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The launch of the iPad passed last month with the expected fanfare, and much to the dislike of Apple’s competitors and disbelievers; the world is bracing itself for yet another technological innovation that could redefine the meaning of convergence and set new standards for the consumption of media.

While the reviews intensified days before the launch, the sheer volume of extreme polarization among evangelists and skeptics signaled the level of controversy this “eye-candy” device will generate. But, leaving the iPad reviews to the real techies, the interest it has generated further highlights the debate surrounding digital growth and the transforming practice of media in the Middle East.

Watching the industry’s evolution close to home, one can observe how interest has grown in the role digital media was playing and will play in perfecting the communication process.

The case for digital is unique. Digital gained real momentum in and around 2005, setting itself as one of the clear contenders within the communication profession alongside offline media, public relations, creative, direct marketing and the rest. However, its evolution took a twist over the years when digital media in itself transformed to a mainstream platform, and blossomed into a bouquet of channels that encompass several sub-specializations. The uniqueness of digital is in its ability to transcend the medium and be scalable across a multitude of channels.

That said, digital is still in a nascent phase even for the most digitally mature of countries like South Korea, the UK or the US. In our part of the world, this is even more evident and resounding. But in a region where practitioners have continuously demonstrated openness to change and a strong aptitude for experimentation, that can only mean opportunity.

Yet, with any emerging trend, change always stirs controversy and divides opinion over the best course ahead. With media investments in digital channels steadily increasing over the past few years, this discussion has only intensified.

Skeptics handling mainstream media have been demanding more control of the digital process, with the claim that communication planning is not restricted to media that is analogous in nature. That makes sense, but since few of the current lead communications planners are digital natives, this argument is easily contested.

On the other hand, digital practitioners complain of ego conflicts over territorial leadership, which stunt progress and keep everyone from producing great work. Again, there is some truth to this, not forgetting the fact that marketers are the ones who will decide who gets to lead their business; agency structures are ultimately meant to address clients’ business needs and not the whims of an agency leader.

So, in the interest of advancing this discussion and adding value to it, let’s look at some facts:

1. On the surface of things, digital today constitutes about 5 percent of total media investment in the region. One could argue about the exact figure, but the deviation won’t be more than 1 percent plus or minus. Therefore, as complex as it may be, digital has not achieved the monetary critical mass to lead the communication process.

2. Despite the technological transformation sweeping the region, digital penetration today remains skewed to particular segments of the population. It won’t take long for others to catch up (according to industry experts, broadband penetration is set to triple over the coming five years), but there are other catalytic requirements – like high penetration of credit cards, and low broadband subscription costs – without which progress will remain slow.

3. Digital is a fully connected and fully measured platform by default; that puts it ahead of any other channel in registering response and measuring engagement. However, so far digital has been operating in a world of its own, generating a wide array of topical metrics as proof of performance. To reach inflection point, digital metrics have to find a way to link with the marketing measurement palette and prove digital’s case – something other channels are still struggling to demonstrate.

The future is inescapable and will bring a converged world of media, with digital sitting centrally within it. To succeed in that future, though, we must start preparing now, when it comes to team formation.
Digital cannot lead in the future if it continues to be a silo structure, independent and autonomous. In contrast, legacy disciplines cannot continue to lead in the future without having a right of passage through the digital world.

This looks like a dilemma: specialization versus multi-disciplined operator. But it need not be one or the other. Disciplines have a lot to learn from each other’s experiences and achievements; creating integrated structures that harnesses the business maturity of legacy disciplines while fostering the specialization of digital natives will pave the way for truly holistic structures.

Furthermore, the rise of product categories that are highly dependent on technology is presenting agencies with the perfect opportunity to assign leadership to digital experts supervising full team formations.

Internally at OMD, to leapfrog the evolution process, we’ve structured our agency teams with experts from both digital and analogue, working in an integrated fashion to provide communication solutions that transcend the singularity of one platform.

The results took some time to materialize, but the outcome is startling. Not only do we observe higher collaboration among team members, but also a seamless approach to problem solving and, more importantly, more ideas capable of traveling to spaces traditionally closed off by silo structures.

The next phase has already started, and the next generation of leaders will have a seasoned profile: They will be a special breed of versatile operators who are able to build bridges between brands and consumers in an ever evolving and measurable media world.

The future is here: It’s integrated yet autonomously specialized – a truly unique blend.

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