Iryna Mushtina on business optimization, digitalization and forecasts for 2018

What was 2017 like for business?

I don't want to analyze business from a global perspective. I am sure that there are a lot of professionals and analysts who can do it better than I. As for what I have faced, I would say that 2017 was the beginning of a period of optimization. I would call 2017 the beginning of the optimization period in business. I say “the beginning” because this process will take more than one year and is likely to become one of the main areas of business development in all areas by 2020.

What do I invest in optimization? Surprisingly, only 20% of companies in the Ukrainian market have the processes described above and use professional, customized ERP systems in their work. And now many have thought about it and started working in this direction. Optimization could not ignore the communications market, as all internal processes are closely related to the internal corporate communications segment, loyalty, and, of course, external marketing.

What events have become key in the industry, how has the advertising and communications market changed?

The market has become even more digital. Moreover, the AdTech direction has finally strengthened and started to develop in the Ukrainian market. And I think this is one of the most promising areas that will allow combining creativity with technology to increase the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

I would also like to mention the boom in artificial intelligence technologies. It has been talked about for several years now, but if earlier it sounded more like a futuristic forecast that attracted attention, now AI has a very specific application, including in communication technologies.

And I cannot but mention the explosion of VR: I think we are a couple of years away from immersion in the virtual world. One of the milestones in this direction is the beta version of Facebook in VR mode - the Spaces network. Therefore, I think Ukrainian agencies need to think about it now and start combining their constant creative approach with technology.

What has become effective and in demand on the market this year?

In the digital space and, to a greater extent, in digital development, analytics is attracting more attention, which I am actually very happy about. If earlier we had to literally convince clients that it's not enough to just make a beautiful website and launch bright ads, it's necessary to analyze every step and user behavior in depth and accurately, then the last year has been marked by the motto “Analyze this! Analyze this!” In the competition, an accurate analysis of user behavior: their interests, values, and emotional perception comes to the fore. This year, we have several mega-successful projects in our cases, high results that were obtained precisely due to accurate targeting and getting the right emotion from users, which became possible thanks to in-depth analysis, a/b testing, and prompt adjustments in campaigns.

What will be the financial growth of the advertising and communication market next year?

I don't think there will be a significant financial growth of the market. Unfortunately, I see no prerequisites for this. I would rather assume that there will be a redistribution of budgets. And, of course, in the direction of digital. This is due to more and more rational approaches to budgets, and digital is exactly the channel where everything is controlled with a gradual change of generations. Every year, a generation grows up that does not understand the world without the Internet and smartphones, it begins to gradually move into the segment of buyers, which means that advertisers should go where their audience goes - messengers, video channels, chats.

What trends will be the main ones in 2018?

Working with user behavior: precise analysis, use of Big Data, prediction of behaviors and emotional states - all this will allow you to “hit the target”, which means optimizing costs and increasing the effectiveness of marketing efforts
Combining creativity, emotional engagement, artificial intelligence, and new crypto technologies in advertising campaigns.
Development of Ukrainian startups in the field of AdTech.

The material was published on Sostav.ua