a marketing surprise or some external influence in your
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“You have
been
disrupted.
You can
watch and
wait, to your
end.”
4. favor, disruption is key in this digitally enhanced business environment with lightning-fast
adoption or rejection. Investment into a culture of innovation is mandatory to survive.
We have only scratched the surface, here. Watch for future posts in this series about how
disrupters Uber, Wakanow and Jovago have snuck up on us; how iPod changed the face of
disruption; what happens when disruption strikes your business; and how you can fight fire
with fire.
My name is Stanislaus Martins. I am what I like to call the sweet blend of Marketing, Digital
and Technology. I hate to write but I do it anyway because I know how important it is. I love
to read. I am a photographer, I love whisky, I love to play around with emerging
technologies. You can reach me directly via me@martins.com.ng
I currently work as Head of Digital at Insight Publicis, one of the biggest Marketing
Communications Agency in West Africa.
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