59 Thought Leaders Present Their Findings on How to 'Bridge the Digital Gap' After COVID

July 2,2020

The journey towards the digital world is accelerating in today's challenging environment and the consumer is evolving at a speed never seen before. For companies, the challenge of keeping up with this evolution has increased significantly and a digital gap has opened up.

To help companies embrace these changes and deliver value to both consumers and themselves, Digital Transformation Agency The Keenfolks, with Johannes Ceh as advisor, has launched a landmark study entitled "Bridge the Digital Gap", in which 59 world-leading experts have provided insights which can transform the uncertainty of the current crisis into manifold valuable opportunities.

The study has the participation of some renowned experts such as Michael Brenner, Doyle Buehler, Isabel de Clercq, Tony Flath, Ryan Foland, Dion Hinchcliffe, Timothy Hughes, Sam Hurley, Sherin Ibrahim, Ian Moyse, Robert Rose, Céline Schillinger or David Vivancos among others. Their insights cover five areas: Digital Transformation, Customer Experience, Social Media, Big Data & AI and MarTech.

Bridge The Digital Gap Study is based on the idea that, to fully seize the digital opportunity, companies need a fundamental reset. In today's disjointed and demanding time world, where we find ourselves in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, it is necessary, in the words of best-selling author Robert Rose, to "stop posting for a moment, sit back and architect the right strategy for your business. Then lean in heavily and execute it brilliantly." Without this "pause", there is the risk that we will eventually encounter a gap that, in situations like this, could become unbridgeable.

Reinvention, birth, change or, simply, transformation are now more necessary than ever. Without doubt, the process of stopping and building an appropriate strategy must have digital at its core. "As digital is infusing everything in our business, it has become key to focus on purpose, to understand what we are doing and why we are doing it as we engage in digital transformation," says Dion Hinchcliffe, a renowned author on transformation.

In the same way, Doyle Buehler, Global Digital Brand Architect and Digital Transformation Specialist, recognizes the importance, not only of the development and adoption of other important technologies such as Big Data or AI, but also of their deep understanding into the business strategy: "Keep in mind that Big Data and AI are 'tools' - we need to be able to understand how to use them within the main strategy that we are developing".

Ian Moyse, EMEA Sales Director at Cloud telephony specialist Natterbox, continues: "Marketing's purpose is to create engagement, relationships and brand reputation and awareness; through these to create leads and opportunities for the business. Does marketing technology alone make this happen? No. But it can be a powerful enabler to make the heavy lifting easier and faster."

Placing the client at the centre of the commercial strategy is a key factor, and all decisions must be aimed at ensuring the best possible experience. In this vein, Johannes Ceh concludes "We are in an overall transformation from functional products to human-related products. And this transformation will not disappear; it will go even deeper."