Digital marketing, when compared to other forms of marketing in the Philippines, is climbing a steep hill. With a numerous challenges to surmount, brands and companies need to constantly improve strategies on social media, innovate on existing technologies, and of course, produce content which their respective fans and communities love. With the way things are going, the (near) future of digital marketing in the Philippines is looking pretty good.

The Future of Digital Marketing in the Philippines

…is full of challenges. This much is true: it’s hard for brands, big and small, to be heard effectively online. It’s even tougher for marketers; these are the guys who will be doing “the dirty work”. Why is it tough? It’s because of the following challenges.

1. The Noisy Environment. The Internet is a noisy place. There are thousands and thousands of brands advertising at any given moment, our social networking sites/accounts included, and each one is fighting for YOUR attention. Think about it: you don’t see THAT many ads on your Facebook News Feed; the ones you see have successfully made themselves SEEN – imagine the numerous others (some of which you may be interested in) which haven’t.
2. The Audience. At present time, perhaps 2/3 of the country still do not have regular access to the Internet. That’s a large number – perhaps nearly 70 million individuals. This large audience inaccessible via digital marketing must be approached another way: through traditional media. This is also why traditional media is still a powerful force in Philippine marketing.
3. The Technology. Even though the Philippines is the fastest growing smartphone market in the region, the technology is still very expensive – for both consumers (smartphone, tablet, laptop, and Internet prices/costs) and brands (online placements and social media advertisements). Until such time that high-tech is available in numbers and cheaply, this will continue to be a barrier.
4. The Metrics. Social proof (i.e. the number of YOUR friends and/or network members who will endorse a product or service to you via social media) is more and more a devalued metric. Your friends who “like” a brand’s Facebook Page may not necessarily have positive feelings for said brand – but has “Liked” it due to an ad or a promo.

So Why is the Future of Digital Marketing Bright?

It’s simple, the country as a whole is learning and is slowly but surely growing digital. Consider that:

1. The Philippine economy grew. At 6.6% positive growth, this was better than many predictions. This could mean more jobs, and more jobs allow people to have more to spend on products and services.
2. The Philippine government is digitizing. With e-banking and e-payments gaining momentum, as well as the government’s adoption of social platforms such as Google+ and Twitter, more people would perhaps be more familiar to the technology.
3. The Philippines has more access to the Internet. Google’s launch of the Free Zone has empowered thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos by allowing them free access to Search, Gmail, and Google+, enabling more information to be accessed by more people.

Takeaways: 

Digital marketing may not yet be the giant that traditional media is – but it will be there soon enough.

This was given as a talk at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ “Uprising of the Marketing Victors, Empower Brands, Engage Customers, and Execute Big Ideas”, February 5, 2013. View the presentation slideshow below!

Please share this article if you found it useful! Got questions on the future of digital marketing? Let me know in the comments!

Featured image by artemuestra from Creative Commons, retrieved on February 5, 2013.

The Bright Future of Digital Marketing in the Philippines

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