1. Digital Marketing In APAC: A Three-Ingredient Recipe, But One Is
Missing
As originallypublishedon CMO.com
There’snothingquite like discoveringthe secretingredientsbehindthe perfectsaucesinAsia.
Whetherit’sthe sesame oil,orfinelyslicedkaffirlimeleaves,orjustatouch of ginger,oftenasingle
ingredientorcombinationbringsthe dishtogetherperfectly.
Digital marketinginthe regionisthe same:The rightcombinationof strategiesmeansthe difference
betweensuccessandfailureinarapidlygrowingmarketplace.
Accordingto the CMO Council,digital advertisingexpenditure inthe Asia-Pacificregionalready
accounts forjustover 28% of digital adspendingworldwide.The mix isshiftingawayfrom
conventional broadcastmechanismstomore nuancedformsof customerengagement.Inthe CMO
Council’ssurvey,63%of marketerssaidtheyare planningtoincrease investmentincontent
marketing,and62% saidtheyare investingmore inmobile marketing.
So the moneyandintentiontoembrace digital are certainlythere,butone veryimportantingredient
ismissing:skill.Almostwithoutexception,marketersknow the worldischanging.Infact,ithas
changedmore inthe pasttwo yearsthan inthe 50 before it,butrespondingtothisrapidchange is
provinga challenge:Only46%of those surveyedbythe CMOCouncil ratedtheirdigital marketing
capacityas “highlyproficient.”

2. The rate of change isnot goingto slow,butmarketerscanbridge thisgap byadoptinga strategic
approach to people,processes,andproducts.
1. People power:The firstpointof call forall digital marketersistohuntout the digital natives,
wherevertheyhappentobe withinthe organisation,andlookforwaysto nurture and share their
talent.Digital nativesaren’tdefinedbyage or educational background;rather,theypossessan
adaptive skill set,excellentcommunicationskills,andanatural curiosityaboutnew technology.
Some of the world’smostsuccessful companiesare findingwaystopairdigital nativeswith
complementaryskill setsamongotherstaff tocreate a two-waymentoringarrangement.For
example,coffee behemothStarbuckscreatedacross-functional mobileteamdrawnfromdifferent
departments.Engineeringempire GEregularlypairsstaff withdifferentlevelsof experience to
exchange skills,ratherthanthe more traditional top-downmentoringmodel.
Notonlydo these pairingsboostskillsacrossthe business,theyalsohelptobreakdownbusiness
siloes,boostcollaboration,andshare scarce skills.
2. Processimprovement:Because change inthe digital environmentisrelentless,so,too,isthe need
to create processesthatcan be tweakedandupdatedconstantly.Withoutproceduralimprovement
strategiesinplace,digital marketingwill notbe able tokeepupwithtechnological change while also
deliveringonthe businessrequirements.
One approach isan A/B strategy:Getyour A-teamtofocuson forward-lookingcomplex projects,
while yourB-teamdedicatesitstime tocreatingdigitallysoundbusiness-as-usual activities.Thisway
youcan maintainthe presentwhile youprepare forthe future.
3. Productsin transition:One of the mostexcitingelementsof Asiancuisine ishow flavoursseepinto
ingredientsatall stagesof cooking.Marinadesensure the tangy,sweetandspicyflavoursare deeply
embeddedindishes,notjustaddedatthe end.
Similarly,digital marketingstrategiesneedtobe embeddedineverystepof productdesignand
development,notjustaddedonat the end.All productsand servicesneedtobe builtonthe digital
imperativesof automation,scalability,andaccessibilityinthe same wayAsianfood isbuiltonlayers
of flavour.

3. Creatingnewandrelevantproductsrequiresacapacitytomix ideasinnew and unexpectedways.
Incorporate digital marketing,communicationsandfulfilmentintothe beginningof the product
designprocess.
Successful Combinations
The right combinationof people,afocusonprocessinnovation,andrecognitionthatdigital strategy
needstobe embeddedintoeverystepof productdevelopmentwill enable marketingdepartments
to bridge the resourcesgappermanently.
While the vital ingredientsof digital successaren’tall thatsecret,successcomesfromfindingthe
combinationthatworksforyou andyour business. - Readmore