This is the message that has been driven home at the on-going marketing technology (MarTech) global summit in Phuket, Thailand, organised by the software company Netcore Cloud.
A total of 50 senior executives from organisations across Southeast Asia such as FMT, GoTo, Unilever, XL Axiata, Dominos, Carsome, GCash and Philippine National Bank were at the four-day event to exchange ideas and debate issues on marketing and technology.
Among the notable clients of these marketing services providers are McDonald’s, Bodyshop, KFC and Tommy Hilfiger.
In line with the key message that marketing must have a soul, the participants agreed that this could be delivered through various channels.
Firstly, they said, the content must be meaningful enough to engage people intelligently or move them emotionally.
As Wence Wenceslao, the digital hub lead at Unilever put it, brands need to make customers feel positive about themselves. She feels that the best way to convey this message is through digital media.
Secondly, brands must connect with customers through a combination of technology and human interaction, and thirdly, technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are key to making content relevant to individual persons.
To illustrate this, FMT Media Sdn Bhd managing director Azeem Abu Bakar, using the media as an example, pointed out that there must be a strategy to continuously wow people with great stories that matter to them individually.
“We must come to the point where we can make them want more. This is what drives engagement and retention,” he told the delegates.
However, Azeem pointed out, while technology could help to amplify the message and get the customer to retain the information, it is creative content that gives the brand the soul to connect it with the audience.
“That is where the value of the brand lies,” he added.
On the same issue, Wenceslao said advertisements would continue to go digital in the years ahead.
“Through the digital platform, we can use data to maximise the returns on our investments on advertising through personalisation,” she said.
On the issue of social interaction, GoTo Financials director and head of engineering Akshay Bhardwaj said the user interface, especially e-commerce apps such as e-hailing, must move away from being just transactional.
Just like social media, these apps should be engaged in building communities and forming meaningful relationships that can result in greater customer satisfaction and, by extension, also enhance the brand.
Meeting the UN sustainable development goals (SDG) is also important for many consumers, according to Ng Hao Ping of iORA Singapore.
He said that consumers now expect the companies they buy from to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements.
“New generation of consumers want to buy only from brands that share the same values as them,” he said.
Mindvalley vice-president of marketing Marisha Lakhiani, who touched on personalisation, said it is important to develop personal relationships with the customer by understanding them and their pain points.
“We should not overwhelm them with irrelevant information that will make them feel disconnected,” she said.
For Mediko Azwar, chief marketing officer at Indonesia’s transportation group Blue Bird, personalisation is simply about “loving your customer”.
“Make your presence felt, tell them your story and keep loving them and stay relevant at every stage,” he added.
Netcore, which hosted the event, serves 6,500 brands from around the world which includes McDonald’s, Body Shop, KFC and Tommy Hilfiger.