Bangladesh Brand Forum hosted the 9th edition of Digital Summit this year Under the theme “WINNING THE DIGITAL AGE” on December 17.
The speakers at the summit joined from different regions of the world and shared knowledge and experiences. Alongside, there were notable local experts who enlightened and put forward different knowledge areas through the panel and other sessions.
Starting from the importance of creativity and strategy in the digitally fragmented era, the day-long event shed light on important issues like the significance of data as the most underutilized asset of a marketer, the essentiality of long-term influencer partnerships for a brand, and how brands can explore the new horizon through marketing in the metaverse.
Bangladesh Brand Forum initiated the Digital Summit in 2014. Throughout the successive initiatives, Digital Summit has become the apex platform for the country’s digital marketers. This year’s summit was attended by more than 350 professionals. The summit delved deep into the industry challenges allowing industry leaders to share multi-dimensional experiences.
The summit consisted of 4 Keynote Sessions, 4 Panel Discussions, 2 Insight Sessions, and 1 Case Study.
Opening Speech
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shariful Islam, Founder & Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum, said, “the post covid reality has unveiled the true potential of a digital world in front of us. It’s high time we cashed in all the opportunities the superior digital ecosystem offers us. But again, opportunities come with challenges. So the professionals and experts here have to lead meeting those challenges and filling the gaps ”.
Keynote Session with Mathieu Brunier
Partner Director of Aleph Group Inc., Mathieu Brunier began the summit with his anticipated session on “Building a First Party Data Strategy in a Privacy First Digital Age.” He started the session by stating the importance of privacy. 64% of users do not trust companies with their data because they are scared of breaches of privacy. However, without these crucial pieces of data companies are unable to build a better user experience. Mostly third-party cookies are used for advertising and marketing. But currently, most browsers restrict third-party cookies. This creates a barrier for companies’ marketing teams. Especially in the uncertain economic time, we are now living in, marketing teams need to justify every penny they spend. However, without the data logically backing up the budget is impossible. The only way to resolve this paradox is by building trust with your customers. The more customers will trust the brand, the more likely they will be to share their data. And as a result, companies will be able to create effective marketing strategies. According to Brunier, companies at first need to gather first-party data and then incorporate them to improve their data-driven marketing. He further claimed that this strategy helps to achieve twice the incremental revenue. Moreover, 35% of campaign performance is boosted with machine learning-based technology and the companies who are embracing the changes are taking the lead. In the session, Mathieu Brunier suggested three easy steps that will help to strategize durable growth and they are: (1) build trust with your customers to gather first-party data, (2) use Machine Learning to accurately measure data and (3) automate relevant ads to interested customers. Apart from this, he also offered some useful tips to retrieve the traffic that might have been artificially lost.
Keynote Session with Kazi Monirul Kabir
Kazi Monirul Kabir, Country Director, Httpool Bangladesh Ltd. facilitated the second keynote session of the event on the topic “Winning with ROI-Driven Marketing.” He started by pointing out the flaws in the KPI-driven marketing briefs. The KPI-driven marketing briefs are short-sighted and are unable to look at the big picture. Therefore, a shift from KPI-driven marketing to ROI-driven marketing is needed. In ROI-driven marketing strategies, it becomes crucial that companies focus on the outcomes as well as the impacts. It is important that they start from the outcome, move to the impact, and finish the process with the output. The impact, outcome, and output framework depend on a top-down approach to marketing goals, which focuses more on the big picture. This framework is heavily focused on evaluating the overall effect a marketing action will have on the outcomes and as a result on overall business growth.
Keynote Session with Oliver Wilke
Oliver Wilke, Regional Director, South East Asia, Eskimi took a keynote session on “Ensure Right Audience with Brand Safety Data Security and 3rd Party Verification.” He defined data security as the practice of protecting digital information from unauthorized access and corruption and data integrity as the overall accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data. According to Wilke Geo-fencing or hyperlocal is on the rise in the advertisement industry. The placement of brand ads has become a sensitive issue in terms of brand image. Eskimi helps ads to appear in a more appropriate, brand-safe environment. Brand safety describes an opportunity to advertise in a digital environment where content aligns with a brand’s image and values. The three key elements to ensure brand safety are anti-fraud solutions, safe environment, and viewability. Anti-fraud solutions help brands to reach real people by excluding fake clickers, high-page reviews, etc. All ad placements are categorized by publishers. As a result, companies can exclude irrelevant or potentially brand-harmful categories.
Keynote Session with Solaiman Alam
The last keynote session of the event was facilitated by Solaiman Alam, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer, Grameenphone Ltd. The topic of the session was “Leading Digital Transformation: Why business leaders need an accelerated digital transformation agenda?”
Today all companies in one way or another are tech companies. Therefore, a shared definition of digital transformation will help everyone to stay on one page and collectively achieve the goal. According to Solaiman Alam, digital transformation is the process by which companies utilize technologies across their businesses to drive significant value. In the year 2000, all the top countries were from America but in 2022 only 40% of the top companies were American. It signifies the changing world order. Today’s linear value chain is not future fit. Digital transformation is no longer a choice for businesses, they need to do it. Grameenphone started as a digital service provider and started the transformation with simple things. Then they pivoted to enable an ecosystem. And now they are trying to transform from a telecom company to a tech company. Grameenphone has one billion plus interactions a month, and over fifteen million people use MyGP. 35% of man-hour has been automated. If we analyze Grameenphone’s digital transformation, we will find five key reflections- steady resilient leadership, a few good people, fail-safe culture, embraced partnership, and finally, it is not the technology but it’s the people that matter.
Panel Discussion on “The Importance of Creativity and Strategy in the Digitally Fragmented Era”
Moderated by Munaf Mojib Chowdhury, Partner Director, Httpool Bangladesh the panel titled “The Importance of Creativity and Strategy in the Digitally Fragmented Era” featured Nazim Farhan Choudhury, Managing Director, Adcomm Limited, Mahfuz Sadique FRSA, Chief Communications Officer, bKash Limited, Sharmin Rahman, Head of Corporate Brand & Engagement | Acting Head of Marketing, Grameenphone Ltd. and Tusnuva Ahmed Tina, Executive Director, Mindshare Bangladesh.
The insightful discussion started with the moderator’s question on the evolving consumer interaction in fragmented digital media. Tusnuva Ahmed Tina responded to this question by saying that at the moment customers are in a power position as they have the power to review, criticize or say anything about any brand online. The one-sided communication that was dictated by the brands no longer exists therefore brands need to prioritize consumer insights. Nazim Farhan Choudhury added that the brand’s core task has not changed but the audience consumes content has changed. This has created a complex task between marketers and creatives. According to Sharmin Rahman, the only solution in hand is to make sure the creativity and channels are married together.
Panel Discussion on “Are Long-Term Influencer Partnerships Essential for a Brand?”
The second panel discussion of the event was on the topic, “Are Long-Term Influencer Partnerships Essential for a Brand?” and it was moderated by Ishraq Dhaly, Director, Accounts and Servicing, Magnito Digital. The distinguished panel members were Nusrat Jahan, Marketing Director, Reckitt Bangladesh, Shamim Zaman, Head of Brands & Marketing Communication, Robi Axiata Ltd., Sharfuddin Bhuiyan Shamol, Head of Marketing, Transcom Beverages Ltd. and Tajdin Hassan, Chief Business Officer, The Daily Star.
The moderator initiated the discussion by asking a question to the panelists- “What do you see in an influencer before you engage in a partnership with him or her and how they are shaping Bangladesh?” Shamim Zaman responded that it is the campaign objective that helps to choose the kind of influencer the brand needs. However, he also pointed out the difficulty companies have to face while finalizing the best influencer as they do not have the correct number to assess who will benefit the brand the most. Moreover, Sharfuddin Bhuiyan Shamol highlighted that there needs to be a categorization as well as classification of influencers to control the quality of the content. Nusrat Jahan said that even though there is a separate budget for influencers, the brands cannot evaluate properly the ROI they generate. Tajdin Hassan pointed out an important issue of the current influencer culture. He said that consistency is very important to build trust and subsequently a partnership with the brand. It needs to align the brand objective with the influencer’s identity and digital presence. But an influencer promoting multiple brands at a time decreases the authenticity. When choosing an influencer assessing three things is important- how many followers are the brand’s target audience, how many followers are actually active, and if the brand actually needs an influencer for that particular campaign. Influencers may help in terms of quick engagement but in the long term, it becomes challenging because right now many influencers promote three different products from a similar genre. A long-term partnership helps to embody the image of the brand; therefore, a brand ambassador may be more suitable for the long term.
Panel Discussion on “Data: The Most Underutilized Asset of a Marketer”
The third panel discussion of the event “Data: The Most Underutilized Asset of a Marketer” was moderated by Ariful Bashar, AVP & Digital Lead, Grey Advertising Bangladesh Ltd. And Joshua Adhikari, Regional Growth Manager, South Asia, Eskimi, A B M Jabed Sultan Pias, Head of Business, Prothom Alo Digital, Lutfi Chowdhury, Co-Founder & CEO, Adfinix and Vaibhav Katoch, Senior Partnerships Manager, Adjust joined the session. The discussion pointed out how Bangladesh is lagging behind on data compared to the rest of the world. Lutfi Chowdhury believes that Bangladeshi companies do not prioritize data because it is free. If data had been purchased, then the scenario would have been different. Vaibhav Katoch differs a little here. He believes we are not lagging behind but the issue is the data must be used in a meaningful process that will ensure ROI. A B M Jabed Sultan Pias further added that companies have a tendency to overrate the data. The data companies are getting from one particular video campaign doesn’t help them to analyze if it’s making any impact. Meaningful data is what they need. Now, agencies do not even need to collect data from third parties as they already have all the data they need. For Every digital campaign, a landing page is mandatory. But companies can’t get data if they put their landing page on Facebook, it should be put on the website.
Panel Discussion on “Marketing in the Metaverse: How Brands can Explore the New Horizon”
Moderated by Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq, Changemaker, CXO & Entrepreneur, the last panel discussion of the event included Risalat Siddique, The Man of Steel (Chairman), Analyzen Bangladesh Ltd. and Mukit Ahmed, Head of Brand Marketing & Communications, Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd.
The motto of marketing is ‘go where your audiences are’. Metaverse will soon become an 800-billion-dollar industry, if audiences are going there so should the marketers. Metaverse will give marketers a more immersive experience. The faster and more accessible the internet becomes, the faster metaverse will strengthen. Product research will become much easier through Metaverse as companies will be able to test a product before it is even launched by engaging customers in various games. brands can create their own Metaverse or at least create an ecosystem to take part in it. Even though NFTs are not available in Bangladesh, once Meta launches local brands can utilize it just like Coca-Cola which also does not have its own land. Bartering can be used as an alternative to NFTs. For local brands, gaming can be a great new venture but they must keep in mind the four factors of distributing digital resources- mental, access, usage, and skill.
A Case Study on “Measuring Advertising effectiveness with Meta Marketing”
Archana Roche, Global Measurement Lead, Httpool conducted an interesting session on “Measuring Advertising effectiveness with Meta Marketing.” Contrary to popular belief, social media metrics do not have any true business value and hence they are called fleeting metrics. Meta Measurement Solutions are more effective to understand or determine what is working and what is not working in the marketing strategy. She presented the cases of Robi, Sprite, Grameenphone, Coca-Cola, etc. to explain the effectiveness of Meta Measurement Solutions. The Robi campaign was able to bring 10+ ad recall through Meta. The structure of a campaign is the fundamental pillar for a successful Meta campaign. Sprite came up with a series of short videos where they let the user decide what should the video conclude because of this the campaign ended in a way the users would have hoped to. Engaging this kind of interactive video in Meta was very successful for Sprite with a +4.8-point top-of-mind number. Grameenphone wanted to measure the impact of short campaigns in Meta so they conducted a multi-cell study. After the test, they found out the shorter video had better ad recall and message association. In the CPG industry, a 1-point incremental lift is a huge lift however the Coca-Cola campaign was able to get a +5-point lift through Meta. The Marks campaign was a huge success in Meta as it was able to achieve a 6.6 action intent as opposed to the usual 0.8-2.1 action intent. Ispahani did an exclusive ad campaign in Meta for the rural audience that had a 13.4 ad recall amongst the 35-40 age group audience. Meta Solutions can also help with the data to partner with an influencer who will ensure the maximum ROI for the brand.
Insight Session on “Optimizing Marketing Budgets to Navigate a Tough Macro-Economic Environment”
An insight session on “Optimizing Marketing Budgets to Navigate a Tough Macro-Economic Environment” was facilitated by Vineet V. George, Sales Manager, Adjust. Even though there are 79 million smartphone users right now, the pace of app downloads has slowed down. Reactivation of the lapsed users is currently the priority of app marketers. Due to the tight budget, marketers are more focused on user retention. As a solution to increase CTR, Vineet V. George suggested gamifying the creatives for effective communication. Moreover, automating campaigns provides a competitive edge to the brands. 1 in 3 visitors makes an install decision within 3 seconds. Therefore, every piece of information needs to be very specific.
Insight Session on Digital Transformation for Growth Marketing
Sanjid Hossain, Digital Transformation & Growth Marketing Consultant shared his insights on “Digital Transformation for Growth Marketing.” He believes one cannot achieve growth marketing without proper digital transformation. The traditional industry does not have a digital-first structure. If the digital transformation is not aligned with business strategy and customer value then it is impossible to get the desired outcome. And to drive the transformation, it is important to deploy high-caliber talent to have a diverse skill set. According to him, there are three steps to follow for growth marketing. It starts with understanding the discovery phase, then comes journey mapping, and the final step is strategy. Companies can take the first-party data-driven approach. It has three phases. The first phase deals with interest and action of the customer’s journey, the second phase deals with value creation and personalized content, and the last phase deals with Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and referrals. Through this approach, one should be able to know who will purchase their product even after a significant time has passed.
The 6th Edition of DIGITAL MARKETING AWARD
Reveling into its 6th glorious year, the widely acclaimed Digital Marketing Award honored 124 digital campaigns by holding a grand award gala at The Grand Ballroom, Le Méridien, Dhaka, on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
The award gala was attended by more than 500 digital marketing enthusiasts. The widely sought-after Digital Marketing Award is the only accolade for digital works in Bangladesh. This year, more than 1000 nominations were submitted for the award. Among these, 409 campaigns got shortlisted by five jury panels, and 124 were selected as the ultimate winners by seven grand jury sessions.
This year’s Digital Marketing Award declared winners across 21 distinct categories in four ranks. There were 66 Bronze, 44 Silver, 13 Gold, and 1 Grand Prix award recipients.
In his welcome speech Mr. Shariful Islam, Founder & Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum, said, “in the era of dual existence of digital and physical dimensions, we need to activate our human emotions more, and to unlock the next era of innovation and possibilities, our digital strategies should be aligned.”
An initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, Digital Marketing Award 2022 and Digital Summit 2022 were presented by Meghna Group of Industries, powered by Httpool Bangladesh Ltd., in association with Adjust & The Daily Star, Supported by – Adfinix, Eskimi; Strategic Partner – Bangladesh Creative Forum; Mediam Group by Aleph; Knowledge Partner – Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Technology Partner – aamra Networks Limited; Event Partner – Le Méridien Dhaka; PR Partner – Backpage PR.
