#LEAwards 2021 spills: Conten.T talks about the new era of brand loyalty

Conten.T is an immersive media production agency that specialises in providing AR, virtual-retail, social AR, gamification, real-time 3D, webX, NFTs and other creative tech for brands. Some of the brands it has worked with include adidas, Glenfiddich, Hendricks, Mamonde and Timberland.

It was a finalist for Best Online Experience, and awarded silver for Best Use of Gamification. Finalist for Best Online Experience, at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Loyalty & Engagement Awards 2021. 

Jason Ang (pictured), managing director of Conten.T, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that consumers today are expecting more creative story-telling that they can be a part of, which makes the "play to engage" model much more lucrative than traditional ads.

He also explained that loyalty can be created beyond using freebies and discounts, as consumers are equally drawn to the appeal of exclusivity - this can be tapped on when it comes to NFTs. "NFTs will open up and there will be a huge opportunity to create unprecedented consumer loyalty through digital asset ownership as it holds intrinsic value," he added.

This interview is done as part of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s winners' and finalists’ interview series for Loyalty & Engagement Awards 2021. To find out more about the awards, click here.

How has your clients' marketing shifted in 2021 as we come to terms with the pandemic?

Ang: CONTEN.T is largely a B2B focused agency with majority of clients derived from the fashion industry across APAC. 2021 has been a remarkable year for digital acceleration through mobile-centric technology. Our teams have been advocating tirelessly on the new way of “Play to engage” versus the traditional ads and consumers today are expecting more creative story-telling that they can be a part of.

In a more positive light, I foresee the pandemic to be pretty much behind us now. Fortunately, some things are here to stay, such as QR codes being the gateway to all experiences and AR/VR adoption has now well passed introductory stages in the consumer mind. Brands needs to think about “Phygital” or Hybrid engagements that intertwines our physical and the digital world.

What was one shift of consumer behaviour in the loyalty and engagement space that has surprised you?

Ang: Loyalty through limited-drops and exclusive contents have proven that not all loyalty has to be about discounts and freebies to secure the attention of users. Loyalty to us is about returning users and the time-spent on each digital session. We have created games that bring consumers on a journey to unlock experiences that ultimately leads to an exclusive opportunity to buy. Another example is through “play and win” or “share to increase chances”. These are some examples of loyalty through digital experiences. Create loyalty through the journey of story-telling.

With so many options, how can brands build up loyalty with their consumers and stand out?

Ang: The key idea behind creating loyalty among consumers is being able to deliver an experience that transcends traditional customer and brand relationships. It is definitely a lot harder said than done but we’ve noticed there are a few ways brands can achieve this through digital campaigns. One clear winner that we’ve seen would be embracing the Metaverse. With digital assets to represent your digital-self, it is now more important than ever to be creating metaverse-focused values for brands.

The advent of NFT and blockchain tech allowing for users to own digital assets and customise their online experience can lead to a lot of demand for branded wearables, in-game assets, and other digital collectibles. NFTs will open up and there will be a huge opportunity to create unprecedented consumer loyalty through digital asset ownership as it holds intrinsic value.

What can we expect from your brand in 2022?

Ang: Metaverse, NFTs, more integrated offline-to-online experiences and a brand new 3D photo-geometry service will be set up to help brands ease into the Metaverse. Our mission has remained the same which is to be the production studio for all things immersive. This is just the beginning of a very exciting era. We are very much looking forward to it.

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