I had the privilege of attending the Caribbean Digital Expo 2011 on November 22 that was put on by Caribbean Ideas in collaboration with several sponsors. As part of an agency with a huge focus on digital marketing, it was indeed exciting to be part of the conversation and vibrant community that attended. The keynote morning session on Creative Branding on Facebook was presented by Jennifer Kattula, Head of Agency Marketing at Facebook. She shared with us the power of connections, principles of social design, pages and ads best practices as well as what’s next for Facebook. For me, the main take away was that people connect with things/ brands they care about. Therefore, in developing your online strategy, always ask why will they care and why will they share. She ended by challenging us as marketers and advertisers – What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
The panel discussion that followed explored the state of digital marketing in the region. It was refreshing to see that so many clients are embracing the use of digital for branding and driving business results. Offline and online integration is key. After lunch, Alec Rosen led the session on Reputation & Crisis Management using social media. He shared a 5 step process – Prepare, Identify, Respond, Communicate and Evaluate – that reinforced the need for a consistent and honest voice to avoid brand disruption and confusion. The Mobile Marketing session with Sean Killen from RIM/Blackberry revealed the future of BBM, BBX and that in the Caribbean, Blackberry penetration is 85%.
The final keynote on the digital future is NOW was led by Jason De Turris of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. He spoke about how the rules of engagement have changed from intrusion to engagement. Your brand + digital = no walls. no dead ends. An interesting idea was how to leverage cultural tension to start conversations about product truths with a case study on Dominos and their “Pizza Turnaround” campaign.
Chike Farrel, CEO of Caribbean Ideas, ended the intensive day with a valuable summary.
- Integrate – offline and online must work together
- Be there – go where your customers are
- Listen – and be part of the conversation
- Jump in – “start by starting” (saying at Facebook)
- Be brave – take risks
