June 7, 2013 Digital Eyeq – A Key To Strengthening Your Digital IQ New TechResponsibility Share this post: Developing your Digital eyeQ If you went to school more than 10 years ago, it is highly likely that you were not taught to develop your digital IQ. Trained to have a critical eye for reviewing traditional marketing issues — such as attractive merchandising, proper pricing, TV ad effectiveness, etc. — executives have not been accustomed or trained to apply that critical eye to digital issues. I call this the Digital eyeQ. When we look at the challenge for companies to onboard the digital transformation, one of the sticking points is just how much the top brass needs to “be” digital themselves. Is digital an intellectual exercise? Is digital something you can intellectually get? Many executives, with multiple diplomas, will tend to believe yes. They have read about it ad nauseum. They see tweets streaming on the bottom of the screen on the 8 o’clock news. Better yet, they have listened to their kids wax eloquently about the need to get the latest iPad for their birthday. And, naturally, they are trumpeting that digital is strategically important for the company going forward. However, I would tend to say: digital is something you can understand intellectually just as much as sex is something you can intellectually get. {Please click to tweet!} The misnomer with a digital IQ, per se, is that digital savviness is not, strictly speaking, a matter of intelligence. It is a matter of mindset. And until you are doing it yourself, it’s not possible to really understand it. And, more importantly, by just reading and talking about it, it is definitely not possible to understand how the consumer is experiencing it. Why does an executive need to start using digital tools and media? There are three chief reasons why I militantly say to executives that they need to be using digital (i.e. buying online, surfing the net, on social media…). “Mr or Mrs CEO, you need to start using digital tools yourself, because…. if you don’t, you will make some big mistakes in your communication plans. you will have trouble attracting and retaining digitally savvy talent. in a world of overinformation, you need to master the right digital tools and media in order to stay up, if not ahead, with what’s going on.” The percentage of companies that are using digital means purely as a cost cutting initiative is surely on its way down. Even if I don’t see many P&L’s that have properly carved out the impact of digital within the company, very few consumer-facing companies are not taking digitally “seriously.” However, the decision making process, the editorial line and the execution of digital (especially in the retail space) is gravely hampered when the executives are just intellectually digital. I put this down to executives — and management in general — not having developed an appropriate digital eyeQ. Because management doesn’t know enough themselves about the surfing experience, the nature of bugs, nor the best options that exist, it is very difficult — not to say impossible — to make effective business decisions. Increasing one’s Digital IQ passes in part by developing one’s digital critical eye, thus the digital eyeQ. If you want another good read on the topic, check out Jeff Bullas’ post on the digital marketing IQ. Your thoughts and reactions, please!! NEWSletter Subscribe to Minter’s Bi-Weekly NEWSletter and receive a free copy of the exclusive and updated 8 Golden Rules of an eReputation Your Gift For Signing Up 8 Golden Rules of an eReputation SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed! digital eyeQ, digital IQ, Digital Marketing, digitally savvy, jeff bullas, New Tech, social media marketing, talent Minter Dial Minter Dial is an international professional speaker, author & consultant on Leadership, Branding and Digital Strategy. After a successful international career at L’Oréal, Minter Dial returned to his entrepreneurial roots and has spent the last ten years helping senior management teams and Boards to adapt to the new exigencies of the digitally enhanced marketplace. He has worked with world-class organisations to help activate their brand strategies, and figure out how best to integrate new technologies, digital tools, devices and platforms. Above all, Minter works to catalyse a change in mindset and dial up transformation. Minter received his BA in Trilingual Literature from Yale University (1987) and gained his MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau (1993). His newest book Heartificial Empathy, Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence, bowed in December 2018 and won the Book Excellence Award 2019 as well as being shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2019. It's available in Audiobook, Kindle and Paperback. He is also co-author of Futureproof (Pearson, Sep 2017) and sole author of The Last Ring Home (Myndset Press, Nov 2016), a book and documentary film, both of which have won awards and critical acclaim. Minter has a new book on leadership, You Lead, How being yourself makes you a better leader, published by Kogan Page, that released January 2021. It's easy to inquire about booking Minter Dial here. View all posts by Minter Dial Previous post Next post
yendi June 13, 2013 at 12:45 pm Unfortunately, too few schools teach computer science, coding and general knowledge of IT. The education system regardless of the country tends to be years behind the economical needs. Schools hardly acknowledge the emotional intelligence.
yendi June 13, 2013 at 12:45 pm Unfortunately, too few schools teach computer science, coding and general knowledge of IT. The education system regardless of the country tends to be years behind the economical needs. Schools hardly acknowledge the emotional intelligence.
Big Data and Social CRM - 3 steps to getting the small data and communications right first October 29, 2013 at 4:16 pm […] members of the ExCom are digitally oriented or savvy. As I like to say, it is important to up the digital IQ of senior […]
Big Data and Social CRM - 3 steps to getting the small data and communications right first October 29, 2013 at 4:16 pm […] members of the ExCom are digitally oriented or savvy. As I like to say, it is important to up the digital IQ of senior […]
A digital business card - What does a business card say about your digital IQ?Branding and digital marketing strategy | The Myndset by Minter Dial January 24, 2014 at 5:18 pm […] how to use digital to drive the business, one of the key components will be the general level of Digital IQ, in order to stay up to date with what is going on. Having an agency that provides valuable and […]
A digital business card - What does a business card say about your digital IQ?Branding and digital marketing strategy | The Myndset by Minter Dial January 24, 2014 at 5:18 pm […] how to use digital to drive the business, one of the key components will be the general level of Digital IQ, in order to stay up to date with what is going on. Having an agency that provides valuable and […]
Big Data and Social CRM - 3 steps July 27, 2015 at 4:19 pm […] members of the ExCom are digitally oriented or savvy. As I like to say, it is important to up the digital IQ of senior […]
A digital business card – What does a business card say about your digital IQ? | | Minter Dial March 2, 2020 at 2:02 pm […] how to use digital to drive the business, one of the key components will be the general level of Digital IQ, in order to stay up to date with what is going on. Having an agency that provides valuable and […]
Boost Your Digital Transformation – When The Boss Has More Followers Than The Brand | | Minter Dial April 30, 2020 at 1:44 pm […] to be versed in the ways of digital themselves. Click To Tweet I refer to the need to have a raised Digital IQ. Once the boss gets it, the bottom not only feels encouraged and appropriately empowered, they will […]