This week I wrote a post for the Canadian Marketing Association titled, 'The Contagious Report.' The post shared findings from some recent research we conducted at the 2010 BCAIM conference. If you'd like to read the original post you can view it here; or alternatively you can find a copy below. I'm interested to hear if your opinions mirror those of our research participants...
Spending time staring in the mirror is never a good thing for a person, or a brand. In fact, the very basis of marketing involves looking up from our mirrors and out towards the market; towards the needs and motivations of our customers.
Having said that, it can be a lot of fun to sneak-a-peek in the marketing mirror, which is why we thought you may appreciate the findings from a recent survey of 200 marketers at the 2010 BCAIM Contagious Conference. The survey used real-time handheld electronic devices to explore the hottest issues, trends and topics impacting marketers today.
Social Media:
According to our conference survey, the majority of marketers, 8 in 10, are now using social media to hear what customers are saying online. However, only 36% have a formal system for using social media, in contrast to the 44% who have a mainly informal system.
In addition, those marketers who work for an agency seem to be adopting social media much earlier than their clients, with our research showing that client-side marketers are 8 times less likely than agency-side marketers to be actively using social media.
Customer Insights:
Despite the rise of social media monitoring, only 16% of marketers believe that it provides the best way to understand their customers. In fact, our conference survey found that marketers tend to rely on more traditional techniques for gathering their insights.
Of those surveyed, 30% believed the best way to understand their customers was with qualitative research, followed by 28% who rely on CRM databases, and 18% who believe that quantitative research holds the key to unlocking customer insight.
So what customer segments are marketers looking for insights on? Well according to our study, more than 1/3 of marketers believe that the youth segment will provide the greatest prospect for growth in the next few years.
Workplace & Career:
Much is made of the differences between agency and client work environments; the perceptions of creative agency ambience, versus controlled client conclaves.
According to our conference survey there may be some truth behind those perceptions, because those on the client-side of marketing were most likely to describe their workplace as unplanned and tactical, or secretive and controlled. In contrast, those on the agency-side were most likely to describe their workplace as open and collaborative, or planned and strategic.
Finally, when it comes to career, is cash king or are there bigger concerns? Well amongst senior executives, 4 in 10 cited money as their number one career priority. However more junior and mid-level managers placed greater value on recognition and achievement in their careers.
Check out The Contagious Report:
Spending time staring in the mirror is never a good thing for a person or a brand - but sometimes watching the reflections of others can lead to some great insights. So if you’re interested in taking a longer look in the marketing mirror, and seeing how you compare to your peers, check out the rest of The Contagious Report below:
Having said that, it can be a lot of fun to sneak-a-peek in the marketing mirror, which is why we thought you may appreciate the findings from a recent survey of 200 marketers at the 2010 BCAIM Contagious Conference. The survey used real-time handheld electronic devices to explore the hottest issues, trends and topics impacting marketers today.
Social Media:
According to our conference survey, the majority of marketers, 8 in 10, are now using social media to hear what customers are saying online. However, only 36% have a formal system for using social media, in contrast to the 44% who have a mainly informal system.
In addition, those marketers who work for an agency seem to be adopting social media much earlier than their clients, with our research showing that client-side marketers are 8 times less likely than agency-side marketers to be actively using social media.
Customer Insights:
Despite the rise of social media monitoring, only 16% of marketers believe that it provides the best way to understand their customers. In fact, our conference survey found that marketers tend to rely on more traditional techniques for gathering their insights.
Of those surveyed, 30% believed the best way to understand their customers was with qualitative research, followed by 28% who rely on CRM databases, and 18% who believe that quantitative research holds the key to unlocking customer insight.
So what customer segments are marketers looking for insights on? Well according to our study, more than 1/3 of marketers believe that the youth segment will provide the greatest prospect for growth in the next few years.
Workplace & Career:
Much is made of the differences between agency and client work environments; the perceptions of creative agency ambience, versus controlled client conclaves.
According to our conference survey there may be some truth behind those perceptions, because those on the client-side of marketing were most likely to describe their workplace as unplanned and tactical, or secretive and controlled. In contrast, those on the agency-side were most likely to describe their workplace as open and collaborative, or planned and strategic.
Finally, when it comes to career, is cash king or are there bigger concerns? Well amongst senior executives, 4 in 10 cited money as their number one career priority. However more junior and mid-level managers placed greater value on recognition and achievement in their careers.
Check out The Contagious Report:
Spending time staring in the mirror is never a good thing for a person or a brand - but sometimes watching the reflections of others can lead to some great insights. So if you’re interested in taking a longer look in the marketing mirror, and seeing how you compare to your peers, check out the rest of The Contagious Report below: