Marketing

Marketers like to try new things. One of the reasons many of us got into this profession is the ever-changing nature of it and the fact that there is always innovation: new channels, tools, tactics and technology to learn and master.

In today’s “quantum age of marketing,” the advances of technology are rapidly evolving, impacting every area of our lives at a rate never before seen in human history.

Produced jointly by GfK and the National Retail Federation, the white paper, “Decoding the Personalization Paradox,” helps retailers and brands apply personalization at scale. Download the report to learn more about consumers’ needs, desires and concerns about targeting and personalization and how marketers can use this information to guide smarter decision-making as they ramp up one-to-one marketing.

It’s official – Physical and digital engagement is paramount for effective customer engagement. No matter what age, gender or location, consumers around the world agree that when it comes to brand interactions, personal, trusted and reliable omnichannel engagement is THE preferred option and choice.

I was lucky enough to interview a total of 16 advertising industry luminaries in Cannes for our Future Proof podcast. Each interview was provocative (and occasionally expletive) but, collectively, they represent a compelling viewpoint on the big issues facing marketing today.  by Jane Ostler – Global Media Domain Lead / Kantar

Many marketers may want to believe that customers prefer personalized marketing experiences, but while research backs up that claim, recent consumer skepticism over the use of personal data means that there’s a growing sentiment that more personalization does not beget a better experience.

Though still avant-garde in the marketing industry, consumer neuroscience offers marketers powerful insights that they can begin implementing into their campaigns today

It would be an understatement to say that for the modern consumer, personalization has become a table-stakes expectation. From Facebook feeds and Netflix queues to brick-and-mortar retail floors, the average consumer is living in an increasingly customized world in which every experience is tailored to their unique needs, expectations, and preferences using data.

The private brand dynamic is a topic we’ve written about extensively over the past few years. Private brand is gaining dollar share in key general merchandise industries, representing nearly one-third of U.S. sales in some industries. In industries like office supplies, retailers have moved entire departments to their own private labels. But our research indicates that more private brands aren’t necessarily the answer across apparel, food, technology, and other industries we track; retail may have reached an inflection point. How can retailers determine the right mix of private and national brands for the categories they play in, and what can brands do to ensure they remain part of the mix?

With a spending power of $1.2 trillion, the African American audience is one of the most essential markets for advertisers to reach. This group of consumers is at the forefront of innovation—full of trendsetters, tastemakers, and cultural expression.

After a stellar PR career spanning three decades in the corporate world working for blue chip companies in Senior positions in public relations, such as her most recent past role of Vice President of Consumer and Entertainment Public Relations at Univision Communications, Rosemary Ravinal decided to leave the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion to launch RMR Communications Consulting LLC (RMR), to address gaps in presentation skills, public speaking and media readiness among C-suite executives in both English and Spanish.

Some influencers accept free products as payment for endorsements, others charge thousands of dollars for a single post. While the compensation scale varies by following and content type, some marketers are concerned that teaming up with social media influencers is getting expensive.

Marketers with in-house agencies say they are having difficulty keeping their creative teams energized, and are also concerned about their ability to attract top-tier creative talent, according to a new study.

The IAB, the national trade association for the digital media and marketing industries, released “Disrupting Brand Preference,” a study that shows that disruptor brand shoppers comprise 48 percent of all U.S consumers. They are younger than incumbent brand-only shoppers, with 84 percent under 54 years old, and are likelier to have a household income of more than $75,000. In addition, direct-to-consumer (DTC) buyers use their favorite brands as vehicles for self-promotion, with twice as many compared to incumbent brand-only shoppers saying that they choose brands to express “who I am.”

As a growing population Hispanics are a vital audience for more brands than ever before. Our quarter-year data set provides the very latest view on how to reach them with impact.

In an a WARC newsletter item Keith Weed, then chief marketing and communications officer at Unilever, talks about the need for his company to play two games: support global brands based on universal truths and manage a portfolio of targeted, niche brands. But I would suggest that brands actually need to play three games at once.  by Nigel Hollis

After last year’s Cannes Lions, I opined that there was not enough talk about what we were there to celebrate: great creativity. I’m pleased to report that this year there was much more talk of how to create winning content. But I was shocked – and maybe I shouldn’t have been – to learn that creative award-winning ads have never been less effective.  by Daren Poole – Global Head of Creative / Kantar

Internet advertising will account for 52% of global advertising expenditure in 2021, exceeding the 50% mark for the first time, according to Zenith’s Advertising Expenditure Forecasts. That’s up from the 47% of global adspend that internet advertising will account for this year, and 44% in 2018.

Agency senior executives are coming to terms with changes in client needs.  “More growth” rather than “more creativity” is what they are hearing.  The agency of the future is starting to sound more like a consulting firm with media and creative capabilities than a traditional service-oriented agency that wins awards.

Marketing and media have become complex and messy. Chief marketing officers have to contend with fragmentation, an increasing number of different players providing technology platforms and solutions, and a whole new lexicon of marketing technology terms.