RETHINKING EMERGING MARKETS: LESSONS FROM ORBIT STARTUPS' GLOBAL INNOVATION
This week, Renee Hartmann and I interviewed William Bao Bean from Orbit Startups.
William is one of THE most global people I know!
His experiences and investments cover The Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, South America ...and all points in between. Given this incredible scope, his perspectives on innovation, start-ups, growth and technology are un-paralleled.
A perfect guest to help us uncover some of the most interesting stories from the world of commerce, retail, tech and marketing.
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“𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴”
This chat with William ranged through a wide range of territory …but …being the marketing guy that I am, I was drawn to his insights around how …
ADVERTISING IS BROKEN!
Too much control in the hands of too few large platforms (eg. Google, Facebook).
Especially in growth markets, brands/advertisers cannot make sufficient returns on ad spend, given the high costs of these large platforms.
Orbit Startups response…?
They have built an advertising ecosystem of 299 million MAU (Monthly Active Users) - a collaborative system of shared audiences/traffic. This system both supports advertising/awareness needs of portfolio companies AND rewards participating apps for delivering quality traffic.
It’s a confederation of apps/ads - an affiliate model - where players collaborate with less wastage (less given up to big platforms). And, while the ecosystem is currently aimed at helping its portfolio companies, they have hopes to make it more widely available to other companies in the near future.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰!
We’ve seen a rapid rise in barter, brand collaboration and trading of audiences in growth markets (eg. China).
While brands in more mature markets (US/EU) might still be able to squeeze positive ROAS from large platforms, this window is closing fast.
Costs are rising (ROI is slumping) as digital becomes more consolidated. At the same time, barriers being erected around first party data are making the path to success even more narrow for advertisers.
I would expect a major increase in affiliate systems, shared advertising resources, brand collaborations in mature markets …following the examples being set in growth markets.
🚀 Listen to the full episode on Commerce Beyond Borders. Available on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.
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Commerce Beyond Borders - Decoding the Future of Commerce & Retail
Hosted by marketing, retail and ecommerce vets, Renee Hartmann & Chris Baker, “Commerce Beyond Borders” offers global audiences a pithy glimpse into key strategies for success.
Each episode focuses on two key questions:
”What’s one thing in commerce and retail that most people are overlooking?”
“What’s something you know is happening right now that few others in the industry can see?”
…Maintaining a sharp focus on mission critical insights and actionable strategies for senior managers.
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Our clients rang across industries; from retail/fashion to beauty, from travel to finance.
Business intelligence and data visualization projects for our clients address critical issues including:
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