MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Philippines has always been hailed as the social media capital of the world, and the pandemic has accelerated marketing budgets shifting towards digital.
The Philippines has seen print magazines, TV networks, and radio stations closing during the last few years. The country has also seen a great increase in value of the digital marketing industry, valued at a whopping USD558 million in 2020. With this in mind, it seemingly is favoring digital media as opposed to traditional marketing. However, if we look at bigger picture, this isn’t exactly right.
With 13 long years of marketing background in the Philippines and Australia, mainly digital, Marketing VP Gian Reyes strongly stands that digital media is not a replacement for traditional efforts but a complement to the latter. Working for KMC Solutions, the Philippines’ largest provider of flexible office spaces, Gian has seen how digital marketers, himself included, has always been focused on return on ad spend (ROA).
In line with this, he also pointed out that digital media is generally hypertargeting which may not always be the best practice by saying, “Oftentimes, we focus excessively on personalization and hypertargeting [that] we end up forsaking traditional marketing; foregoing the non-tangible benefits of above the line or “ATL” marketing.”
Some of these intangibles include ease of hiring, and opening doors for sales teams, which is why KMC has been investing more on top of the funnel initiatives including an increase in spend on OOH and brand partners.
“I think the barrier to entry in digital compared to the barrier to entry in other traditional forms of marketing is very low, thus there’s a certain gravitas and certain trust provided by something like a billboard or an advertisement on TV or being seen on print” – Gian Reyes, VP of Marketing for KMC Solutions
As digital marketers we often hear brands wanting to go ‘viral’ as their main goal of hiring agencies without seeming to have an end in sight, which is why we see so many copy-cat campaigns that flop. Gian thinks going viral is great, as long as it adds to your brand story and sentiment, not if its just a flash in the pan attention grabber.
On why KMC continues running in-person hybrid events, he mentions “Even with where we are in Augmented Reality and 360 degree tour technology, digital media just pales in comparison with traditional events when it comes to experiential marketing.”
As with real estate tours and fan events, it’s an emotional affair, and to really touch our emotions, it should be fully immersive. Consumers just love having a full-circle experience with their 5 senses; they love to feel the textures, know what it tastes or smells like. Although that is the case, it is also worth taking note that for seeing and hearing what’s present, digital platforms can really be of help especially during these trying times. You can publish videos or photos of an offering and supplement it with other physical activations so consumers have something to look forward to.
In conclusion, now more than ever, we can see that marrying traditional and digital media really produces the best outcomes as both helps in reaching audiences that may not be present on the other.
For more information and invitations, you may contact Gian Reyes by sending an email to gian.reyes@kmc.solutions
