Leading by example, compact content and other insights from Freedman International's Global Marketing Trends study
ClickZ and Freedman International surveyed more than 500 senior global marketers in the U.S. and U.K. to ask them what challenges and opportunities they foresee in the coming year. These insights have been analyzed and distilled into the Global Marketing 2018 report, which features seven key trends that global marketers should understand.
As technology brings the world together, faster, it’s becoming increasingly important to understand how to build a global brand. A brand that is recognized and understood in multiple countries and languages, but that can also adapt to local opportunities. So how can marketers identify best practices and learn from their peers, to create powerful global marketing campaigns?
Look at the popularity of Snapchat, where videos are only 10 to 15 seconds long. Major brands such as Procter & Gamble, KFC and Citibank have also taken to posting “micro ads” on social media.
Video’s appeal as a marketing channel is obvious. The Freedman International survey found that video can raise understanding of a product by 74%. Thirty-nine percent of business decision-makers also contact vendors after watching branded videos.
Technology allows brands to engage consumers in innovative ways while broadcasting their values to the world. As video content accounts for more online traffic, marketers must be increasingly creative about making theirs stand out.
Do the right thing: Leading by example
People set high standards for the companies behind the products they purchase. In order for brands to succeed, they must display social consciousness. Nearly everyone who took Freedman International’s 2018 Global Marketing Trends survey said it’s important for companies to have good social and environmental policies.
Similarly, 53% of British and 78% of American consumers feel better about buying products that were produced sustainably. This is especially important to millennials, 64% of whom would prefer to work for a company dedicated to making the world a better place. Half would even accept a pay cut for a job aligned with their personal values.
Those values ultimately affect a brand’s perception. One example is LEGO topping Reputation Institute’s 2017 list, thanks in part to partnering with companies such as the World Wildlife Fund.
One particularly important value that can impact perception is diversity. Think of brands such as Airbnb, whose “We Accept” campaign went viral after last year’s Super Bowl and Mars, which grew the perception of its Maltesers brand by 8% with a series of ads starring people with disabilities.
Of the Freedman International survey respondents, 27% said their company is “very ethnically diverse.” Even more (32%) said their company has a strong representation of women in leadership positions.
There’s clearly a way to go, but the industry is moving in the right direction. Brands such as Verizon, General Mills and HP have called for their agency partners to become more diverse. Verizon reported a 9% increase in people of color in leadership positions, while HP’s Powered By Diversity program saw its agencies exceed the goal of female representation by 5%.
With more diverse creative staffs, it’s likely that we’ll see a decrease in tone-deaf, offensive advertising. Dove’s whitewashing commercial and H&M’s controversial sweatshirt ad may not have happened.
It’s good to talk: Chatting with bots
Artificial intelligence has transformed the way we interact with brands, with people increasingly expecting the 24/7 customer service chatbots provide. Freedman International predicted that by 2020, the average person will have more conversations a day with chatbots than their partners.
While chatbots field easy questions—35% of consumers inquire about products and services; 33% ask about store hours, location or inventory—human customer service representatives are free to concentrate on more complex issues. On social media, chatbots also respond automatically, which is imperative. According to Convince & Convert research, 42% people who complain to a brand on social media expect a response within the hour.
People don’t only look to chatbots when they have a gripe. Freedman International found that two-thirds of consumers would make a purchase directly from a chatbot. Though only 6.7% of the survey’s respondents currently use chatbots, 27% will think about doing so this year.
A diverse array of brands already utilize chatbots for uses that go far beyond customer service. Sephora bots in messaging platforms help people pick the right products for their respective skin tones and face shapes. Icelandair travelers can search and book flights right in Facebook Messenger. Chatbots from brands like Domino’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell also take orders. And answer philosophical questions, even.
Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
5y
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...
Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...
2y
Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...
This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...
Wall Street Journal Best Seller, Helen Yu shares reflections about the inner workings of AI, the causes for distrust, and the potential route organiza...
Oracle CX Sales Strategist, Kayleigh Halko highlights how today’s CRM isn’t cutting it for sellers and why AI needs to be injected to help give intell...
Digital channel performance: Evangelizing and communicating with the C-Suit...
3y
Jim Yu
Digital channel performance: Evangelizing and comm...
In this article learn three essential ways to communicate the importance of digital-first strategies to C-Suite decision-makers in your organization. ...
AI: McKinsey research forecasts positive impact of technology on job securi...
5y
Luke Richards
AI: McKinsey research forecasts positive impact of...
A new report by McKinsey looks to an optimistic future for jobs augmented by technologies such as AI and automation rather than being replaced by them...
Customer experience via the contact center: Q&A with Calabrio CMO Rebecca M...
5y
Kimberly Collins
Customer experience via the contact center: Q&A wi...
"Marketers can do wonders if they just look at what's going on under their own nose in their organization's contact center," says Calabrio's Rebecca M...
How to not be fired as a CMO in the next three years
5y
Lee Arthur
How to not be fired as a CMO in the next three yea...
In light of recent news of companies scrapping the CMO position, guest contributor Lee Arthur weighs in on what people must do to be successful in the...