Big data, risk-laden digital innovation, real-time results, the changeable landscape of social platforms, advancements in augmented reality, the arrival of more billion-pound unicorns and the insatiable demand for video on mobile – welcome to 2016, when the consumer wants more than ever and expects you to provide it.
In today’s digital marketplace audiences are fragmenting, new generations are exploding, technology is changing, and there are a multitude of new communications platforms and devices that are being used in different ways.
Every day brands face new challenges, and keeping a brand current and relevant using traditional channels is no longer enough to survive and thrive in the modern digital marketplace.
Brands need specialists who can help them understand and navigate the habits of these new generations and their use of technology; specialists who provide the insight and tools to differentiate and compete more effectively; specialists who have deep understanding of complex technologies, such as programmatic advertising and data analytics.
Most agencies aren’t up to the job, lacking across-the-board, digital and technological expertise. They have to rely on the client and other specialist agencies to fill the gaps.
The Digital Innovation Group (DIG) is the UK’s largest independent digital agency because of its mastery to create beautiful stories through radical tech across multiple platforms.
With 16 companies in the group and a growing number of affiliates and partners, it has specialist teams in digital strategy, user experience design, app development and digital marketing services. Specialising in several platform frameworks in multi-screen video, big data, loyalty and programmatic advertising, its rare combination of talents is one which clients are now demanding as standard.
Chief executive Rob Walk says: “DIG is a different type of agency with disruption at its core. Our agile structure and deep specialist knowledge of emerging technology and trends gives brands the insight and tools to survive and thrive in the 21st century.”
With clients as far ranging as Virgin, Barclaycard, PokerStars, Network Rail, Domino’s Pizza and the NHS, spanning most industry verticals, DIG can draw on its digital expertise to bring the latest and most creative concepts to life across the ever-increasing array of media and devices.
DIG was instrumental in providing cutting-edge initiatives in the UK, including the first big-data and social-trending engine for the acclaimed BBC Sound Index. It managed the conceptualisation of what is now the fastest growing TV service in the UK, YouView, in conjunction with IBM.
Domino’s Pizza worked with DIG to create the Domino’s Pizza Box Office. In collaboration with Lionsgate Films, Domino’s Pizza Box Office used DIG’s video platform to launch the first-ever movie-streaming rental service for a pizza company, illustrating how DIG can help brands to leverage new and exciting opportunities through both DIG’s innovation in technology, but also its connections within the content-creator communities.
Brands such as Virgin and Freesat rely on DIG companies for development and integration of their TV platforms. Orange appointed DIG for the prototyping of early smartphone services.
DIG’s ability to help organisations delve deeper to embrace new technologies and adapt to the changing marketplace is evident within the Curzon Home Cinema service. Established in 1934, Curzon is the UK’s leading independent cinema chain specialising in world cinema. In 2013, Curzon broke with Hollywood tradition by releasing new cinematic releases on the same day into the living room via Curzon Home Cinema.
In addition, DIG companies, specifically Easel TV, won Digital Champion at the recent Lloyds Bank Growing Business Awards, worked with Curzon to enable its service to rollout to an ever-increasing array of consumer devices, including PC, Mac, tablets and the broadcast TV platform Freesat. Since then Curzon has continued the rollout on several smart TVs, streaming devices and other UK broadcast TV platforms such as Virgin Media TiVo.
Agility sits at the heart of DIG which benefits from none of the large overheads and inflexible structures of traditional full-service agencies. DIG understands the essence of digital technologies to help support businesses that want to harness these to remain competitive and evolve as their consumers evolve. The ethos is one of working with clients, defining strategy to maximise the potential of digital services, no matter how complex the challenge.
Mr Walk concludes: “We love working with innovators, be they startups or multinationals. Our approach is probably unique in this industry. I doubt that any other company has the broad approach and depth of specialisms that we offer.”
To find out more visit digitalinnovationgroup.com
