Post Digital Media Landscape of South Africa and Future Iteration by Fezile Dhlamini
1. INTORDUCTION
The South African digital industry has seen much change over the years as there has been much influence for it to take on a more post digital approach in the strategic communications industry. The South African media landscape has changed drastically, post-democracy, from being a nation state that had limited access to media, to now having it in abundance. According to Botha (2014) “In a South African context, the only thing perhaps delaying the widespread adoption of digital in the communication mix is our level of internet penetration, which has historically lagged when compared to developed markets, but we are catching up quickly.” There are many changes that are taking place, and these changes are impacting the way that consumers receive messages from brands to how they want to get involved in the entire mode of production. Like many other industries, technology has been at the core of this ecosystem as it has managed to not only break barriers for organisations, but has also made it possible for consumers to also have more options when it comes to choosing what it was they would like to consume. “Social media word of mouth will continue to be the brand holy grail in the next couple of years, but the media landscape is going to look different, radically different” (Sharman, 2015: 77).
Branding has changed and with that so has the consumer. The way that consumers would take in what they were told by brands has now moved from that traditional state to a post digital state where there is a lot of integrated communication solutions and direct engagement (which we will explore). As consumers have become smarter and socially conscious of what is happening around them, it has been the task of the brands to ensure that they equip themselves with the necessary tools to ensure that their survival in this post digital landscape is long-term and fruitful. The way that we look at consumers today in the post-digital landscape could be the same way that we look at the supply and demand curve in economics. If there is a high demand for technology and there is a low supply of it, there will be an imbalance in the consumer market. It is required that there is an equilibrium that is met between brands supply and consumers’ demand. Furthermore, with that being said, it is also important for the authors of content to remember that there is infobesity (information overload), so it is rather important that brands and organisations ensure that they meet those demands strategically. This is a complex process. In this academic script what will be critically discussed is the post digital landscape holistically looking at a variety of factors that compose of this ecosystem as well as what is happening and also what should be happening in it to ensure that the future of the industry makes the South African Landscape is competitive globally. What is to be explored here is the post digital landscape of South Africa as well as an explanation of why digital is important for all brands and organisations in this developing nation state.
2. SOUTH AFRICAN POST DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
The post digital landscape of South Africa is has taken shape to change a number of things, and this is seen in the work done by strategic communicators. The definition of Post Digital according to Davies (2009) is that it is a state where digital is no longer new but mainstream and reflects a blurring/bending of digital and physical elements – it is a holistic channel/integrated approach to communications. On the other hand what needs to be understood about digital is that “Digital is not a channel in the same way that a marketer might view television or radio as a channel. Instead digital is a way of life. It is the experiential glue which binds previously separated media together” (Stokes, 2013). Therefore, it is critical for strategic communicators to ensure that they have created channel strategies that are transient.
For an organisation, what it means to be post digital is that the organisation has the capacity to bring in all elements that are required to ensure that it can leave behind the asymmetric principles, and use technology as the bridge that will connect the brand to the consumers (and vice versa). “Digital marketing is an inevitable technological trend that sweeps today’s industries and includes such applications as ecommerce, Internet marketing and networking, even demographic and product research” (Grauman & Koekemoer, 2011: 363). Digital marketing has grown into a field that is very much skills based and specific. Not all brands and organisations practice digital, as there are many that have stuck it out traditionally. However, as the need for more digital approach to marketing and connecting with consumers grows, there is a much bigger need for the South African Landscape to improve on its technological infrastructure. “Things are moving fast in the South African digital agency space, with major global players like Puiblicis and WPP buying out companies that entered the market a couple of years ago” (Evans, 2015).
The media landscape has migrated from being traditional to being digital. Even within that digital, the industry has moved to a post digital one. “An explosion of new technologies, and the rise of the smartphone in particular, also mean that there are completely new ways of reaching digital audience (Thomas, 2014). Thus, it is imperative to understand what types of impact digital communication has on the ecosystem. Brands and organisations have had to change their approach as to how they would reach consumers and also what platforms they would use to connect to their target audiences. Traditionally, marketing was the understanding of what your (the brand to) consumers want all the time, knowing how to talk to them on various platforms by giving them information that you (the brand) want them to receive, and also thinking that above-the-line/below-the-line marketing is still a core competency of the industry for brands (Botha, 2014). “The traditional approach of big brands 'shouting' at consumers through the impossible-to-miss channels such as primetime TV commercials or cover-fold magazine ads are tactics of days gone by” (Botha, 2014).
Lastly, there are number of factors to consider when breaking down the media landscape that is “technology is the biggest driver of change in evolution of the media landscape” (Holden & Bashford, 2009: 13). What will be explored is technology being a key driver in post digital business and post digital communication – in other words, its importance in the strategic communications industry.
3. TECHNOLOGY AS A KEY DRIVER
According to Cooper (2009: 5), “Our industry is experiencing a period of amazing change, and the pace of this change is likely to increase dramatically over the next five years. The primary driver of this evolution is technology, and the effect it has on communication opportunities.” What needs to be understood with regards to technology is that it is a key driver within the industry. By this, globalisation and technology have made it possible for businesses and consumers to reach each other seamlessly with the hope of generating conversions. Therefore, technology has made the consumer much smarter than they were 10 years ago, and brands have had to adjust to this change in consumer behaviour. This is known as a paradigm shift, which is a way of doing things. So it is known that agencies and brands would need to be postmodernist /or post digital to survive and flourish in the post digital era.
With regard to the power shift between brands and consumers, influence has moved away from consumers being influenced by the brand, to the brand being shaped by the consumer – a fundamental postmodern principle (Crystal, 2015). Also, the evolution of brands, the meaning of the brand is not static or subject to change. Brands are dynamic entities, needing to keep themselves relevant to consumers. A chameleon brand is a flexible brand, and that is fuelled by the excessive use of technology.
Drivers are the direct causes that result in consumers changing purchasing decisions or organisations moving from practising modernist principles to postmodernist principles. These drivers are also known as the variables that consumers use to base their decision making on when purchasing a product or utilising a service. There are a variety of drivers of change, such as economic drivers, political drivers and sentiment drivers – consumer drivers. As for organisations, the drivers that constitute where they direct themselves are: commoditization, digitization, and globalization (Morris, 2013).
3.1 Technology as a Key Driver: In Business and In Communication
Technology is reshaping culture. You need to be a part of the conversation, be aware of the way that the culture and sub-cultures develop and evolve (through cultural scanning), and make use of the universal language to be relatable. “A brand’s story must connect with a larger conversation that’s happening in the culture” (Crystal, 2015).
According to McGrath (2011), “In a world where a competitive advantage often evaporates in less than a year, companies can’t afford to spend months at a time crafting a single long-term strategy”. Globalisation is a juggernaut, and by it being a juggernaut it is an unstoppable fast paced phenomenon. It is up to organisations to ensure that they stay ahead in the industry through effective innovative strategy development, and applying core post digital competencies in their philosophy such as: collaboration, transparency, and sharing/personalisation.
For the post digital consumer, communication is taking a more scientific approach for the agency/and brand seeing neurobranding is one of the main facets of this science – which is to understand why and how people do things. To be open source as an organisation is also an important post digital communication element. In terms of contribution, consumers want to be a part of the brand, as a brand you need to create this space and platform. “Brands should look to open source standards and philosophies for the future… The future is human and open - it is less about corporate control, and more about brand sharing” (Mofokeng, 2015: 83). Lastly, converged media solutions, according to Lieb and Owyang (2012: 5) “converged media utilizes two or more channels of paid, earned, or owned media. It is characterised by a consistent storyline, look, and feel.” With the convergence of media, where Paid meets Owned, Owned meets Earned, and vice versa, brands should focus more on collaborative media. By that, Paid media will soon be ousted by Collaborative Media because Paid Media will be inorganic and consumers will be able to block it on their social networks. For instance, if a brand were to work with an influencer, which will be collaboration, they would be able to resonate and related with consumers directly as opposed to having to pay to be in their space. It is a high time that brands use influencers and not celebfluencers (celebrities) as vessels to gain entry into the consumer’s environment organically.
4. ONLINE VS. OFFLINE: BRANDING
As a strategist or a digital marketer, one should never make the mistake of focusing on one component more than the other because, as a brand, you will miss out on opportunities. Consumers as well, have moved to a more specific and niche perspective when it comes to consuming online media. “Digital is everywhere and it is very quickly rising to the pinnacle of the marketing communication mix” (Botha, 2014).
Offline branding has faded in importance for channel strategists, but it is still an important medium that brands use to connect with consumers who are not connected – the power of being online is offline. For businesses to flourish online, they would need the assistance of a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or a SEM (Search Engine Marketing). “Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of optimising a website to achieve the highest possible ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs)” (Stokes, 2013: 230). And on the other hand, “Search advertising, also called pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, is a way to advertise your business or product directly on search engine results pages, where the advertiser pays only for each click on their advert” (Stokes, 2013: 264). Offline is associated with traditional and personal relationships. You cannot alienate one over the other. “Offline is most effective in deepening the connections you’ve made with people online; to build respectful relationships with others in your industry, as well as potentially with influencers such as bloggers and journalists, customers or partners or maybe even future employers” (Young, 2013).
4.1 Online and Offline Offering
Brands need to integrate their online and offline efforts to ensuring that their brand can survive in contemporary culture – creating a totally holistic brand experience which is both online and offline. Digital allows brands to become a part of people’s lives. So for a brand, they need to make sure that all of their consumers (regardless of their archetype) get the same brand experience all round – that is what consumers appreciate. For example, FNB has done this excellently through customer service and reputation management, as well as through campaigns that would require users who prefer to connect with the brand offline (banking services) to do so at any ATM (offline) (http://website.ornico.co.za/2014/03/the-great-banking-switcheroo/).
Other factors to look at with regard to online presence for brands is that brands need to build Virtual Brand Communities (a virtual brand community is a community facilitated by a brand on their social network where consumers can co-create and build a stronger relationships with brands online and trickle offline) that can sustain themselves when they are not there, they need to focus on ensuring that electronic word of mouth, and both can be achieved by having a social media manager who knows what they are doing. “Social media plays a role in promoting initiatives from different departments and teams across a company. When a social media manager effectively balances these promotions with other engaging and relevant content, they’ll be able to win the hearts and minds of their followers and internal stakeholders” (Dhlamini: 2015). The next section will be looking in the current media landscape and the future changes that are to be made.
5. CURRENT MEDIA LANDSCAPE & FUTURE CHANGES
According to Anastasiou (2013), “As more South Africans connect to the Internet there is more conversation and engagement taking place on social media.” There are a variety of other factors to consider when it comes to the current media landscape that is, paid, owned, and earned media. To be successfully present online brands normally need to practice the following on their social media: Be a Content Creator, Be a Marketing Analyst, Be a News Junkie, Manage Customer Service Reputation, Be a Community Manager and Facilitator, Be a Funnel Marketing Manager, and Project Manager. Those are the necessary skills to effectively utilise social media.
The industry has seen a new department in organisations, which is made up of skilled teams of individuals who come from different departments and have been exposed to different parts of the industry (Clark, 2013). These are also known as reaction systems for brands online when the brand is not there to stand for itself, so then it is the job of the team to respond accordingly. To capitalise on user generated content (UGC), the purpose is to connect your consumer first and creating an informal conversation which will spark a conversation that they (consumer) may relate to organically (Clark, 2013). The objective for the team is to respond quickly and creatively. This is an innovative and instantaneous communication solution for brands online. In a nutshell, the purpose of a branded newsroom: is responding to what is viral instantaneously with a meme, ad, accolade that is both strategic and creative (aligning it to business interests).
5.1 Trends
The meaning for ‘trend’ is broad in the sense that it could be related to any subject. Through common knowledge a trend is known as a pattern that happens over a long period of time, forming a sequence and is easily categorised. To spot a future trend on the other hand would involve a statistical observation of a given pattern that forms a sequence that an organisation could monetize for their benefit. According to Higham (2009: 15), trend is defined ‘as a line of general direction or movement… a prevailing tendency or inclination… the general movement overtime of a statistically detectable change… [Or] a current style or preference’.
A typical example of a trend would be the increased growth in businesses/brands that have taken the initiative to grow their brands through social media, in South Africa for example, because of the growth in the amount of consumers that are connected online (http://www.theredzone.co.za/814-mobile-data-usage-will-climb-to-20-billion-but-why-is-2013-still-a-hard-year-for-agencies). The reason as to why social media is abuzz is because brands are able to not only looking at building brand awareness, but are now capable of managing their brand image – otherwise managing brand risk (Kleyn: 2014).
These has been number of trends that have had an impact on the South African Post Digital landscape, trends that postmodern brands have taken advantage of. However, these are the most important three key trends that need to be taken looked: (1) “Behavioural profiling/extreme targeting will become a default practice – Direct marketing has been the discipline concerned with targeting the right message to the right consumer at the right time by overlaying different data sources to a customer or prospect base”; (2) “Content Driven Marketing will grow – …Brands will invest more in creating unique content rather than trying to create unique advertising”; (3) Mobile advertising will come to dominate – Mobile will not only be the fastest-growing part of the digital advertising arena, it will come to absolutely dominate” (Evans, 2015).
5.2 Digital Communication Tools
As brands become more and more digitally oriented, it is important that they have the necessary digital tools in place to guide them into the sphere they want to be in, in the industry. It is important that a post digital brand conducts digital market research to have a transient advantage – having many opportunities and taking as many of them as possible as they do not last long. According to Lieb and Owyang (2012: 41), market research helps you to make more informed decisions in order to be more profitable and relevant.” Now that market research has become online, it is known as the process of using digital tools, data and connections to glean valuable insights about a particular brand’s target audience (Lieb & Owyang, 2012: 41).
One of the key benefits of using digital market research is that one can reach easily have their findings organised for them and then have insights displayed for them, for instance with trying to understand your target audience to create resonance and relevance (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 42). As brands are able to gain consumer insights, they can improve their products and services from it by using (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 42). And lastly, benefits for industry and market insights can help brands to reach new potential consumers that they may have never interacted with.
There are multiple online tools available for brands to utilise to maximise their return on investment for the online activity, such that stands out the most is BrandsEye which is popularly used locally and internationally. They come up with metrics/business solutions that can help measure content online and the context. By scanning the entire web, they can come up with analyses in terms of where traction is occurring. “An online monitoring and insights tool such as BrandsEye is valuable for making appropriate business decisions based on real insights” (Lieb & Owyand, 2012: 62). This is excellent for brands as they can be confident with knowing that there are opportunities that lie ahead for their next project.
6. CONCLUSION
According to the research conduction which explored the post digital landscape of South Africa, it is not long until brands and organisations all shift to their communication objectives and channel strategies to weigh in more online than offline. The connected consumer may at some point be disconnected from reality because of technological advances such as Augmented Reality which will save them the time and energy from leaving their home to doing everything from one place. To win in this highly competitive ecosystem brands, organisations and agencies will have to beef up their creative juices to strategically distinguish themselves from the clutter as there is infobesity in respective industries. The consumer is now connected, they have the power to make or break a brand’s online reputation. Therefore, brands need to understand that social networks were not built for them, to survive they need to be humanised, and that they are entering a space where content marketing makes you win over the hearts and minds of the mobile-consumer. Lastly, social media and virtual brand communities need to be evolved and brands need to make sure that they understand how to use these platforms and grow organically without having to pay for “boosting services” but to organically grow as a community online (pull marketing).
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