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December 2020

digital transformation vs digitisation

Digital transformation v. Digitisation

By Blog posts, Digitisation
digital transformation vs digitisation
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Digital transformation v. Digitisation

There are many, many buzzwords bandied about since the beginning of the pandemic. Furlough. Social distancing. Remote offices. COVID secure. Many businesses were forced to accept that having their teams work from home was a sink or swim moment. It was a time to rethink WFH as a privilege only for senior staff or exceptional circumstances. Above all though, it was crunch time. Put bluntly, if you couldn’t work from home, you were on “furloughed”… which is not ideal for anyone involved.

Out of this, a lot of people have been talking about digital transformation (again). It sounds pretty cool and sophisticated. And it is. But what many of them were actually discussing was digitisation. Hey, no shame in not knowing these are two different things, so long as you take time to learn the difference.

Let’s have a look at what they both mean, entail and how to establish where you are and what your next steps should be.

What does digital transformation mean?

Contrary to popular belief, digital transformation is less about technology and more about people. You can pretty much buy any technology, but your ability to adapt to an even more digital future depends on developing the next generation of skills, closing the gap between talent supply and demand, and future-proofing your own and others’ potential.

So really, digital transformation is a state of mind and a way of working. But not just as a team, on an organisational level. It’s a holistic approach. Driven by leaders and championed by everyone from newbies to the old school. It is about learning and knowledge transfer. Ultimately, something that helps everyone by encouraging synergy.

Yes, this is flirted with in some ways in the new push for remote working capabilities. However it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

OK, so what is ‘digitisation’?

Digitisation is most often mistaken for transformation.  The process of taking existing processes and digitising it is an important first step. It’s not, however transformational.  We’ve been using technology to improve existing physical and intellectual processes since the industrial revolution.  Customers expect businesses to have websites, apps and social channels and platforms. That does not transform a business.  It gives them permission to continue to serve their customer base.

In essence, digitisation is an essential stepping stone to start digital transformation. It makes it much easier to implement if your business is already on board with digital marketing. That’s not to say there’s no place for print, bricks and mortar or outdoors advertising. Digital transformation is about harmonising both.

Let’s look at some examples of digitisation and digital transformation, in a lovely table

It’s always simpler when you can compare the steps. Especially when there’s an aspect of comparison to take into consideration. Salesforce has done just that:

Salesforce digitisation vs digital transformation examples

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to using digital channels. But, we need to read between the lines. Traditional marketing channels have huge value but their return on investment might not always be as easy to quantify. Harmonising the approach by appreciating the need for both (where applicable) is important. And that is exactly why a tight strategy is essential to implementing this way of working.

A digital transformation strategy

First you need to make sure you have your business and marketing plan <link to marketing plan article> in order. The more thorough your understanding of your business, goals and positioning, the better.

ionology suggests the following five steps are crucial to developing your strategy:

Digital transformation

Has the pandemic affected digitisation?

Absolutely. The pandemic has fast-tracked many businesses to get digital. Whether that’s having meetings and workshops via Zoom or setting up an e-commerce website.

BDO had this gem, which is so very true:

…businesses that had not only developed digital strategies but executed on them prior to the pandemic are now in a position to leapfrog their less nimble competitors. That isn’t to understate the COVID-19-related challenges they now face, irrespective of their current level of digital maturity.  Going digital in and of itself isn’t a panacea to all that ails businesses in the current economic environment. They do, however, have significantly more tools at their disposal to not only weather the storm, but to come out the other side stronger for it.

Are you ready?

Digital transformation is predominantly a company culture shift. So you don’t necessarily need to have all your chickens lined up when you start looking at evolving your business plans. In fact, we’d argue that the right leadership, a positive attitude, willingness to learn and above all, patience is all you need.

Patience is particularly important whenever creating a cultural shift in a company. There will always be team members who are more adaptive when it comes to change. The way to approach this is by explaining the how’s and why’s, so it’s important you present this equipped with the stats and a well planned strategy.

How can we help?

Whether you are looking at digitisation or a digital transformation strategy, let us help you. We are here to support from all capacities. From starting afresh to optimising your existing digital channels. Often an outside perspective is precisely what is needed.

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What does your brands colour palette communicate?

What does your brands colour palette communicate?

By Blog posts
What does your brands colour palette communicate?
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What does your brands colour palette communicate?

When we think about brand design, one of the first things that comes to mind is the use of colour. Sure, monochrome may look sleek, but colour creates depth, emotion and energy. Without that pizazz of a snazzy colour palette, the world would be dull and uniform.

Whether you’re looking at a rebrand, refresh or new brand identity for your business, you’ll come to the table with your own preconceived notions of how you want it to look. And that’s regardless of how creative you are.

A brief psychology of colours

Years of research has gone into the relationship between colour and psychology. However, the connotations of colours and how they influence decision makers is subjective. While some might associate yellow as cowardly, others see it as a marker of confidence.

Here, Ignyte looks at the pros and cons of the core colours. But it’s not until you start thinking about big name brands you associate with each that it comes alive.

The psychology of colour

Let’s stick with our earlier example of yellow. For example, it is often considered a ‘budget’ colour that doesn’t radiate quality. Yet look below and you’ll spot Ferrari, who are an infamous super-car brand, with a mostly yellow logo.

brand colour emotion guide

Brand personality: what are you trying to reflect?

We already know branding is more than just how it looks, it is personality too. And while that is mostly communicated through written content, visuals do play a large part in it.

When you work with a brand designer, they will talk to you about what you want to communicate. This will help create your brand guide, which will encompass a whole identity.

Your brand guide should include the following:

  • An overview of your brand’s past, present and future, its personality and values
  • Your message or mission statement, plus examples of how to apply these
  • Tone of voice with examples of language and keywords to use in campaigns
  • Your logo and how to use it (e.g. on black, white, transparent backgrounds and spacing)
  • Your colour palette
  • Fonts and variations
  • Your buyer personas
  • Visual styles (photography, graphics)
  • Guidelines for social media presence (e.g. use of logo on images, any adaptations to tone of voice/language)
  • Design guides for email
  • Design guides for ads

HelpScout noted: In a study titled “Impact of colour on marketing,” researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on colour alone.

Spotlight: Rebranding Basel Area Business & Innovation

Our parent company UP THERE, EVERYWHERE recently worked on a rebranding project for Basel Area Business & Innovation. They are a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping businesses succeed in the region.

The focus was to boost awareness, attracting more more companies to come set up there. UP immersed themselves with the stakeholders, businesses in the area and the city itself to appreciate what was on the table. We also joined the project to build the new website.

Through developing an understanding, it became clear that there was always “More to Discover”. A phrase that would become a large part of the key messaging. The brand guide explains why this careful choice of words communicates the area best:

“More” is a key device and one that can be applied to every aspect of the economic activity of the Basel Area. It states simply that you can expect more. It helps reveal the surprising variation that the Basel Area has to offer – in business, culture science, knowledge, arts and environment.

The word “Discover” embodies aspects including expectation/potential/excitement/opportunity. It urges outsiders to look deeper or to look again, and in doing so to see the full potential, that may previously have been masked by existing preconceptions of regional or national characteristics.

Basel’s colour palette and visuals

The primary colours are simple, with a nod to Basel’s heritage. Everything about Basel Area is clean cut, precise and beautiful. The aim to reflect the area and its popularity particularly amongst scientific, innovation and research communities.

The secondary colours not only complement the primary palette, and also the style of photography. This focuses on sky, water, forest, urban areas and business environments.   

Basel colour palette

There are strict visual guidelines: there are to be no night scenes. Imagery should be light, clean, spacious, with blue skies where possible. All symbolising positivity, motivation and success.

basel area homepage

How do I know if my branding resonates with my customers?

There are a number of ways to measure the impact of your branding. We review it from a holistic point of view, carrying out a total audit on all your touch points. This is not only because consistency is crucial for brand recognition and trust, but also because it isn’t limited to one single aspect.

If you are generating leads, converting customers and driving repeat sales, your branding is probably serving its purpose. But you may still want to freshen up.

If you are frequently getting requests for things you don’t do, or website visitors who land with you using queries that don’t make sense, there’s a good chance something isn’t working.

Need help? No problem!

If you’re thinking about refreshing or rebranding your business but aren’t sure where to begin, here is your starting point. Fill out your details below and we will be in touch for a chat.

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