Having been entrusted with a broader and more diverse scope of creative and marketing activity across new industries, continual evolvement defined DigitalKOG’S project work in 2023. So many new tools and learnings (AI especially!) were grasped and gathered by our creative and development teams in light of the acquisition of some exciting new clients, with fresh faces brought into the agency to manage increased workloads and extend our capabilities.
Take a deep dive with us into our last 12 months.
Steadfast alignment with our five established values…
Data is forever changing, but the principles of LEADOLOGY ™ remain the same and we obeyed them in our many project undertakings, as we’re about to highlight.
1. Leads first… everything else second
How our clients look, how they sound, and how they portray themselves is down to us. Whether in the long-term, short term, or incredibly immediate term, the team has a common goal of generating leads and sales.
This guiding principle was a cornerstone of our success in promoting and growing an array of events, from FIT Show to other prominent industry showcases like Independent Hotel Show, SME XPO, and Surface Design Show, harnessing our know-how in events marketing to drive ticket sales and exhibitor participation.
Putting leads at the forefront had a fundamental role in our clients’ triumphs in the bustling landscape of industry exhibitions.
2. Quality before quantity
Last year, the team worked hard on the clarity of messaging in our marketing and content so that it’s conveyed clearly and fast and drives the desired lead types of our partner companies.
If this means cutting out a whole of content, we don’t hesitate in doing it, not if we feel some refinement will deliver maximum, quality engagement.
The rolling out of campaigns with audience-first considerations persisted, telling the story to whoever was exposed to them.
Putting leads at the forefront had a fundamental role in our clients’ triumphs in the bustling landscape of industry exhibitions.
For Conservatory Outlet’s Premium Retailers, these narratives ranged from pressing home why a customer should buy a new product or regaling them with real-life stories of how homeowners’ lifestyles have been enhanced by having a dream living space installed.
Whatever story we seek to communicate, we know that we don’t need to tick off all angles of content to influence a decision – it’s just a case of delivering the right stories in the right places. And as a close-knit, collaborative team, that’s what we’re always seeking to improve at.
By prioritising precision over volume, we’ve witnessed our client’s new product innovations really take off as they connect with an audience genuinely interested and poised for meaningful engagement.
3. Be data driven, not data led
Data provides direction but isn’t the sole route to our decision-making as although yesterday’s results are a valuable resource to support tomorrow’s blueprints, they’re not the only driver for what we do next.
We factor in data alongside other inputs such as our intuition, experience, and developed knowledge, balancing these insights together to shape the strongest output we can muster.
In the instance of Conservatory Outlet, we have the benefit of years of accessible data, helping us compare seasonality annually, but must also account for the latest trends, current market preferences, buying appetites, and importantly, the competitors of the day.
Cross-referencing the client knowledge gained to apply the learning from one campaign to benefit another also enables impactful marketing strategies. If we were to just keep on replicating from previous data, it would diminish the effectiveness of our lead generating exertions.
4. Test, measure, record, learn, share
Being a curious team that thrives on problem-solving, we’re in the habit of testing and evaluating every aspect of what we do to strike upon new approaches in content, touchpoints, ad creative and unearth new search trends.
With an increase in marketing output for the events sector (new divisions of the Montgomery Group and with the Evening Standard) in 2023, versatility and responsiveness had to be displayed.
We manoeuvred into stronger collaboration with each other and each event’s client, providing direct and often daily feedback and reporting.
The gains from this were better informed messaging and lucidity of creative for the right audience, an audience who respond, initiating an increase in year-on-year exhibitor and visitor registrations.
5. All details matter
Detail percolates through every element of our work e.g. data and budgeting, extending our client knowledge, but when it comes to creative detail, it’s all in what we look at. And detail doesn’t necessarily mean complex as the simple details can also be at the forefront of our minds and guide our actions.
Probably the most crucial detail we account for when producing any visual is to ensure it is memorable and distinctive. How? By creating brand identities that are well coded, followed by a consistency of brand visuals to follow it up.
What we mean by this is defining the key visual tools needed for the audience to effectively deduce and recall a brand. Through things such as a style of video footage, or a single colour swatch, we have been creating and identifying brand codes as strong footholds for client brand awareness.
We resist the temptation to change the key details because we see and feel the brands we manage daily, but endeavour to have these brands live and breathe through every creative element and channel to a new and expanding audience. Advertising space is hotly coveted and if a client’s brand can stand out amongst the sea of competition, half the battle for an audience’s attention is already won.
In our curation of brand identities for SME XPO and Materials and Finishes Show, we explored the intricacies of each exhibition’s theme and audience first and translated this dedication to detail into vivid identities that capture attention, a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence.
We invite you to embark on a collaborative adventure with us in 2024 so that we can similarly elevate your brand, captivate your audience, and drive exceptional lead generation. Contact us today and let’s propel your business forward.
