Digital Strategy Is Changing: Cultural Anthropology Is Now Your Brand Strategy

The South African shoemaker selling sandals in an open air market in SWATO is in competition with other shoemakers locally or even manufacturers globally, but what make his business unique is that his handcrafted product is made from rubber tires at the local garbage dump. The tires are free, and his business concept is easy to template from shoemaker to shoemaker without legal restrictions or permissions to prevent duplication of product. Such open transfer of intellectual information and process can be compared to the openness and power of social networks, and the way in which conversations can freely stimulate the flow of ideas such as crowdsourcing (free outsourcing), thus empowering people, particularly those in economically challenged emerging communities around the world. For more on this kind of innovation read Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From.

So what does the emerging nation and online social platform have to do with the “right” practice of digital strategy? The rapid increase and use of social networking platforms, mobile platforms, and available online access are challenging traditional digital strategy concepts, replacing them with new global ones. These new strategies require a broader understanding of global cultural and behavioral norms.

For example, a World Bank report recently stated that the number of mobile subscriptions in the world is expected to pass five billion this year, according to the International Telecommunication Union. That would mean more people today have access to a cell phone than have access to a clean toilet, says the United Nations. This increase is being fueled by mobile technology growth in developing countries like Kenya, India, Brazil, South Korea, and even Afghanistan.

Source: Pew Internet

Your digital campaign strategy may be missing its full market potential if you do not consider the growing influence that many emerging global communities have over brand adoption. Without considering these influences, a community’s global feedback loop can disrupt your campaign strategy. For example, in the US, a large percentage of the Latino and Indian population have strong ties to their country of origin.

Article Author: Peter Sabbagh

Peter Sabbagh is a Social Media Strategist at Blue Sky 365 Social Media Strategy, has traveled extensively implementing marketing campaigns in the United States, United Kingdom, Africa, Pacific Basin and Asia. He passionate about digital strategy, technology innovation, and social media. …

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