Tech-Clash Opportunities for Brands Post Covid
Fueled by GDPR and conspiracy theories that Mark Zuckerburg et al. are listening to our personal conversations, perhaps even guiding them, there has been much talk about the fightback against technology.
People are not happy about their data being stored or are worried that their phone is acting as a spy for silicon valley. We see the term tech-lash - a strong reaction against the major technology companies, as a result of concerns about their power, users' privacy, the possibility of political manipulation - used more frequently. But is it true to assume it all adds up to bad news for tech companies?
Accenture recently published its Technology Vision Consumer Survey, citing 52% of consumers claim that technology is a fundamental part of their daily lives, and 19% say they see the technology they use is an extension of their personality. People, it seems, are using technology more than ever.
Accenture has termed the phrase "tech-clash", where people are more intrigued and open to technology than ever before, but companies still have a job to do to be trusted. Operating in pre-tech ways won't work anymore; closed environments and a lack of transparency won't cut it with the modern tech-hungry consumer, who demands far more detail and control.
Companies need to balance value with values to compete in the digital economy successfully. Companies need to develop a new digital mindset, which can meet modern customers' expectations.
Accelerated by Covid-19, yesterday's best practices have become today's shortcomings. Digital services and technologies are not an added extra anymore; they are a basic expectation. Coronavirus has brought us the next generation of customers, several years earlier than expected. Now, the ability to augment, enhance, and elevate the human experience, through tech, will separate the most successful enterprises from the rest.
At Appetite, we are seeing customers and end-users asking for more in terms of social media involvement, with social media audiences tripling in a short space of time. Our clients are watching as a few hundred followers become a few thousand as a result of our campaigns to put more focus on the consumer, using technology to get to know them and habits better.
We are working with more FMCG brands than ever before by creating connected and interactive packaging, which has allowed clients to get better insights into what their customers want. For example, for Emmi, we created a series of interactive quizzes easily accessible (via social media) website, using technology, to create increase loyalty, education and brand awareness. We collected a host of third-party data-rich information about their customers.
Find more about our Emmi Campaign here.
Our job has become one of using creativity and technology to engage consumers and assist brands in optimising their marketing messages.
Lockdown has driven a marked change from simple digital execution to businesses entirely rethinking and reshaping their main point of contact with customers. Creating digital experiences is still essential, as is making them customisable, but customers now need more control. With 5G and augmented reality opening the door further, customers will need an entirely individual experience in which they call the shots.
In the same way, AI will have to move towards a more context-based interaction and in doing so will reap the benefits of having an infinitely broader scale of feedback. Even the notion of product ownership will be affected, services in the post-digital landscape will be less about physical products, but conduits for adaptable and evolving experiences in which each "owner" must feel in control. People have realised that they can ask for more from a brand, and it's our job to evolve technology as far as possible to offer that.
Over the next six to twelve months, we can only speculate that this digital advancement will continue. We are confident that by using beautiful and creative designs, alongside the best technology, we can deliver campaigns that will remain a staple of advertising long into the future. Bread making and handicrafts may be experiencing a coming back, but from ordering ingredients to selling online, it'll be great news for tech.
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