Durban, February 1st, 2024

Digitlab is a digital agency focused on the point where people and technology meet. Its goal is to help clients advance in the digital economy. They meet clients at any stage of their digital journey and partner with them to build human-centric digital experiences. The agency has over ten years of experience engaging with a wide array of clients

Mike Saunders is the CEO of Digitlab, based in Durban, South Africa. In an interview with TIA, he explained what drove him to start his own agency and how his vision for Digitlab has changed with time. He also described the steps he takes to esblish and maintain strong client relationship and mentioned some of the qualities an entrepreneur should have.

To kick things off, could you describe what you like the most about Durban?

Living in Durban is excellent. I’m not the typical Durban-boy though. Typically people flock to Durban because the weather is warm, the surfing, and beaches are great ,and its seen as a playground on the coastline.

I live about 30min inland in one of the subburbs and I love it there because I’m 30mins from the beach and 45min from the midlands (our farmstyle lands) and my fourite is that with and hour or two you can be one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world – the drakensburg. The drakensburg is my place of peace. I love the diversity of living in Durban and the way that you can escape the insanity of the rat-race so easily.

What inspired you to found DigitLab, and how has your vision for the company evolved over the years?

I’ve always been inspired by technology and helping businesses make the best of it. My specific angle has been that technology is useless unless it adds value to people, so that’s what I do with Digitlab – make technology useful to people, in business, in life.

As we have grown over the past 12 years we have shifted our business model from being the outsourced offering to being the advisor and partner. We have seen the value in building strong industry partnerships and we have found solace in the idea of being significant instead of successful.

Working with national and international brands like KPMG, Nedbank, and Google, how do you establish and maintain strong client relationships, particularly in the ever-evolving digital space?

This is always a tough one. I think I need to caviate this by saying that we have always recognized that both clients and employees have a limited life-span working with a company, but that doesn’t mean the relationship need to end. Unfortunely not all clients and employees feel the same way but its important to be ok with the idea that we journey together through time, and while we add value to each others world we will walk closely, and as our needs and visions change we may take different paths, those paths may cross again, they may not. Whats important to note is that “paths crossing” on our “journey in business” is not the same as “relationships starting and ending.” Always play the long game, end projects well, maintain relationships as much as possible. (a good CRM is helpful ;))

But aside from that, establishing and maintain these relatiosnhips is hard, I’m not sure I have any great advice here. I think its incredibly personal and I have struggled to scale it beyond hiring great, relationship-orientated people.

In ensuring a client-centric approach to its digital marketing services while tailoring strategies to meet unique client needs, what practices does DigitLab employ?

This is not rocket science. We ask the client what their problems are and then we focus on solving that. We have learnt a few lessons though:

• We don’t work for clients who don’t understand the problem they face and how they are measuring it
• We don’t work for clients who wont own the fact that they have a problem that needs solving
• We don’t work for clients that don’t give us enough information and access to their business to solve the problem

Being client cetric means understanding the clients problem, and the client. Without both you cannot succeed. Most of our success has come from identifying the right clients to work with.

You were recently featured in the business book “Doers and Dreamers”. Can you tell us a little about what this means to you and how you contributed to it?

I was asked to contribute to this project as part of 150 authors around rthe world. The project aims to help dreamers with insights to turn their dreams into impact. For me, taking part was a given, today we experience some of the toughest economic challenges we have ever faced, we need to find ways to make an impact now more than ever. We all have our part to play if we want our situation to change. For me, it was putting pen to paper with these incredible people and hopefully inspiring people to make a significant impact.

It was only after I submitted my chapter that I found out the calibre of the other authors that were taking part, so it’s an honour to be included in such a prestigious group of business leaders like Tim Ferris and Seth Godin. I hope this book goes a long way to inspiring people to chase their dreams and make an impact.

What are some notable topics or discussions that have taken place at Digital Swarm events, and how do these contribute to the industry’s growth?

Digital Swarm events in Durban have covered a wide range of topics that are significant to the growth of the digital marketing industry. These events are designed to bring together the best minds in the digital space to share knowledge, inspire startups, and improve the South African digital landscape through collaboration and networking.

Key topics discussed at these events include digital marketing, influencer strategies, the importance of content in digital platforms, and insights into the effectiveness of various digital campaigns. For instance, one event focused on the role of influencers and the importance of engagement over sheer reach in influencer campaigns. Another topic of discussion was the evolution of media influence, highlighting the shift from traditional media to digital platforms and the growing trust in peer recommendations over online advertisements.

Digital Swarm has attracted speakers from top brands like KFC, AXE, and Google, who bring a wealth of industry-specific knowledge and experiences. These speakers provide invaluable insights into successful digital strategies employed by leading brands.

Most recently, Representing Ad Dynamo, Alistair Errington, as the Partner Director for Snapchat Africa, Errington’s presentation delved into the impactful role of Augmented Reality (AR) in retail and education. He discussed how AR is revolutionizing shopping experiences and educational methods, forecasting a significant increase in AR usage in the coming years.

Clare Eliziah Frost, from Youtube, provided insights on the rapidly growing trend of short-form video content, focusing on YouTube Shorts. Her presentation highlighted the massive daily views and user engagement on the platform, emphasizing the staying power of short-form content in the digital space.

What do you believe are the most important qualities an entrepreneur needs to succeed?

Grit! The easiest way for me to define grit would be to Lean on Angela Duckworth’s definition:

• Perseverance of Effort: The ability to keep going despite difficulties.
• Consistency of Interest: Having a lasting passion for a goal or activity that endures despite difficulty or time.
• Resilience: Grit is the ability to recover from setbacks and failures.
• A Growth Mindset: Believe that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and hard work.
• Endurance: Having the stamina to work towards long-term goals.

Grit is the single most important aspect of being a good entrepreneur. Otherwise, everything else fails.

Can you share some insights or tips for businesses looking to thrive in the digital marketing space in 2024?

Get your first-party data right. No matter what size you are, your competitive edge in the market is solely reliant on your ability to KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER, and first-party data is your ticket to getting that right.

Based on our annual survey, The State of Digital, and our Insight2024 Report, we have found that many businesses need to manage their first-party data more effectively. Smaller companies tend to operate without a formal system, meaning they miss out on valuable insights. On the other hand, mid-sized companies with revenues between R50 million and R99.9 million are utilising their data more effectively than larger enterprises, giving them a stronger competitive edge.

For those who aren’t familiar with South Africa’s creative industry, can you provide an overview?

The South African creative industry, particularly in digital marketing, presents a landscape ripe for transformation and innovation.

Currently, a significant portion of marketing budgets in South Africa is allocated to media channels like Google and Meta. Despite this, there exists an opportunity for radical transformation in the sector. While still grappling with the challenges of creative adaptation and workflow, the industry has shown pockets of innovation and creativity, particularly highlighted in industry awards like The New Generation Awards and the Bookmarks.

One of the most notable emerging trends, as with the rest of the world, is the use of generative AI, which offers personalised content creation, unique design generation, and advanced user interactions.

Influencer marketing and content collaboration is a big game In South Africa, with platforms like YouTube playing a significant role in balancing the interests of copyright holders and the creative community. The focus remains on evolving in collaboration with partners to meet the challenges posed by AI and to continue supporting artists and creators.

I believe the South African creative industry is at a crossroads where traditional digital marketing methods coexist with emerging innovative trends. The industry’s potential for transformation, coupled with the integration of AI and content rights management, paints a picture of an evolving landscape adapting to the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.

How do you perceive the current trends and future outlook for digital marketing in South Africa, and how is DigitLab positioned to lead in this landscape?

I think digital business in South Africa is a bit schizophrenic. Some industries are maturing faster than others, and the majority of agencies are not keeping up. Agency and consulting offerings need to evolve to meet the demands of more digitally mature and adept organisations and industries.

This is a focus of Digitlab: to support the more digitally adept, whose challenges are more complex, where moving forward is not always simple and where our balance of product, consulting and agency can really benefit an organization to build its own capability, accelerate its delivery and solve some of its more complex challenges.

As someone who enjoys challenges, is there any lesson you’ve had to learn multiple times?

The plans will always change. Never lose sight of your goals but always remember that the plans to get there will always change.

From your personal standpoint, what is the greatest challenge of our time?

Empathy. As a rule, we are becoming more and more insular; our conversations are more small talk than meaningful and very few people take the time to understand the position of others. Exercising empathy should be a high priority in our society, but we are too focused on the narrative of success to spend time on others.

Please share something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet.

A sabbatical.

Thanks Mike!

• Learn more about Digitlab
• Follow Digitlab on social media:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

• Follow Mike on social media:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook
Youtube

ClientCentricDigitalMarketingentrepreneurshipTechnologyTheStateofDigital