Internet firms enabling cross-channel integration

The seamless digital marketing matrix provided by China's leading internet firms is likely to make it easier for brands to navigate the complex marketing landscape in China than in the West, according to a senior industry expert.

Companies such as Tencent and Alibaba are proactively helping companies integrate across different channels, whereas globally it is really the role of brands or their agencies to figure out how to leverage across various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Amazon, said Michael Dunn, chairman and CEO of Prophet, a global brand and marketing consultancy.

Digital marketing is all the rage today, starting out with searches about 15 years ago and migrating toward mobile, social and e-commerce, Dunn said. Now it is pushing further into experience, technically enabled through some new experience channels such as voice, virtual and augmented reality for certain categories in some markets.