Introduction
Facebook launched in 2004, YouTube launched in 2005, Twitter launched in 2006. The first iPhone was sold in 2007. The Apple App Store was launched in 2008. With the introduction of these technologies and applications, our lives changed. Today, Facebook has over 800 million users, YouTube has over 2 billion views a day, Twitter has over 90 million Tweets a day, Apple has sold over 90 million iPhones, and 10 billion Apps have been downloaded from the Apple App Store. Case stated: Consumer behavior, and dialogue with and amongst consumers, has changed dramatically because of newer technologies that have evolved, and continue to evolve at a rapid pace. For companies to keep or gain market share, this shift calls for a whole new set of strategies towards creating a stronger brand experience. A Chinese proverb sums it well – “Adapting to change is like rowing upstream – not to advance is to drop back.” No surprise that many brands rely on best-of-breed “agencies” to navigate through this space.
This paper seeks to share some insights into this rapidly evolving space. For those in procurement, it also serves as a guide to collaborating with your marketing counterparts for finding the right and best in-class digital agencies that can help you maximize your digital marketing ROI and overall brand success.