Exclusive interview with Karl Escritt, CEO, Like Digital & Partners
TECHx: What new digital habits are emerging in the post-covid era, and how should brands adapt?
Karl: The post-Covid world brought about a whole new level of long-term changes in consumer habits and technology use on a daily basis. However, the most important factor that brands should be aware of and adapt to is the amount of time we spend online, which is currently at a global average of 7 hours per day.
That is, many of us spend more time online than we do eating, sleeping, or working. This can be difficult for brands because they now have to compete for consumer attention on a much larger scale. To stay top of mind with consumers during this daily 7-hour online habit, businesses will need to adapt and shift to a more personalized content lead strategy with real-time analytics.
TECHx: In an always-on digital world, how can you stay relevant and keep consumers’ attention?
Karl: Staying relevant in an always-on digital world requires understanding that customers are not confined to a single device or channel throughout the day. As previously stated, time spent online has increased significantly post-covid, but so has the way we consume content. In a single day, we may switch from Alexa to mobile, mobile to desktop, emails to TikTok, and possibly end our 7 hours online watching Netflix while browsing an e-commerce store for items for our next vacation.
Brands must understand this new consumer engagement ecosystem and find new ways to communicate with consumers across these channels and devices in a timely manner. This can be accomplished through personalized content, products, and messaging. Brands that embrace this will be on everyone’s mind for the next seven hours.
TECHx: Why should businesses embrace immersive storytelling?
Karl: We all enjoy a good book, a page-turner that you can’t put down, or a TV show that is so engrossing that you watch episodes back-to-back because you can’t wait to see how the story unfolds. These are key drivers that publishers, screenwriters, and directors have been working on for years.
Brands must follow the same principles when creating content and experiences for their audiences, regardless of channel or device. A long-form written article or a VR showroom can both be immersive if the customer believes the story. These stories play an important role in instilling the brand’s ethos and values, resulting in a stronger connection with the end consumer.
TECHx: Why is it more important than ever to experiment with technology?
Karl: Experiments with technology do not always necessitate large capital investments or large teams, which are frequently barriers to tech experimentation. Developing an internal culture and budget that allows for the exploration of new and emerging trends is critical, but most importantly, we must allow for failure and expect no return from these experiments. As technology advances at a much faster rate than anyone else, a brand or business can stay ahead of the curve; this is the only way brands can plan for the future user.
