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Experience as Strategy: Apply Digital’s Holistic Playbook for Success
The strength of any brand is dependent on a customer’s experience of that brand — across channels, at every touchpoint.
- Article
- 3 MIN READ
- Oct 29, 2024
-
Lauren MilneChief Strategy Officer
Summary
This article is part of our ‘Connected Thinking, Connected Results’ series at Apply Digital, where we bring to life our unique approach to driving impact for clients.
In this article, our Chief Strategy Officer Lauren Milne explores how holistic strategy — both as a philosophy and discipline — is fundamental to how we work internally and with clients.
Research shows that when brands don’t take a thoughtful and holistic approach to digital change, most initiatives are destined to fail.
No matter the industry, the strength of any brand is dependent on a customer’s experience of that brand — across channels, at every touchpoint. If one step of a customer’s journey is marred by an underwhelming experience (say, a buggy mobile app or poor in-store service), that event can negatively impact the customer’s perception of the entire brand.
Successful digital change projects, whether incremental or transformative, depend on collaboration. But organizations are often structured with teams working within rigid silos, making collaboration difficult and creating a fragmented view of the ecosystem.
Apply Digital’s ‘Connected Thinking, Connected Results’ approach is designed to avoid these pitfalls. From day one, we bring together right-sized cross-functional teams suited to address the opportunity, to connect with the client to discover what their approach to change has been — and what they’ve achieved from a change perspective — in the past.
By doing so, we’re able to deliver an actionable strategy with a clear roadmap for execution, rather than an outline of a plan that doesn’t provide a way forward. Every client is unique, so every collaboration we undertake is different by design.
It’s also important to us that our clients have a clear understanding of the ROI they can expect as a result of following our proposals. We show clearly where value will be created or extracted, to be sure that every dollar spent is tied to a tangible result.
Ultimately, by connecting teams (and our thinking) at the outset of an initiative, we position all participants to work toward the common goals of the project — and to deliver results that drive value across the client ecosystem. We’re committed to providing consulting services that go far beyond industry norms, by working differently to get better outcomes for our clients.
Here’s how we do it.
The ‘One Team’ model
If ‘Connected Thinking, Connected Results’ is our philosophy, then our ‘One Team’ model is how we operationalize it.
By working closely with internal client stakeholders from the very beginning of a change project, we effectively become an extension of their team, enabling us to focus on laddering up to the client’s business goals via the work we do.
Some consultancies provide up-front advice before stepping aside; others focus on technical builds and leave the strategizing to clients. What sets Apply Digital apart is our presence at every stage of a project. By aligning with clients to become One Team, to understand their goals and challenges, and to define a path forward before executing a technical build, we gain a deeper understanding of how to position our clients for greater success. This is what makes us unique.
Our work with top global brands including Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, The Very Group and many others is testament to the effectiveness of our One Team approach. More than a vendor, we’ve become a trusted partner to our clients, something we’re incredibly proud of.
The Power of SHAPE
When it comes to helping clients achieve their goals, our core values as a company are just as important as our ways of working.
When Apply Digital was co-founded in 2016 by our CEO Gautam Lohia, he set out to codify the values that would guide the company as it grew. After much reflection and with input from other senior leaders, those values were summed up as Smart, Humble, Active, Positive, and Excellent (SHAPE). Our SHAPE values help determine the people we hire and the projects we take on. But they also act as an invaluable North Star when we need to be sure we’re on the right path. By following these values closely and ensuring they are reflected in all we do, our strategic approach — from Connected Thinking, Connected Results through to One Team — is strengthened and infused with an integrity that is key to aligning with our clients.
At Apply Digital, success is about more than creating engaging and memorable brand experiences (though that’s certainly important). It’s about making a positive impact, on both a professional and personal level. It’s about staying true to our values while we do great work. And it’s about creating lasting relationships based on trust, openness, and mutual respect.
The way we see it, that’s just good business.
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Together, we can deliver innovative solutions and drive your digital change journey.
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