Post by S.M. Ahsanus Sakib

It has been weeks since our jury session, and the excitement around the Digital Marketing Award has settled. This was probably my third or fourth time joining fellow industry professionals as a jury member in DMA. Since then, I have been thinking about a few questions: What have we learned over the years? How much has the industry truly progressed? And beyond celebrating good work, what have we actually achieved? Bangladesh’s digital advertising industry is evolving rapidly. Smartphone growth, short-form video, and a highly connected young audience have pushed brands towards digital-first communication. Our greatest strength is clear: we understand culture, emotion, humor, and storytelling. But some important gaps remain. We are often too focused on virality. Campaigns may generate views, shares, and comments yet fail to build long-term brand value. Influencer marketing is growing, but many brands still prioritize follower counts over audience relevance, credibility, and measurable impact. We are also adopting AI, CGI, AR, and automation, but often only at a surface level. A campaign may look impressive, while the customer journey, website, checkout process, chatbot, or after-sales experience remains weak. For many businesses, digital marketing still means boosting posts rather than building an integrated system around data, CRM, conversion, retention, and customer experience. Bangladesh has the creativity to compete globally. But to move forward, we must shift from chaos-driven virality to structured, data-informed, and accountable brand building. Digital should not be treated as just another advertising billboard. It should be treated as a complete growth engine. Perhaps our award platforms and jury conversations should increasingly recognize not only what attracted attention but also what genuinely solved a problem, created measurable value, and moved the industry forward.