Digital marketing specialists will have been rubbing their hands together in glee as they learned that Mercedes has allocated half of its marketing spend to digital, and that Coke is planning to pursue a "more aggressive" digital presence.
In the UK, Mercedes already spends half of its budget on digital marketing, but the figure is less that 40% in mainland Europe. That's set to change as the company has developed additional specialist expertise, with a whole department in Germany dedicated to online marketing.
According to the firm's head of brand communications, Anders Sundt Jensen, Mercedes' strategy is to innovate online whilst retaining a sense of caution. "For instance, two years ago there was so much hype around Second Life and where is that today?" he said, adding: "The hype can make it hard to see what really is great and where to invest online."
Coca-Cola on the other hand is taking a fresh look at its digital strategy after building a database of 13 million names through its UK Coke Zone portal and the larger My Coke Rewards site for US consumers. Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Joseph Tripodi pointed out that "With that kind of database you can build relationships with consumers that are very different from the ones you gain through TV ads.”
Also according to Tripodi, Coke will be "pushing for a far more aggressive digital presence. What we’re going for... [is] compelling content. Some will be consumer generated, some of it we’ll buy, some of it we’ll create ourselves."
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