Simplifying Digital - What are we doing?

I was on LinkedIn the other day and one of my recent connections asked me: How are you simplifying digital?

Ooof…for a couple minutes, I'm stunned - someone actually read my profile?!

But then, I got to thinking….

How are we making things simpler for our clients? And quickly following, why is it important?

There are three rules we follow at Insight to make things a little clearer for our clients. But before we get into that, let’s talk a little about what needs simplifying and why.

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What are some of the complexities?

Digital marketing is changing fast. The best example of this has to be the release of Chat GPT in November 22 and the resulting shock wave. By itself, Chat is pretty cool. But combined with digital generally? A huge catalyst for change across the digital landscape.

Take Google. In a normal year, we might see four major updates. Search agencies will pore over them, sifting through the resulting impacts and refining their processes. 

In the 12 months following ChatGPT's release, Google released 12 major algorithm updates (that we know of). Twelve! That's one major update per month, triple the number of changes we'd normally expect.

The graph from Mozcast shows a representation in temperature of all the Google Updates over the past 10 years. More changes, the hotter the temperature. Look at 2023 – It’s off-the-scale hot.

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The tip of the iceberg

The number of changes at Google is just a bellwether for the huge change and increased complexity across digital.

There’s been a shift in consumer privacy expectations and legislation, with local and global privacy regulations coming into effect that change the way businesses collect, store, and use data. 

On top of that, Apple's iOS updates, which introduced App Tracking Transparency, have upended digital ad targeting, forcing marketers to rethink entire strategies almost overnight.

As you can see, we digital marketers work in a complex space. Just look at the names and acronyms we deal with on a daily basis: Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO, GA4, GDPR, CCPA…I could go on.

But that’s our world. And the more complex our world gets, the more complex it can be for our clients. That’s where simplification comes in. 

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Why is simplification important?

Reducing the complexity of digital marketing isn’t about dumbing things down. It’s about making sure our communications are clear and impactful. We want decision-makers to see the relevance to their organisation.

It’s about ensuring people get what we’re talking about and can bring their business experience to bear. When we strip away complexity and make things relatable, we focus on the results, build trust and save time.

Simplification bridges the gap between technical digital platforms and business objectives.

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What is Insight doing to reduce complexity?

So finally, what are we doing to simplify digital? Here are three rules we follow:

• Use Plain English - If you don’t understand what we’re saying or what we’re recommending, don’t do it!

• Face to Face > Email - Face to face is greater than email. If we’re explaining something complex, it’s always better to communicate live.

• Focus on Fundamentals - Digital is based on fundamentals like everything else. For example, if you have more competition, advertising will cost more. That’s true whether you’re advertising on Google, TV or your school newsletter.

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Reducing complexity

It's a value we hold dear. It's something I hope translates into our communications and our work. From a strong foundation of understanding and clarity, we can build much stronger relationships, get true alignment on goals and drive stronger results. It's a tough battle we are determined to win.