"The media landscape dramatically evolves every second, and we don't even realize it," said Kristine A. Go, Senior Vice President for Wireless Consumer Business at Smart Communications, Inc., speaking before an audience of advertising, marketing, and media professionals at MMA Impact Philippines.
Her keynote session, "Shifting Paradigms: The Future of Media, Marketing, and Advertising in the Philippines," underscored the transformation brought about by the rapid rise of digital media, a shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"With digital becoming mainstream, describing the media reality as “fast-paced” is an understatement," said Go, identifying five "key provocations" impacting this changing media landscape: Digital as the new reality; every person as a marketing channel; the challenges and opportunities of living in a siloed digital world; personal data being the 'new gold'; and scratching the tip of the AI iceberg.
Go attributed the country's rapid digitalization to the onslaught of the pandemic. "Smartphones became dominant, leading to the explosion of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Streaming platforms gave rise to video-on-demand and the content creator universe. In fact, the Philippines is #1 in online video consumption," she said.
In the mobile-first Philippines, where people spend about a third of their days on their smartphones, video streaming is a major activity, alongside social media and gaming. Go says this is due to smartphone affordability and improvements in mobile connectivity. "With LTE evolving into 5G, people are now able to game and stream anywhere uninterrupted. More importantly, with everyone having access to content creation, the latest evolution of this habit has been to livestream outdoors, which 5G allows you to do," she said, adding that mobile connectivity has also enabled 'regular joes' and key opinion leaders to influence other consumers via social media.
"What powers all of these is 5G, as it offers several solutions to the challenges of modern advertising, primarily by enhancing existing formats and enabling entirely new possibilities, like precision targeting, personalization, interactive video ads, augmented reality, and virtual reality environments," she said. To date, Smart's 4G and 5G mobile network covers 97% of the population.
'Fearless prediction'
In addition to 5G, the mainstreaming of AI is likewise seen to revolutionize not just the marketing and advertising landscape, but other fields such as education as well. "The Philippines is among the top countries in the world in terms of interest in AI," said Go, citing data from Google. "My fearless prediction is that AI will become mainstream faster than we think. In the Philippines, the Department of Education is teaming up with Khan Academy to digitize classrooms and educational content. Part of that project is the AI assistant, khanmigo, which creates lesson plans for teachers, and tutors students on any subject," she added.
However, with opportunities come challenges, as the increasingly digital world has also given rise to siloes. "The proliferation of content and on-demand viewing has created millions of options, which makes individuals live in their own, not-so-little digital world. Brands need to be mindful of their presence where they are applicable or relevant, and create content befitting the media channel they have chosen," Go said.
Go also cited personal data as the 'new gold' and is key to unlocking curated experiences. "With the growing desire for uniqueness and convenience, which are driving the demand and rising expectations for personalized online experiences, personal data is key to delivering what customers want," she said, adding that while many are susceptible to personalized ads, consumers remain contradictory on this matter. "While they seek out curated experiences, they don’t want to offer their personal data and they prefer to be anonymous online."
PLDT and Smart's participation in industry events like the MMA Impact Philippines is part of the group's broader goal of demonstrating leadership in innovation and contributing to nation-building by driving technological advancements, fostering meaningful connections to empower communities, and bringing the benefits of the internet closer to more Filipinos across the country.
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