We find ourselves at a crucial point in the digital era – the interim years – as we transition towards the future.
Remember when consumers led the way to make services such as Netflix, Uber, MrD, Takealot, TikTok and Google part of their daily lives? This customer of the not-too-distant future will expect more experience-driven interactions, transparency and ethics, and digital-first solutions from brands.
We must acknowledge the rapid landscape change that rose from the post-Covid-19 timeframe. We also cannot be evolutionary for the consumers of our world if we do not embrace the changes our consumers have led us towards.
The transitionary period between where we were before the pandemic and where we are going allows us to stop and recalibrate to become more proactive instead of constantly reacting to change.
At IAB South Africa, our council and committees are geared to take the long-term approach so that we ask critical questions and tackle some serious challenges for each industry vertical.
This will allow the organisation to help steer IAB members towards an always digitally first space as consumers become digitally native.
No way back
There is no way back as, unsurprisingly, consumers are adapting to technology nearly as quickly as technology evolves.
The interesting shift with this phenomenon is the ability to create more immersive hybrid experiences where offline meets online, especially in cases such as hybrid commerce (H-Commerce), retail media, and augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), to name a few key concepts shaping the future of marketing.
To create loyalty that transcends sales, it is imperative that the industry collectively works towards a trustworthy, dynamic and creative digital world that provides an experience consumers expect.
To assist the positive transition towards a proactive shift for the industry, IAB South Africa has committed to the following concepts for this year:
- Underpinning 2024’s theme with a focus on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), which requires plentiful discussions and forward thinking so that organisations can remain relevant and align with shifts for the industry’s trustworthy supply chain and consumer experiences
- Collaborating across industries with brands and companies aligned with IAB’s key theme for 2024
GenAI is evolving exponentially and what was novel a mere two years ago is becoming commonplace, particularly in the digital media and marketing industry. As the world embraces GenAI, the industry still has to nurture the necessities for humans to thrive.
No AI illusions
Make no mistake: marketers have no illusions that GenAI is the be-all and end-all. Instead, the hype created with the release of ChatGPT, quickly followed by myriad other platforms, is wearing off as the reality of GenAI platforms fabricating facts, manufacturing figures and generating gibberish hits hard.
It is still the job of marketers and digital publishers to be creative and produce compelling work that captures consumers’ attention. If GenAI is used smartly, we will propel innovative work to even greater heights.
This is why GenAI is core to IAB South Africa’s focus as the organisation, alongside its members, continues its goal to shape the digital frontier to be ready for the 2030 customer.
As part of its long-term approach, IAB South Africa has launched three new councils and committees – namely AI, digital marketing transformation and media – that aim to unpack and work towards education, measurement and acknowledgement of the broader digital trends that enable growth for agencies, publishers, platforms and specialist companies working in digital media and marketing.
These insights will be shared with IAB members and industry stakeholders through events, discussions and resources. IAB South Africa has further partnered with events and organisations, such as EO Ignite, the Marketing Innovation Summit (IMS), the Nedbank Integrated Marketing Council (IMC) and CTV Ad Africa, among others, to allow wider audiences access to its insights.
Through these initiatives and the organisation’s premier event, The Bookmark Awards, IAB South Africa is boldly forging ahead to benchmark digital excellence in marketing.
As such, the organisation invites everyone involved in the digital media and marketing industry to actively participate in this exciting journey of collectively unpacking and serving the 2030 customer.
The latest digital media and marketing trends, news and analyses, or to become an IAB South Africa member, visit iabsa.net.
Razia Pillay is the chief executive officer of the IAB South Africa with more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing. Having begun her career at Arena Holdings during the height of the company’s digital transformation journey, where she rose to the position of digital brand manager. Her passion for digital marketing and youth empowerment has also seen her serve as a lecturer and facilitator at Red & Yellow School of Business’s 2U Digital Marketing Unemployed Learnership Programme and on the IAB South Africa’s Transformation Council.
