This market. Is Dead.
This market. Is dead.
The digital ‘market’. In Asia.
It’s booming- you say. Growth continues. Well, depends on the lens you put on.
Let’s come down from a macro viewpoint- to some factors that could have driven this market, its people, its place.
Instead- we choose Same old rhetoric. Same old routine. Chronically.
Media
Chronic ‘Ad sales’ focus- sell inventory. Buy inventory. Whichever way you slice it.
Vs
Solution focus? Content focus? Product innovation focus? Super niche segments/category focus?
Who is bringing a new audience definition, new engagement approaches, new ways of reaching out?
And yes- Cost per sale ceased to be a new, exciting metric 12 years ago.
Time to evolve.
How many here are talking about 36oº interplay?
Why can’t we think beyond ‘Digital direct response marketing’?
Will someone sell? More importantly- will someone buy?
How many more mobile ad aggregators do we need? How many more years before the Ad exchange ecosystem delivers on the promises made years ago? Still in beta? Who is thinking of media beyond ‘buying inventory’? With legitimacy? Why have media agencies consistently lost in reinventing?
Thought leadership
Who is talking about the next level in their disciplines? Doing something about it? How many people are setting some any agenda- free from internal politics? Who can think of, hold conversations like this- and be applauded for it?
Rhetoric vs starting something
Taking the case of mobile medium-
Asia is the biggest market for mobile…
People will access internet through mobile first…
Heard this before? Zone out the moment you hear it? Still hear it all the time? Worse- still use this all the time? This rhetoric has been there for about ten years. Sure- finally now it has some legitimacy-
But which organizations are starting something – by pioneering ideas, by investing in the right people?
Vs
How many are talking about it, waiting at the sidelines for something to happen? Someone to take action, share a case study?
It is the same with ‘SOLOMO’, ‘Gamification’, ‘likonomy’, etc
Agencies
How many agencies are building stuff? Getting the right mix of people? Ideas first cash later?
Vs
How many agencies are waiting for clients to ask? How many are struggling with ‘social’, ‘mobile’, ‘local’ , ‘flavor of the month’(!)?
The investor community
How many are investing in ideas?
Vs
How many are investing in ideas that have already sold? Well formed teams, proven business models…?
People
How many regard local talent to come at the helm?
vs
How many bring in senior people from the West? (The alibi – We can’t find talent here!)
Where are the Avinash, Armano, Rubel, Sterne, Owyang here? If some are indeed there- who lauds them? Who knows them?
Unless we get the mindsets right here. This market. Is Dead.
At the least- from an innovation/leadership point of view.
Vs short term business point of view
Someone give it a jolt.
Featured image attribution: Wikimedia
