The latest report from Adobe Research has highlighted that the top brands have made significant investments in improving the speed, scale, and efficiency of their content creation capabilities and workflows.
By doing so, they aim to establish stronger relationships with their customers and stay ahead of the competition in 2023. Furthermore, these brands are also working towards enhancing their existing marketing processes and technologies to maximise the returns on their investments.
This approach ensures that they can capitalise on every opportunity that comes their way throughout the year and maintain a competitive edge in the market.
As per the latest research, a whopping 88 per cent of senior executives in ANZ have reported a significant increase in the demand for content.
Despite this growing demand from customers, who now expect dynamic digital experiences across various channels, only a meagre 19 per cent of brands consider themselves good at creating and delivering content.
To tackle this issue, industry leaders are revamping their content supply chains, which encompass content campaign planning, creation, delivery, and data analysis. The focus is on improving efficiency and reducing costs, with 25 per cent of senior ANZ executives already reporting successful streamlining of their content processes. In 2023, 40 per cent of senior executives aim to further enhance efficiency by automating and simplifying processes.
As content creation continues to expand, businesses need to keep up with the growing demand and provide dynamic experiences for customers. By streamlining their content supply chains and investing in emerging technologies, brands can meet customer expectations and achieve success in today’s competitive market.
One Australian organisation that’s already adopted automation is Cotton On Group. To better engage the brand’s young audience across multiple markets, the retail brand needed to interact in a more natural, authentic and conversational way.
Rob Hede, Head of Customer Experience Cotton On Brands, said, “We’re shifting focus to create content that feels really appropriate. It feels like we’re really trying to have a conversation with you and be part of your life.”
To do so, Hede needed to create the time for team members to empathise with their customers and flex their creative muscles. Carving out time for creativity first meant liberating the team from trivial design tasks. To manage this, Hede leaned on automated design tools.
“We want to get them focused again on doing amazing work and creating, not just duplicating artwork or repeating the files out to multiple currencies or doing manual stuff,” Hede said.
Towards digitising
Leaders in the industry are prioritising the improvement of processes and technologies to enable success in the current economic climate. This is reflected in the investments made in content and creative workflows. In fact, nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of ANZ leaders are planning to invest in new marketing and data technologies in 2023, while another quarter (15 per cent) aim to maximize the value of their existing technologies.
However, economic concerns have caused some brands to prioritize immediate needs at the expense of longer-term planning and strategy. 63 per cent of senior brand executives in ANZ report that their future planning may be suffering as a result. Globally, brands are exploring new digital platforms and forms of engagement, with 88 per cent of ANZ senior brand executives investigating chatbots and AI-driven customer interactions to enhance the customer experience.
Investment in the Metaverse, however, seems to be lagging. In fact, 90 per cent of ANZ executives do not believe it will apply to their organization, compared to 36 per cent globally. As brands look towards new technologies and platforms to improve the customer experience, it is crucial for businesses to strike a balance between meeting immediate needs and investing in long-term strategies to stay competitive in the market.
Workflow is priority
Workflow has emerged as a top priority for brands in ANZ as they look to accelerate content creation without compromising on employee time and creativity. According to 46 per cent of ANZ marketing practitioners, a lack of time is a major barrier to delivering excellent customer experiences.
9Additionally, less than a quarter (23 per cent) of ANZ practitioners rate their organizations as “good” or “very good” at planning, scoping, prioritizing, and assigning content to achieve measurable outcomes, compared to 25 per cent in APAC and 33 per cent globally.
Workflow issues are also seen as a critical factor holding back organizations, with 44 per cent of ANZ marketers citing it as a problem. To address this, leading brands in ANZ are prioritizing workflow management, digital collaboration, and upskilling their teams to strengthen content development in 2023.
More than a third (40 per cent) of ANZ brands aim to streamline and leverage AI or automate collaboration processes to help their teams work more efficiently.
Meanwhile, 27 per cent of ANZ brands are prioritizing building their team’s digital and customer experience skills. As brands continue to focus on improving workflows and upskilling their teams, they are likely to see improvements in content creation and customer experiences.
More here: 2023 Digital Trends Report
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