Ensuring Brand Success: How CMOs Can Build a Contemporary Brand Platform: Interview with: Nigel Smith, Chief Executive Officer, DIA Brand Consultants Pty Ltd

1. Ensuring Brand Success:
How CMOs Can Build a Contemporary Brand Platform
All of these are creating new markets
and opportunities, but the temptation in
times of rapid change and market
disruption is to be reactive to trends
thus losing focus on the inherent longterm value in a brand. CMOs must stay
focused and have a strong compass for
the brand. Every brand has at its core a
human story and the challenge now is
how to share that story in the new
emerging media and in ways that will
resonate with people.
Interview with: Nigel Smith, Chief
Executive Officer, DIA Brand
Consultants Pty Ltd
The marketing skills that will matter in
the future are not the skills that matter
today, according to Nigel Smith, Chief
E x e c u t iv e O f f i c e r , D I A
B ra n d
Consultants Pty Ltd. “Brands are and
will always be anchored on human
emotions but the way we are
communicating them has changed.
Blending the new and traditional
knowledge bases into a contemporary
brand platform will be the deciding
factor in every brand’s success,” he
believes.
DIA Brand Consultants Pty Ltd is a
brand consultancy firm attending the
CMO Asia Summit 2014, taking place
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 26 - 27 May.
How is the fast pace of change
impacting the marketing function?
How can CMOs better identify
opportunities for their brand?
Consumers are constantly looking for
new ideas and inspiration, so there is
now a very high premium on innovation.
The ability to innovate new or enhanced
products or services is the game
changer in most markets. Everyone is
looking for new and different products
and services that can enhance their
lives.
This means all brands need to stay
ahead of the curve and put a premium
on innovation within their organisation
to remain competitive. Design Thinking
and other innovation methodologies are
increasingly becoming processes that
are seen as core to future success in
leading companies.
What does it take to better connect
with customers?
Most Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs)
are being challenged by change coming
from a number of different directions.
The digital economy has opened up
access to a treasure trove of data on
consumers and social media platforms
can be utilised to engage them in
previously unforeseen ways.
You have to know your consumer.
Success has always been about knowing
people’s habits, likes, dislikes and
unfulfilled desires, but now we have
limitless opportunities for engaging with
people as individuals and as groups.
Tapping this deep well of data is
challenging and takes significant
investment in the initial stages, as well
as some quota of risk.
This is coupled with a growing middle
class in the emerging markets, an
ageing population in many developed
economies, a shift from manufacturing
to services, and a fast growing, digitalsavvy Generation Y and Z.
Progressive brands have understood
that there is a paradigm shift in the way
that marketers are able to engage with
consumers in more relevant, contentrich and personalised ways. Tapping this
will mean a significant re-allocation of
marketing focus and budget, but failure
to do so may mean being left behind.
In today’s crowded marketplace, brands
must have a clear story that is
meaningful to the target audience. A
story told, a humorous line or an image
shared can create magic in marketing.
What marketing trends do you
expect to see in the near future?
The skills that will matter in the future
are not the skills that matter today. This
is a very fast-changing scenario. We
only have to look at the music,
publishing, retail and travel industries to
understand we cannot stand still.
The skills of the new economy reside
mainly with Gen Y and Z who have
grown up in the digital world. However,
traditional skills and knowledge will
remain critical, so CMOs must combine
the new and old methods to succeed.
More than ever
you have to
know your
consumer well
to win hearts
and minds

2. About the CMO Asia Summit 2014
The
Marketing
Network
–
marcus evans Summits group
delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional
trends
and
breakthrough
innovations.
This unique forum will take place at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, 26 - 27 May 2014. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or
trade show, this
exclusive meeting will bring together
esteemed
marketing
professionals and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking
event.
www.cmoasiasummit.com
Please note that the Summit is a
closed
number
business
of
event
participants
and
the
strictly
limited.
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About DIA Brand Consultants Pty Ltd
DIA offers tailored and end-to-end branding solutions that meet the specific needs of your business, be it a complex multinational
corporation or an emerging local enterprise. Underpinned by our rigorous and proven processes, we provide all the key services
required to develop, activate and maintain your brand, empowering it to win the hearts and minds of customers.
www.diabrands.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, case studies, roundtables and one-to-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
CMO Summit (Australia) - www.cmoanzsummit.com
CMO Japan Summit - www.cmojapansummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.cmoasiasummit.com/NigelSmith