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Aspiring for a more digital Singapore

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Singapore’s digital marketing spend is said to waver around 11% a figure significantly lower that its equally advanced digital counterparts such as Australia and China where that figure has quickly risen to about 36-40% this year.Yet, not much has done to improve Singapore’s relatively laggard digital adspend, Rajan Anandan (pictured left), managing director of Google, Southeast Asia & India, pointed out during a fireside chat put together by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) with host and Leadership Council Member of the IAB, Olivier Legrand (pictured right), managing director of LinkedIn, Asia Pacific & Japan.“The focus now should be - how do we make Singapore truly a number one digital market in Asia? How do we become the most connected and digitally advanced country in the world?Anandan said having connected households and devices is not enough for the country- private and government enterprises should also ride on the digital wave. According to Legrand, who used to chair the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), connectivity is not an issue for the country: “It’s getting the marketing dollars and marketers to understand the opportunity that exists in a country that is hyperconnected.”Understanding marketers’ needsStill, companies should prioritise on how it wants the business to go digital since most Singaporeans are spending at least fours hours daily online. This is especially crucial for a consumer-facing business like banking. In this instance, organisations are not interested in the “new shiny technology” in as much as they are invested in how digital will help their business.“While technology has changed, marketing hasn’t. It will always be about awareness, engagement, acquisition and retention,” Anandan said.He said that companies eager to digitise should re-invent and re-imagine their values in order to successfully compete in an environment where people are spending four hours a day online.“A company lacking a mobile-optimised website is not a digital business - that’s just a business that doesn’t even know what digital is.”Before delving into increasing digital marketing spend, a business should to realign its technologies and enhance its digital assets so as to maximise conversion.Improving infrastructureWhen asked how businesses can influence headquarters to improve its digital infrastructure, Anandan said invest in an ecosystem with a consistent narrative is key to going big in digital.“Your business has to get its story right. With enough time and conviction, a company has build awareness around the changes that are taking place so that clients can easily get on board.”Still, Anandan noted that companies do face the challenges of talent constraints as well as a lack of measuring tools when it comes to making the digital leap.“In this sense the technology sector can step in. My view is that we need to on measurement – one that is simple and cross-media. Other countries that are spending more than 30% on digital marketing need provide leaders in every vertical. For instance, Unilever will be spending a huge chunk of their advertising on digital this year– this should signal other companies to aim for a higher percentage.”Meanwhile, Legrand pointed out for an advanced market like Singapore, the consumer is miles ahead of the brand and that closing this gap requires more than education to make such a transformation a reality: “C-suite engagement is key. When you have big companies setting aside small online budgets, there is a need to talk to them in their business language and not just digital.”

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