GOA: At a time when digital is certainly the next big thing, delegates at the ongoing GoaFest were treated to some great work in the online space. In her session aptly titled “Celebrating Great Media Work,” MEC global CSO Melanie Varley spoke of emerging trends in digital and how brands can tame that shape-shifting beast called digital…

Excerpts of the interview…

 What made you visit GoaFest?

I was invited by my GroupM India team. They asked me if I could come down here and share some of my global experiences. My presentation was thus based on ‘Celebrating Great Media Work’. It spoke of some of the best campaigns across countries that got recognised at the Cannes Lions 2013.

As a jury member at the Cannes Lions last year, what are your observations on the performance of emerging markets? And, how did Indian brands crack the digital code at the Cannes Lions?

Different markets have different maturity levels. The more the market grows, the more it will get exposed to business opportunities. I think India has extremely good talent. It is about the right time. As I mentioned, countries like Brazil and China have set a great example in the world of marketing. All that they have tapped on is some blending of inspiration and ideas in the right proportion. 

What are some of the digital marketing lessons that Indian brands can take from their western counterparts?

While a brand sits down to ideate its mainline campaign, it should defiantly have a digital plan incorporated at the very beginning. Brands should analyse how digital media is impacting their business. There is a plethora of options that brands have today on digital. Once a brand is clear with the purpose of it being on digital, there is a lot that it can explore. Digital offers a lot of data learning. If brands tap on it rightly, a lot of work can be done effectively.

What are the things that brands should keep in mind to leave creative impressions on social?

Brands need to understand that for digital, engagement is the key success factor. It is also important to decode if a digital campaign is adding any value to the brand.  The might of small screens is much more than TV if used wisely. Customising messages for multi-screens thereby becomes essential. Ways of engaging consumers should not only be impressive but also impressive. According me, at the end of the day, a good idea can come from anywhere.

How can social media help local brands scale up?

If smaller brands want to get their due presence on social, all they have to do is create something that will make people talk about.