Although digital technology has been growing exponentially in Malaysia and is fast becoming the DNA that underpins nearly all human interaction, yet less than 6% of businesses have mastered the alignment of digital strategies with long-term business goals, according to digital marketing agency Isobar Malaysia.
Its managing director Ben Chew in a statement said: “Most Malaysian businesses are still at the opportunistic stages, appreciating a need to have a long-term, consistent digital strategy but are only ready to execute on a project basis at this point. Digital is still a tactical channel and not a business driver. The time is now. We want to catalyse a paradigm shift in business focus towards digital as a business driver.”
The agency, he says is effectively moving upstream where marketing decision and business directions are being set, adding that digital must move beyond an advertising and communications channel.
Malaysia has one of the most connected populations in the region. And a well-crafted digital experience can create uplifting impact, from the point of engagement to the point of transaction.
Responding to this, Isobar is leading the charge in inventing a new breed of agency called the brand commerce agency.
“Our strategy is to ensure that Isobar Malaysia’s offering goes beyond just being tactical, which is providing the digital add-on that is defined by above-the-line agencies, to one which allows us to bring brand strategic thinking to help clients design a better connected experience for a digitally centric world. We see the critical demand for businesses to integrate brand experience with commercial interactions. The future is brand commerce,” Chew noted.
The agency, which recently bagged Malaysia’s Digital Agency of the Year 2015 by Campaign Asia, is committed to being at the forefront of the brand commerce era and is evidently reaping benefits.
Since 2014, Isobar Malaysia’s client base grew by 400% and has built its reputation in the market as a strategic, integrated and brand-focused digital-based agency.
Isobar is geared to take off next year and it will be a year of momentum and aggressive growth for the agency, Chew assures.
Commenting on Isobar’s growth, Nicky Lim, chief operating officer of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) Malaysia says the agency is thriving at the frontier of brand commerce. “It’s time businesses see that the digital agencies of the future like Isobar is set out to steer brands from strategy into commerce. Innovation is at the heart of DAN and the business solutions we provide to clients, and Isobar has set itself as an industry benchmark of innovation and in revolutionising the digital realm,” he adds.
Isobar, global full service digital marketing agency, have over 4,000 digital pioneers in over 70 locations, across 43 markets worldwide. Key clients include adidas, Coca-Cola, Huawei, Google, Enterprise, Kellogg’s, and P&G. Isobar is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc.
