A quick flick through any digital marketing publication will tell you that “Convergence” is the buzzword of the moment. Various digital providers have recognised that the increased prevalence of smart phones means that consumers will increasingly access the internet whilst in the retail environment delivering a natural ‘convergence’ between physical and online shopping. Much has been made of the opportunities that convergence might deliver but like all opportunities it also carries threat, and one of the most obvious threats from convergence is to expose brand inconsistencies across channels at the Point of Sale.
Convergence is already happening and retailers need to take measures now to ensure brand consistency across new and traditional channels as without a common foundation, probably in the form of a common Print and Digital Asset Management System, brands will begin to become damaged in the eyes of consumers. Consumers care little for the complexity of multi channel marketing, they will however be quick to judge mixed and confused messages regardless of where they saw it. This threat is about to be exacerbated with the imminent arrival of Near Field Communications. NFC is a transformational technology that allows smart phones send and receive data, including payment by simply placing the phone on an NFC node. Consumers will simply ‘bump’ their phone on a hotspot next to product to download all the relevant sales information, an irresistible facility for marketers but also one that will demand consistent pricing, messages and T&C’s between the physical (print) and digital world.
Today the traditional marketing teams are generally separate from the online teams who have often farmed social media management out to the PR department. The result, despite best efforts, is a degree of message or brand divergence. Obviously the simplest way to converge messaging is to avoid divergence in the first place. However with the tempo and geographic spread of modern businesses, the only practical solution is for all marketing collateral to be coordinated through a single collaborative, cloud based workflow and DAM a.k.a. Marketing Convergence
ITG have developed a system to ensure consistency across multiple media platforms through a cloud based system called Media Centre which is now being used by some of Britain’s best loved and most high profile brands including Weight Watchers, Marks and Spencer, KFC and Sainsbury’s. Media Centre is an end-to-end multimedia marketing platform that coordinates every aspect of the marketing chain, including suppliers, onto one secure, collaborative cloud based solution that can be accessed remotely.
Large brands have always had a struggle to ensure pure brand and message consistency across large, sometimes international, estates. However the errors have generally been kept to a minimum and seen by few, thereby reducing the impact. The explosion of digital channels has increased both the scale and speed of modern marketing thereby greatly increasing the potential for error. The convergence of technology in the retail space means that consumers now have access to all forms of marketing simultaneously, at the point of sale. Multiple errors at that point represent a real and present danger to brand reputation and so the smart brands are taking steps to ensure that their marketing messages never get the chance to diverge in the first place.
