As media consumption becomes increasingly fragmented and consumers grow even more sceptical about traditional advertising, marketers will have no choice but to put ‘content’ at the heart of their marketing strategies in 2014.
Content marketing has been proven to drive richer engagement, increased customer loyalty and brand advocacy, and, as measurement becomes more sophisticated, we will see its clear impact on sales. However, in the words of Steve Rubel, head of content for Edelman, marketing needs to shift from a ‘message mindset’ to a ‘content mindset’. This requires frequent contact, effective content planning and the right skills to deliver it.
As agencies, media owners and tech platforms battle it out for the industry’s brightest stars, the war for talent in the digital media and technology space will also intensify.
Meanwhile, anyone using the phrase ‘2014 is the year of mobile’ should be put out to pasture. We live in a mobile society. UAE has the highest smartphone penetration rate in the world, way ahead of UK and US, and if marketers haven’t already started to lead with mobile, their CEOs should feel incredibly nervous.
That said, brands must prioritise the user experience in the New Year and ensure their mobile marketing is seamless, unobtrusive and provides some form of value exchange, or risk being ignored altogether.
The writer is head of marketing solutions at LinkedIn Mena (Middle East and North Africa).
