Marketing

There tends to be a cyclical movement regarding where an agency optimization function sits within an organization, but it usually resides in either the marketing or procurement group. Regardless of where the program sits within an organization, the idea around optimizing the agency partnership has evolved from a focus on process efficiencies and cost savings to real opportunities for marketing procurement and marketing operations to partner with brand marketers to create additional value for executive stakeholders and the business at large.

Digital advertising’s readily available measurement metrics and low-cost perceptions make it more attractive by the day, which is reflected in the channel’s growing share of spend. But is it really as effective as marketers think it is?  by Kristanne Roberts – Global Development Director – Brand Lift Insights Kantar

When Yale professor Cydney Dupree and her colleague analyzed more than two decades worth of political speeches and conducted experiments searching for bias when communicating with racial minorities, they were surprised by what they discovered. According to their report, published this year in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, conservatives generally addressed whites and minorities similarly, but liberals were likelier to modify their speech and “patronize minorities stereotyped as lower status and less competent.”  By Giancarlo Sopo / Courtesy of USA Today

There are many moving pieces that culturally affect the shifts we see in today’s Hispanic culture. A very prominent trend has been the rise and embracement of “Afrolatinidad” (Latinos of African descent). Although the Hispanic community has long had some heralded and very influential figures in its history (such as Celia Cruz), colorism has long plagued Latin American culture. That same colorism migrated to the US with our previous generations.  By Ed Felix, Director of Content Strategy, Conill

Latino consumers are familiar with cash registers and point of sale (POS) systems, as they are commonly being used for checkout in many local bodegas, liquor and tobacco stores. More and more stores are investing in modern point of sale systems to replace their old cash registers. This is not just for the esthetics of having high tech equipment, but for the powerful capabilities to track sales and inventory to organize the store while attracting customers to purchase more, via customer facing advertising.  By Elie Y. Katz – Founder, President & CEO • National Retail Solutions

Hyundai Motor America has named Angela Zepeda, the senior vice president and managing director at its agency of record INNOCEAN USA, as its new chief marketing officer. Angela will be responsible for all of Hyundai’s marketing and advertising activities in the U.S., including the strategic direction, brand development, national and regional advertising, experiential marketing, digital and social media, brand partnerships, and lead generation, among other responsibilities.

Consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies worldwide invest about 20 percent of their revenue annually in trade promotions. Stunningly, 59 percent lost money (in the United States, it’s 72 percent).  Conversely, best-in-class CPG promotions returned five times more than the least efficient. Clearly, there is a huge opportunity for both CPG manufacturers and retailers to improve return on investment (ROI) on their trade-promotion investments.

In a previous post, I tried to define the word brand. In this one I want to propose five financial benefits of a strong brand. Most people, I believe, would start with selling more, but given what I wrote in the last post I must start with commanding a higher price point.  by Nigel Hollis

In the age of anxiety, global challenges like trade, politics, inequality, and the state of the natural environment have captured much of the public’s consciousness. What’s not getting enough attention are timely examples of human innovation — the kind that will help drive a more sustainable future. There are two such milestones this year from which to draw inspiration.

Brands old and new are participating in the direct-to-consumer model, and this graphic depicts essential stats as well as tips for getting started in this space.

Why brands must forge deeper, more personalized relationships with consumers for future growth.  By Valeria Piaggio, SVP and Head of Identity and Inclusion Insights at Kantar Consulting

Traditionally, organizations haven’t viewed the customer experience as a singular thing owned by one particular person or department. That’s changed, as brands have worked to put customers at the forefront—and it’s given modern CMOs new importance as owners of that experience.

While marketers admit their future growth and success will rely on leveraging deeper relationships with customers, 43 percent surveyed by the CMO Council admit that their organizations identify “transactional” as being the top attribute and descriptor of their customers.

I realise that the idea of a ‘brand’ is one of those ill-defined concepts that causes endless confusion. We all use the same word and yet can assign it very different meanings. Given that a blog post is meant to stimulate discussion, I am going to propose a definition and we can see where things go from there.  by Nigel Hollis

Like professional athletes at the mercy of team owners always looking for the next superstar, chief marketing officers appear to have the shortest tenure of any member of the C-suite. The median life span in the role was 28 months in 2018, dropping from the 31-month median tenure a year earlier, according to Spencer Stuart. While some departing CMOs are tapped for internal roles beyond marketing, such as general manager, more often than not they are shown the door and move on to their next gig.

Ethical behavior has long been a concern for responsible marketers. But in a digital age, just what constitutes ethical marketing has become a moving target.

Over the past decade, many consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies have mastered the fundamentals of pricing, promotions, assortment, and trade investment—revenue growth management’s four main elements. While that development has allowed CPGs to reliably capture value, the landscape has shifted, and the bar is rising.

Every industrial revolution was catalyzed by a major technological evolution. Today is no dfferent. With 90 percent of the world’s data having been produced in the last two years and more than 26 billion smart devices in circulation, we are living in an era of unprecedented technological innovation—one that has spurred the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

But as consumers’ entertainment consumption patterns continue to change dramatically, a growing number of brands and organizations are starting to look at product placement in a new light, fueled by integrated marketing and more and more affordable programming options.

The fundamental method by which television commercials are bought and sold hasn’t significantly changed since the first spot aired 70 years ago — but that is changing now, and changing fast.