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Stuart O'Brien

Last chance to register for two essential marketing summits
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There’s a place for you at this month’s co-located Digital Marketing Solutions Summit and Print & Digital Innovations Summit – Make sure you register today!

Your pass includes; a corporate “speed-dating” itinerary of relaxed one-to-one meetings with new innovative and budget-saving solution providers, a seat at our industry seminar sessions, networking opportunities and lunch and refreshments throughout.

Regarding the recent Government announcements in retrospect of the current climate, there has been no changes to the way businesses need to run intimate, 1-2-1 meeting events like this one.

We will continue to monitor this and ensure that all health and safety measures are in place at all live events including; use of masks, perspex meeting screens, hand sanitiser and social distancing. – Live and Virtual attendance options are available.

Digital Marketing Solutions Summit and Print & Digital Innovations Summit has been merged so that you can maximise your connections and save time by accessing them all in one day.

Date: Wednesday 11th May
Time: 08.00 – 16.50
Venue: Hilton London Canary Wharf (E14 9SH)

Don’t miss out on sourcing the latest tech to ensure the smooth running of your upcoming event. Areas include: Print Management, Lead Generation & Tracking, Integrated Marketing Solutions, Multi-channel Engagement, Packaging and Labels, Digital Print, Landing Page Optimisation, Google Ads, Augmented Reality, Social Media, Online Advertising, Web to Print, Content Management, Mobile Advertising and so much more.

Confirm your attendance here via our online booking forms;

Digital Marketing & Solutions Summit online form

Print & Digital Innovations Summit online form

Alternatively, if you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.

and Print & Digital Innovations Summit – Make sure you register today as there are only a few free delegate spaces left!

Your pass includes; a corporate “speed-dating” itinerary of relaxed one-to-one meetings with new innovative and budget-saving solution providers, a seat at our industry seminar sessions, networking opportunities and lunch and refreshments throughout.

Regarding the recent Government announcements in retrospect of the current climate, there has been no changes to the way businesses need to run intimate, 1-2-1 meeting events like this one.

We will continue to monitor this and ensure that all health and safety measures are in place at all live events including; use of masks, perspex meeting screens, hand sanitiser and social distancing. – Live and Virtual attendance options are available.

Digital Marketing Solutions Summit and Print & Digital Innovations Summit has been merged so that you can maximise your connections and save time by accessing them all in one day.

Date: Wednesday 11th May
Time: 08.00 – 16.50
Venue: Hilton London Canary Wharf (E14 9SH)

Don’t miss out on sourcing the latest tech to ensure the smooth running of your upcoming event. Areas include: Print Management, Lead Generation & Tracking, Integrated Marketing Solutions, Multi-channel Engagement, Packaging and Labels, Digital Print, Landing Page Optimisation, Google Ads, Augmented Reality, Social Media, Online Advertising, Web to Print, Content Management, Mobile Advertising and so much more.

Confirm your attendance here via our online booking forms;

Digital Marketing & Solutions Summit online form

Print & Digital Innovations Summit online form

Alternatively, if you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.

Increased media fragmentation amplifying need for holistic measurement
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Nielsen’s Annual Marketing Report has found that brands’ top priorities for 2022 are increasing brand awareness, un-siloing measurement, developing personalized strategies, and becoming more purpose-driven.

With consumer buying habits very much a focus following the enormous change that COVID-19 has left on their behaviour, Nielsen has for the very first time conducted a global survey that includes insights incorporating EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) marketers.

Respondents surveyed came from manager-level and above, overseeing marketing budgets of US$1 million upwards, working across a variety of industries, from the retail and ecommerce, auto, financial services, FMCG, technology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, travel, tourism and retail industries.  

The research conducted by Opinium Research spanned the regions, asking marketer participants a range of questions from how they access marketing campaigns; reporting systems; measurement; data accuracy; and their overriding concerns regarding ROI (return on investment). 

The report both revealed a digital dominance in how dollars are being spent and exposed marketers’ lack of confidence in the data behind those decisions. With continued digital fragmentation, marketers report data accuracy, measurement, and ROI are paramount. While 69% of marketers believe first-party data is essential for their strategies and campaigns, and 72% of marketers believe they have access to quality data, only 26% of global marketers are fully confident in their audience data.

The Era of Alignment found marketers around the world are experiencing similar areas of success and challenges, as shown by:

  • Brand awareness is marketers’ top objective. To reach this goal, brands need to leverage an array of channels to reach the widest audience. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents stated that social media is the most effective paid channel with TikTok and Instagram dominating spend. Comparatively, TV and radio spend is significantly less with an aggregate increase of 53% across global marketers. Customer acquisition is their second objective, showing that marketers must focus efforts on the entire customer journey.
  • Increased media fragmentation amplifies the need for holistic measurement. Marketers’ confidence in measuring ROI of the full-funnel is only 54%. Remove online and mobile video and confidence in measuring ROI across all other channels is under 50% globally, and while nearly half of marketers plan to increase their spending on podcasts, their confidence in measuring the ROI of that investment is 44%.
  • It’s vital for marketers to use data to champion personalized marketing strategies. The increasing proliferation of channels produces an abundance of unique data sets. However, 36% of marketers still claim that data access, identity resolution, and deriving actionable insights from data is either extremely or very difficult. With the rise of connected TV (CTV) this presents new challenges to traditional targeting solutions. CTV is a growing focus for global marketers, with 51% planning to increase their over-the-top/CTV spending in the coming year. To wit, Americans streamed almost 15 million years’ worth of content across subscription- and ad-supported platforms.
  • By placing a greater emphasis on purpose-driven initiatives, marketers can better connect with consumers.Nielsen Research shows over half of U.S. consumers (52%) purchase from brands that support causes they care about; similarly, more than 36% expect the brands they buy to support social causes. While global marketers say their brands are emphasizing purpose, Nielsen data shows that 55% of consumers aren’t convinced that brands are fostering true progress.

“Our work at Nielsen is to provide the most complete view of consumer behavior regardless of industry, and our longtime experience in measurement and comprehensive view of the media universe gives brands a 360-degree view that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Jamie Moldafsky, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Nielsen. “This research showcased that marketers want to put money into channels to deliver immediate ROI, however we also see that they must be agile in the year ahead and work across the entire marketing funnel to reinforce brand awareness and acquire more customers. With the upcoming elimination of third-party cookies, it’s understandable to see marketers prioritizing personalization and aligning their brand with causes their customers care about. Through our solutions – and this report – we’re continuing to help brands and marketers get actionable insights to make more informed, and quicker decisions.”

This is the fifth Annual Marketing Report produced by Nielsen. The report is fueled by survey responses of marketers manager-level and above, who manage marketing budgets north of $1 million, who work across a variety of industries (auto, financial services, FMCG, technology, health care, pharmaceuticals, travel, tourism, and retail), and whose focus pertains to media, technology, and measurement strategies.

Western brands are quitting Russia. Will such measures really weaken Putin’s resolve or just hurt Russian people?
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By Matt Hay, CEO and founder of Bulbshare

With the war in Ukraine now well into its second month and news of fresh atrocities filtering through every day, it’s clear that the actions taken by Western governments and brands have done little to deter Russia.

Originally designed to be short and sharp, it now seems that they will have to dig in and play the long game if sanctions are to have any effect. But in the face of growing pain among ordinary Russians and rocketing prices in their home markets, how long will brands be able to hold out?

Staff at the Chief Executive Leadership Institute (CELI) have been busy since late February. The Yale-affiliated school for CEOs is tracking the number of US brands that have stopped doing business in Russia in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Led by CELI CEO Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the list has now grown to over 600 companies.

The CELI list has helped mobilise public opinion and incentivise brands to vote with their feet. For those that rely on the Russian market for a small sliver of global profits, the reputational risk of sticking around isn’t worth running. Coca Cola, for instance, drew less than two percent of its income from Russia last year. Better now to affirm commitment to the people of Ukraine and pull out. But as Sonnenfeld’s list grows, it’s also become clear that not everyone is so willing to boycott.

This presents brands with a moral quandary. Do they stay put and risk consumer backlash? Do they leave and if so, does their leaving put ordinary Russians at risk? Perhaps, given that the war has shown little sign of abating despite the corporate exodus, brands should be exploring other ways in which they can actively aid Ukraine.

Hold outs 

Brands that are more reliant on the Russian market have been noticeably less strident. “One should not condemn companies that decide to stay in Russia as financiers of Putin’s war,” says Michael Harms, head of Germany’s Eastern Business Association, a lobbyist group. The Economist reports that a few big German supermarkets (notably Metro and Globus) have decided it’s business as usual in the east, reasoning that closing stores there would mean firing staff and abandoning customers who rely on their products.

Companies that provide citizens with food, basic cleaning products or medicines have a knottier decision than say, soft drinks or fast food. Pharmaceutical brands Sanofi and Pfizer for instance, have committed to continuing to provide medications but to scale back on business not related to the supply of medications. They’ve also committed funding to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.Procter & Gamble, the American FMCG giant, meanwhile is still selling basic health and hygiene items in Russia, but has signified an urge to scale back by ceasing its advertising there.

Not everyone has the option to leave either. Some brands are contractually stuck in the Russian market. Retailer Marks and Spencer, fast food brand Burger King, and hotels Marriott and Accor are tied in with franchising schemes that they cannot free themselves from. These companies have found a solution in distancing themselves from the Kremlin by outsourcing to Russian third parties. But does this measure resemble any kind of a meaningful boycott?

Penalising Putin

I would argue that it doesn’t. And all this begs the question: who feels the most pain when western brands depart? According to reports, the invasion of Ukraine seems to be rapidly and dramatically re-shaping everyday life in Russia in a way reminiscent of Soviet life. The removal of Western iconography like McDonalds from Russian streets might feel like a dismaying regression. Meanwhile, the BBC reports that consumer prices jumped 2.2% in the first week of the invasion, with food prices spiralling upwards. Some shops are trying to prevent hoarding by restricting staple products. For a despot who seems increasingly shielded from the travails of his subjects, Putin and his gang of cronies are unlikely to care about the declining quality of life in Russia.

Who really feels the pain?

It’s also worth bearing in mind that both sanctions and the conflict are having a deleterious impact on consumers around the globe. Already stretched thin by the supply chain issues of the past two years and rising energy bills, consumers face massive price increases in everything from sunflower oil to wheat and commodities like aluminium, copper, and nickel. All of those are things that go into the goods we consume daily.

Given that inflation was already rising at a concerning rate, brands will have to either innovate around the problem or risk taking a long-term hit to their bottom lines while trying to keep shareholders happy.

Measuring sentiment

As the world reacts in shock to Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the relationship between politics and brands will become increasingly complex and interdependent. For instance, research from within Bulbshare’s extensive community of respondents indicates that customers are more motivated by the actions of nation states than ever. For instance, when we asked our community whether they would boycott Russian businesses and banks, 77% answered ‘yes’. Our insight also shows a clear distinction between the actions of Putin and the Russian people, when asked whether they were worried about how the war would impact Russian citizens, 74% answered in the affirmative.

The role of brands in tumultuous times such as this is a thorny one. Increasingly companies are expected to contribute in a way that ushers in positive political and social change. Leaders in the West must find a way to weaken Putin’s grip, while minimising economic pain for citizens.

Bridging the gap between advertising & subscription revenue
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Digital readership experienced an extraordinary boost during the pandemic – especially in the early stages when online subscriptions soared by almost 150%. Lockdown consumers were avidly seeking both information and distraction, lapping up the diversity of content on offer, from news to podcasts, courses to exclusive member online meetings with journalists. In contrast, advertising spend plummeted and left the publishers relying on this unpredictable revenue high and dry.

That growth pattern may have normalised in latter months. And while ad spend – in particular digital advertising – has also rebounded, this crisis proved how perilous relying on advertising dollars alone can be. The aftermath leaves a significant challenge for media businesses in 2022.

How can they find the right balance between digital advertising and subscription models? How is the industry going to create a sustainable, long-term revenue model – especially with the shifting privacy landscape and its implications for digital businesses? 

Rupert Knowles (pictured), General Manager, UK, Piano, explores the changing digital landscape and outlines how publishers can adopt new ways of building reader trust that lead to better targeting capabilities and higher overall revenue from both advertising and subscription models, without compromising on data ethics…

Working Together

The pace of digital change during the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many analogue dinosaurs to the brink and beyond. According to a McKinsey Global Survey, the share of digital or digitally enabled products in company portfolios accelerated by seven years in a matter of months. Publishing has been an amazing example of this shift, and many publishers have acknowledged the value of the subscription revenue stream for the first time. But there is still an internal conflict for many organisations – the traditional stand-off between subscription, advertising and editorial can severely constrain publishers’ abilities to monetise the new digital audience.

Retaining customers and building loyalty requires a new approach. While Google may have extended its use of third-party cookies until 2023, reliance on third-party data will be off the table from next year. Yet, readers actively dislike an irrelevant, unfocused experience. Publishers need to survive and thrive in a logged-in world, and this means being able to answer key questions: Why should a reader share their data? How is the reader experience being curated to inspire loyalty? And how can a publisher derive value from (and provide value to) occasional, registered and subscribed users?

To truly optimise this new customer base will require significant cultural change: Publishers must build collaboration between marketing (subscriptions) and advertising and editorial. In a digital world, all three are inherently part of the same overall customer experience. A reader’s decision to subscribe, to register but not subscribe, or just visit occasionally is influenced by many factors beyond the price. 

Know Your Reader

Every part of the experience needs to work well, from the editorial decisions regarding the position of content in front or behind the paywall to the number of advertisements presented to each reader. Understanding the reader is essential to deliver the customer value that is key to optimising long-term revenue.

As German Publisher, Funke Mediengruppe discovered: 50% of subscribers who churned were doing so because they felt there were too many ads, and most were low quality. The publisher opted to reduce the amount of ad space by 70%, retaining the higher quality – and higher value – ads, and cut this reason for churning by 50% in the process. By keeping the more valuable ad inventory, the overall drop in revenue was minimised – a drop that was immediately offset by readers being happy to pay a 20% higher subscription for a better reading experience.

This publisher has also separated its titles into “reach”, which are ad-financed with a focus on maximising traffic and “quality”, which are financed by reader revenue. Each title’s revenue stream is optimised by implementing cross-departmental cooperation and cross-marketing.

Understanding Customer Value

Data is key to understanding customers’ digital behaviour – and will inform the advertising, registration and subscription strategies required to successfully manage the customer journey from anonymous to known, to paid, to retained.

For example, registered readers are ten times more likely to subscribe than non-registered. People who pay for a trial are more likely to convert to a full subscription than those receiving a free trial. Emails and newsletters are still the highest converting channel. And the way pricing is presented will have a very significant influence on conversion.

By using A/B tests to determine the success of not just different pricing options, but different pricing presentations across hundreds of customer segments, publishers can gain vital insights that will help them create successful customer retention strategies. Moreover, with analytics and data-driven insight, they can enhance overall Customer Lifetime Value by building stronger relationships and delivering greater value through more relevant content targeted to each reader – whether that is articles, emails, newsletters or podcasts. 

Extending Content Value

The content presented to each reader will also influence subscription rates. Subscription platforms that include machine learning will provide vital insight into the reader’s response to specific articles. Which articles convert most readers to subscribe? Or to register? Which articles have high numbers of page views but don’t result in any reader action?

Machine learning can be used to deliver content recommendations to readers based on behaviour and known areas of interest. Providing readers with more relevant content will bring them back more often and encourage subscription. And it also gives new value to content – older articles can be presented again to an interested reader. Content is no longer written today, discarded tomorrow; it has far more long-term value.

The use of content recommendations can also nudge readers from short form to longer form content. One publisher, for example, has discovered that its valuable content recommendations are often seven days old and three or four times the length of most articles. Leading digital publishers including the Spectator are also using author matching, tracking if readers have a preference for a certain journalist or journalistic style and recommending their other articles. Science is supporting art to create the profitability that will be key to supporting high-quality journalism.

Conclusion

There are so many opportunities to improve revenue, and create a personalised reader experience and drive up customer engagement. Intelligent use of data combined with a willingness to continually test and learn is transforming the way publishers can interact with the readership. This can only be achieved with complete collaboration across marketing, advertising and editorial. Now is the time to grasp the opportunity, embrace a customer-centric, data-driven model and optimise the new readership.

Do you specialise in Social Media? We want to hear from you!
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Each month on Digital Marketing Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on different parts of the print and marketing sectors – and in May we’ll be focussing on Social Media solutions. It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help marketing industry professionals find the best products and services available today. So, if you specialise in Social Media and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Clair Wyld on c.wyld@forumevents.co.uk. Here’s our features list in full:- May – Social Media Jun – Brand Monitoring July – Web Analytics Aug – Conversion Rate Optimisation Sept – Digital Signage Oct – Brochure Printing Nov – Creative & Design Dec – Online Strategy

Tough new rules on brands and gambling
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Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) has announced the introduction of tough new rules for gambling ads in a bid to protect young adults and the vulnerable.

The rules will significantly impact gambling advertisers looking to promote their brands using prominent sports people and celebrities as well as individuals like social media influencers, who are of strong appeal to those under-18.

The new rules state that gambling and lottery ads must not: “be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.”

This is a step-change from the existing rules that gambling ads must not be of ‘particular appeal’ to children. A ‘strong’ appeal test prohibits content (imagery, themes and characters) that has a strong level of appeal to under-18s regardless of how it is viewed by adults.

In practice, this will significantly restrict the imagery and references that gambling ads will be allowed to use and should decrease the potential for gambling ads to attract the attention of under-18s in an audience. For example, ads will not be able to use:

  • Topflight footballers and footballers with a considerable following among under-18 on social media.
  • All sportspeople well-known to under-18s, including sportspeople with a considerable volume of under-18 followers on social media.
  • References to video game content and gameplay popular with under-18s.
  • Stars from reality shows popular with under-18s, such as Love Island.

The new rules come into effect on 1st October 2022.

Shahriar Coupal, Director of CAP, said: “The days of gambling ads featuring sports stars, video game imagery and other content of strong appeal to under-18s are numbered.

“By ending these practices, our new rules invite a new era for gambling ads, more particular to the adult audience they can target and more befitting of the age-restricted product they’re promoting.”

Channel 4 privatisation “will have many implications” warns Advertising Association
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Following on from the news on the Government’s decision to continue with the privatisation of Channel 4, the Advertising Association has issued a statement warning of the “many implications.”

Published on the association’s website by Stephen Woodford, CEO, the response said: “The Government’s decision to press ahead with the privatisation of Channel 4 will have many implications for the shape of the UK advertising market. Public Service Broadcast services remain hugely important to advertisers wanting to reach large and diverse audiences, and maintaining a competitive advertising market should be a key plank of emerging media policy across the board.

“We strongly propose that the Government publish a comprehensive impact assessment, in line with Better Regulation principles, to take into account the impact of privatisation on the TV advertising market.”

Channel 4 currently relies on 90% of its £1bn annual revenues on brand advertising, with the money it makes reinvested in commissioning and buying programmes from TV production companies based in the UK. It was launched in 1982 by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party as an alternative to BBC One, Two and ITV.

ISBA launches Origin advertising levy consultation
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UK-based brand owner and advertising trade body ISBA has launched an eight-week industry-wide consultation of UK advertisers to collect responses for  a proposed levy as a way of charging for the Core Reporting service of its advertiser-backed programme, Origin.

Origin is designed to create a blueprint for cross media measurement and is part of a global initiative to capture the value of advertising in a changing consumer environment.

Until now, the development of Origin has been funded by its stakeholders, with an ambition to create an entity that is industry-owned, creating data that is used by all facets of the media ecosystem.

This consultation process seeks to confirm that advertisers support the proposal of part-funding Origin via a levy on the media activity that is measured by Origin.  As part of this process, ISBA will give advertisers the opportunity to learn more about Origin, have their questions answered and to have their voice heard.

A levy system is proposed to cover the cost for advertisers to receive the basic level ‘core’ report. Initial planning has been based on an assumed levy of 0.1% of gross media spends (those channels that are measured by Origin only).  This charge is felt to reflect both the value of the data and the costs of data provision.  As stated, a cap is envisaged for the largest spenders, at a level to be determined to reflect the value received.

Closing date for the consultation is May 20th 2022.

ISBA will be hosting an online session on 20 April at 3pm for anyone in the industry with an interest to ask questions about the proposed levy.

Meetings, networking and seminars – The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit has it all
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Are you able to join 60 of your peers for the Digital Marketing Solutions Summit on Wednesday 11th May at the Hilton London Canary Wharf?

In addition to 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers, your free pass also includes lunch, refreshments and access to insightful seminar sessions.

Click here for the seminar programme.

Please confirm your attendance details here via our online form.

Marketing software revenue to hit $264bn by 2030
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The global digital marketing software market size is expected to reach $264.15 billion by 2030, equivalent to a CAGR of 19.1% from 2022 to 2030.

Analysis by ResearchAndMarkets asserts that the market has been evolving continuously in line with the advancements in technology and the changing needs of the incumbents of various end-use industries and industry verticals, especially small and medium enterprises.

Furthermore, the unabated transition from desktops to smartphones as the rapid increase in the number of smartphone users would expose more individuals to online ads is anticipated to drive the market growth.

In particular, it cites several vendors striking strategic partnerships with end users to help them in strengthening their digital marketing activities. For instance, in February 2021, IBM partnered with Palantir.

The partnership will include IBM’s hybrid cloud data platform designed to make hybrid cloud and AI environments more accessible to organizations. The partnership will support the implementation of AI-infused applications with IBM Watson as well as assist customers or clients in accessing, analyzing, and acting on massive volumes of data.

The growing trend of remote working and collaborative approaches has shifted the focus of marketing campaigns toward social media, search engines, and media websites.

They are leveraging the rising demand for streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. In Italy, the number of first-time installations of Netflix was up by over 57% in March 2020.

Digital Marketing Software Market Report Highlights

  • The adoption of marketing automation software is anticipated to gain traction over the forecast period it is widely used by marketing departments to effectively market their products on multiple online channels, such as websites, email, and social media, and to automate repetitive tasks.
  • The managed services segment is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The increasing need for cloud-based managed services and the growing dependence of organizations on IT assets to improve their business productivity are the major factors contributing to the growth of the managed services segment.
  • The cloud segment is expected to register significant growth over the forecast period as it helps businesses in improving cost structures and setting up a control center to monitor, arrange, and coordinate various components of their digital marketing campaign.
  • The SMEs segment is anticipated to register the highest CAGR over the forecast period owing to the increasing role of government authorities in the provision of capital to small & medium enterprises for embracing digitization is anticipated to propel the growth of the segment.
  • Asia Pacific is anticipated to register the highest CAGR over the forecast period, owing to the increasing popularity of social media and the rising preference for e-commerce and m-commerce, particularly in emerging economies, such as India, Indonesia, and Thailand.