‘Messaging as a means for businesses and customers to connect will grow further’

Dr. Jordi Forniés is the Managing Director Emerging Markets APAC at Meta including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. He is a professional with a strong educational background (Ph.D., MSc, MAFA, and two MFA) and more than twenty years of experience in different areas of business in a multi-market environment.He is the founder of Upmondo to altruistically support projects aiming to improve the education of children in unprivileged regions.He is also a professional visual artist and music composer with over 50 solo exhibitions across 10 countries.

Following are the edited excerpts of a recent conversation BR Research had with Dr. Jordi Forniés:

BR Research: As the business director of Meta in Pakistan, what is your priority this year?

Jordi Forniés: At Meta, we focus on helping businesses worldwide drive topline growth. Today, we live in a connected world where most media time is spent globally on digital channels. It is changing the rules of how businesses are branding and connecting with their audiences today. We want to help companies adapt to that norm quickly, and we have a platform for businesses to make meaningful connections. In addition, we are facing a global economic slowdown, particularly in our region, including Pakistan, which means businesses need more than ever to generate meaningful connections.

According to the latest eMarketer report, nearly 60 percent of worldwide social network users will be in the Asia Pacific region in 2023. This statistic includes key countries like Pakistan. So we want to continue our work and support more businesses and large brands in Pakistan during this period by using our platform to connect with customers. Our mission is to help businesses create those meaningful connections. So I will focus much more on what trends we have witnessed, like business messaging, short-form videos, creator collaborations, and augmented reality to help them exist in this digital economy.

BRR: How do you reach out to small businesses in Pakistan?

JF: We have been very active in Pakistan. We don’t have an office in Pakistan and have been implementing a system of an authorized sales partner representing us. Our sales organization consists of local people who speak the local language. Beyond providing insights, we also offer education in the market, create specific forums for businesses, target various verticals, and focus on businesses that want to export products and services.

BRR: Ramadan is the biggest shopping season in Pakistan. How are big brands and small businesses using Meta technologies to leverage this moment and make strong sales ahead of Eid?

JF: Two billion people are observing Ramadan across the globe. And we know this month is significant for businesses in Pakistan. Every year, we see many businesses and entrepreneurs using our platform much more for Eid preparations and incorporating ways to be online in their marketing strategies. Meta has a community of over 3.7 billion across the world, which allows us to be able to help the business to capitalize on this holy month.

BRR: What digital tools would you suggest that businesses use so that their ads can have the maximum reach and impact?

JF: We conducted a survey with YouGov last year where 61 percent of the shoppers in Pakistan said they felt more connected to brands after seeing the Ramadan ad content on Instagram and Facebook. And 75 percent agree with personalized product selection to complete their Ramadan shopping. So what we are trying to do in terms of tools is to continue helping businesses to get better targeting options to reach their audience in a much more relevant manner.

We put several solutions in place for businesses to target audiences based on location, demographics, interests, behavior, or connections. We also ask businesses to consider existing customer audiences based on their royalty programs, site visits, etc., and expand to look-alike audiences. Look-alike audiences are a powerful tool that helps businesses reach out to an audience similar to their customers.

Then we are also following emerging trends such as Messenger and Whatsapp to connect with audiences in a much more personalized manner.

We also have Reels, the new version of short videos that are extremely popular and creative.

And then we are going beyond all these and trying augmented reality. We do provide tools that help businesses to be innovative in their approach.

BRR: Which platform is performing better for businesses: Facebook or Instagram?

JF: It’s not one or the other. Instead, combining both has given businesses excellent results and a digital presence. Companies that are invested in the digital economy use all kinds of platforms, including messaging platforms.

BRR: As you mentioned, Meta has recently launched Reels in Pakistan. How can businesses benefit from it, and what would be your top tips for creating engaging Reels?

JF: Reels have been a very innovative solution that we offer our community members. It is a short video that is embraced not only by content creators but also by brands. Anyone with a smartphone can create fantastic content today, including short-form videos, by being on digital platforms that once used to be expensive and out of reach for many businesses. Small businesses are also embracing Reels while keeping their brand objective central; they are creating engaging content and being authentic. One of my tips for businesses is to be genuine in their identity on these digital platforms. I suggest Reels users check other successful creators and businesses to learn from them because digital media is evolving fast, and then I recommend learning from our insights and optimizing.

BRR: We are seeing businesses in Pakistan exploring new ways to do their marketing. How effective are collaborations with online content creators who are active during Ramadan?

JF: We have witnessed how creators have supported brands and how successful those partnerships have been. So collaborating with content creators and influencers who resonate with the brand is crucial. As mentioned earlier, these partnerships must be genuine, tell the brand story and help businesses create awareness. As per our data, 58 percent of the shoppers in Pakistan are most likely to trust a brand that collaborates with a trustworthy creator or influencer. So brands need to select the right creators who can help them get more engagement and get a lift in awareness, association, and consideration and motivation.

BRR: You mentioned the emerging trend of messaging among businesses and customers. How does business messaging work, and how can shoppers and businesses benefit from it as they prepare for Eid?

JF: In the digital world, the way people communicate is very different. The volume of daily conversations between customers and businesses is growing significantly. Unlike direct methods like connecting with call centers, messaging tools like Whatsapp offer cost-effective instant communication directly with the representatives. More than one billion people message businesses on Whatsapp every week. Messaging tools are super powerful ways to reach out to audiences and create a channel for businesses to communicate with our clients. In last year’s survey, we saw that 69 percent of shoppers in Pakistan feel more connected to a brand through instant messaging. This is a clear example of how communication and the option to reach are helping shoppers to trust businesses. In Pakistan, we offer a Whatsapp business application to help small businesses communicate with customers for free. We also have a Whatsapp business platform for large businesses to communicate with customers in a scalable way. I believe Whatsapp and messaging, in particular, will grow and change how we communicate with customers today.

BRR: In broad terms, what social trends do you see in South Asia and globally, and how will they impact businesses?

JF: I see a lot of interest and early adoption of so many new ways to run businesses and businesses to communicate with their audiences. That is a source of innovation, and we will see many changes in the coming years. Messaging is one trend that is globally picking pace and will grow further as a means for businesses and customers to connect. We did a study with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which showed that one in every three consumers is chatting with a business at least once a week.

Another trend that digital platforms will support is cross-border shopping. This includes not only people from Pakistan having access to buy products from other territories but also the opportunity for businesses in Pakistan to sell products and provide services across other regions. This trend is also going to help the country in this situation of economic downturn. I see huge potential here. For example, last year, 33 percent of shoppers in Pakistan made a cross-border purchase during Ramadan.

Also, we will see a massive change in how brands are doing marketing, like having access to a vast number of creators who can help brands effectively spread the message.

And finally, the massive development in AI and augmented reality will bring significant change in the coming months and years in terms of customer experience, automation, and how businesses communicate, sell, and market.