The document outlines 5 things brands should do more and less of in 2014 to better engage consumers. It recommends doing more of creating meaningful content that is insight-led and relevant to consumers, analyzing big data to gain actionable insights, considering mobile as part of an overall digital strategy, prioritizing simple consumer interactions over complex functionality, and embracing collaboration between clients, agencies and partners. The document advocates doing less of content without purpose, amassing unused data, siloing mobile strategies, complex consumer journeys, and resisting collaboration.

1. MORE OF, LESS OF IN 2014
5 things we’d like to see more of and less of in 2014

2. 1. Brands creating more meaningful content
DO LESS: Content without purpose or meaning. Brands
are well and truly into content marketing, our wish is
that they continue to push hard at creating content
that people want rather than trying to create content
and make (hope) people want it.
DO MORE: Be insight led, know your consumer and
know what is relevant to both them and your brand to
drive engagement. Its hard work to get it right, but
nothing worth doing is easy.

3. 2. Turning big data into actionable data
DO LESS: Amassing data you do nothing
with. Collecting data is only the start,
capture what you can but know why
you’re doing it and what you hope to
achieve.
DO MORE: Using data and actually
analysing it to turn it into actionable
insights. This is what will drive consumer
engagement and return on engagement.
Push your teams and partners to provide
meaning from everything they collect.
Meaning that can be actioned, trialled,
optimised and scaled for success.
ACT,
LEARN,
SCALE

4. 3. Digital strategy, not mobile strategy
DO LESS: Mobile thinking in a vacuum.
Mobile isn’t a ‘thing’ its simply the cost of
entry. Don’t silo mobile’s role into simple
‘build an app’ or ‘mobile optimise that
site’.
DO MORE: Mobile and it’s role for your
business should be captured as a part of
your role for digital. It should have a
voice in annual planning and strategy as
much as in your service offering and
product development. If you think of
mobile as something else to ‘do’ and not
the main channel for contextual
opportunity, then you’ll miss out on some
big opportunities.
LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE AND
CONSIDER MOBILE AS A PART
OF THE WHOLE

5. 4. Simple utility over involved functionality
DO LESS: Accepting a consumer journey with
too many steps, hoops and bells and whistles. If
you’re having a hard time understanding what
you’re planning or building, and finding it
difficult to break into one or two simple
interactions then you’re going to fail. You don’t
have the luxury of hoping a consumer will
connect with you through an involved process,
they don’t care, nor do they have the time.
DO MORE: Challenge yourselves and your
teams to keep it simple, how can it be done in 1
step rather than 4, if you can’t answer that
challenge why you are doing it. Consumers
expectation on interaction is getting higher and
higher.
Is it Simple?
NO
Try again
YES
Proceed

6. 5. Collaboration as standard, get on-board
DO LESS: Fighting collaboration as a
standard position. Collaboration has gone
from being something a few did (a bit), to
a standard way of working. Clients,
agencies and partners need to embrace
collaboration and understand that there’s
a difference between group think and
creating opportunity for innovation.
DO MORE: Understand your role and voice
in the room and participate with the end
goal at the heart of your actions. Ego
doesn’t have a place, clients and
agencies need to work together to
understand how to get the most out of
everyone to deliver engagement,
connection and meaning between our
brands and their consumers.
WRONG
1
5
1
2
RIGHT
4
2
3
4
3

7. At TheFARM..
We exist to create experiences and opportunities for
consumers to truly connect with brands.
THAT’S WHY WE LOVE DIGITAL!
Digital technology allows us to continually find new
ways to engage consumers and enables us track
and measure effectiveness, results and behaviour,
which informs how we can improve on success.

8. Get in touch
Hamilton Jones
Chris Pile
Managing Director (Australia)
Executive Director (Singapore)
hamiltonjones@thefarmdigital.com.au
chrispile@hefarmagency.com.sg
+61 2 9690 1415
+65 6866 3631