Digital marketing is changing the marketing mix and the way marketers communicate with their target markets. Marketing professionals need to upgrade their skills, as successful marketing strategies demand the right consumer insights and channel selection.
Have you noticed how more and more adverts are targeted at you when you browse the internet on your smartphone or PC? Digital is the fastest-growing revenue stream in the retail and leisure industries. Marketers in these industries recognise that the "four Ps" of the marketing mix – price, place, product and promotion – need to be put in the digital marketing context.
The challenge that is facing fast-moving consumer goods marketers is balancing traditional and new media to achieve results. The power of personal media technology can be used to increase sales, enhance brand identity, improve consumer experience, deliver location and contextually relevant information, deepen engagement, improve productivity, and reduce costs for consumer and employee audiences.
As mobile devices become more sophisticated, there is an opportunity for marketers to deliver compelling brand messaging where consumers make purchase decisions. This rapid change underlines the need to invest in training and resources that enable marketers to extract actionable insights from data.
If you work in marketing or plan to enter the marketing industry, you should integrate traditional university education with vocational marketing qualifications. A good undergraduate degree, backed up by work experience, should go a long way in securing an entry-level position in a strong organisation.
Marc Burrage is regional director of Hays in Hong Kong
