Digital agency Razorfish sees experience trumping message

In a digital world where consumers expect brands to truly engage with them, pitching products isn't always enough, says Pat Frend, East region president of Razorfish, a digital marketing agency that is helping Mercedes-Benz reach out to younger audiences. Audi is also a client.

Frend, 44, believes the experiences digital marketers create when interacting with consumers are becoming more important than the messaging itself.

This reality, Frend said, is challenging brands to "think through what the definition of marketing is."

In recent years, Razorfish has looked to stand out in a fragmented digital world by concocting a GLA configurator on Instagram, while teaming with Instagram sensation Loki the Wolfdog on a virtual-reality experience around the GLS for Google Cardboard -- a device that opens up VR opportunities for smartphone owners.

Frend spoke with Staff Reporter Vince Bond Jr. about the trends he's seeing in how people consume digital content, the potential of virtual and augmented reality technologies within the digital marketing space and the evolving age demographics of social networks