[Thought Leadership Digibates] 05: Marketing, media trends

This year's Biz Trends Report was sponsored by Aegis Media.

During the live audio stream just over 4900 unique IP addresses "streamed ", whilst 2475 remained for the entire live audio stream. The Digibate also trended on Twitter in the Johannesburg area.

Panel of experts

The panel of experts that was moderated by Dawn Rowlands, CEO of Aegis Media Sub-Saharan Africa, included Andre Redelinghuys, head of strategy at HKLM; Richard Procter, joint MD of Vizeum; Dan Calladine, head of Media Futures, Aegis Global Management; Richard Mullins, MD of Middle East and Africa, Acceleration and Toby Shapshak, editor of Stuff.

A key area under the microscope was the integration of mobile commerce and other marketing technologies in the retail sector, in particular at store level. According to the panelists, local retailers still lag behind and need to understand that the future is an integrated approach to connecting with consumers and no longer just relying on the retail space for business. It has been proven that customers tend to trust and readily adopt brands that engage with them and their needs and the challenge is how to interpret the adoption process as soon as possible within the retail space.

Proper training is essential

"Retail staff need to be properly trained and know how all the integrated elements between point of sale, digital screens and mobile technology work so they can show consumers and encourage interaction and dialogue between the retailer and the key market," said Rowlands.

In Europe, there is a leniency towards the retail outlet posing as a mere showroom, where consumers can discover and explore items such as iPods and computers, yet have free range to research the product online and shop around for the best price. It is therefore key to combine all marketing technologies into the retail sector and allow for a seamless engagement.

Other insights taken out of the Digibate included a detailed look the current economic situation globally and within Africa and how the advancement of mobile technology is being used. How data is interpreted and delivered to market was another key conversation and it was agreed that the attention to detail in the delivery of key brand messages through mobile platforms is highly important.

The debate was held on Friday, 4 May 2012.

Listen to the podcasts

If you missed the show, download or listen to the podcasts here on Bizcommunity or on BizRadio.

Listen every month

The Thought Leader Digibates are held monthly and include a panel of leading media-marketing experts who will discuss, debate and share their knowledge - gleaned over years of experience - with a wider audience. The official Twitter hashtag is #aegisTL.

For more:

• Bizcommunity Special Section: Aegis Thought Leadership Digibates
  
• Previous Digibates podcast: here on Bizcommunity
  
• Bizcommunity Search: Thought Leadership Digibates
  
• Bizcommunity Twitterfall: #aegisTL

Updated at 12.13pm on 14 May 2012