The economic climate has undoubtedly thrown ‘the norm’ out of the window and anything is up for grabs. So, in the digital landscape, what can we predict for 2009?
It is interesting writing this a few weeks in to the New Year rather than in the flush of New Year’s Resolution fever. In that first week of January I risked repeating my predictions for last year – tighter control of ROI and focusing on your core customer will be more necessary than ever to stay on top this year. But there’s more to it than that: there’s an excitement in the air mainly because harder times often produce heightened innovation, creativity and excellence and this is what we agencies thrive on.
The economic climate has undoubtedly thrown ‘the norm’ out of the window and anything is up for grabs. So in the digital landscape what can we predict for 2009? Mobile internet access overtaking PC access? – Unlikely, but mobile development and data use is increasing, though fragmentation will get worse. Micro-blogging like Twitter could take over long winded blogging. Expect richer and cleverer online applications. There are likely to be some technologies we are using by the end of this year that do not exist now.
Clients will be looking even more closely at what they get for their money. User experience will become one of the most important elements online for many brands. The key for companies is to manage their brand as well as possible across the full spectrum of media available today, suitable to your target audience(s). Have your plans but loosen the reins. Draw people around you who know what they are doing in their disciplines, experiment, learn and enjoy the ride in 2009. There is no formula, if I do x I’ll get y.
Recent work we have done for a couple of the large bank brands still shows surprising lack of real focus on understanding what their customer wants quickly enough (here’s a surprise – it can change week in and week out). Responding with appropriate propositions, getting committed to thinking ahead and experimenting and testing will mark out the winners this year.
As a digital agency our priority is to ensure we are always listening, learning, innovating and offering our existing clients the best digital expertise possible. We will continue to hire talent and invest. Having a strong business model with a risk spread will certainly stand some of us in good stead over the next year. In a recession we can’t say that the digital industry as a whole will benefit against traditional media. There will be winners and losers in both, and those that have built their house on stone, not sand, will see our way to 2010 all the wiser for the journey.
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