Insight Tracker

The Insight Tracker provides an innovative way to explore and navigate the report content based on what is most engaging the Branding Forward community. See what’s trending, piquing interest and driving the most spirited discussion.

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  Traditional media more important than ever -OR- Days of traditional media are numbered
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  Days of strong brands being characterized by consistency above all else numbered
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  Chart no. 2 - Branding In Transition
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  Time of revolutionary change for brand development -OR- Brand development fundamentals haven't changedl
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  Consumer-generated marketing inherently more powerful -OR- Don't forget the power of a great, agency-generated idea
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  Important to understand how to control the message -OR- Companies must surrender control
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  Chart no. 3 - Forces at Work
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  Social media trinity of content-based marketing, corporate social media policies, and social media-based customer service had greatest familiarity.
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  At the end of the day, research has serious limitations when it comes to making tough marketing decisions -OR- Following the research is the only way to make tough marketing decisions
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  How important is it to create a corporate 'test and learn' culture that fosters the adoption of innovative marketing concepts balanced with thoughtful ROI measurement?
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  Revolution? Or evolution?
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  Chart no. 1 - Branding in Transition
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  Excellent execution more important than ever -OR- Getting details right less important than being part of conversation
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  All about inspiration and engagement -OR- Strategic consistency of a brand's various messages
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  Brand thinking resides with marketing group -OR- Must be opened up to entire organization
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  Effective launch campaigns make a big splash -OR- Effective launch campaigns are lots of little ideas
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  Opening up the brand development process viewed as most challenging initiatives to implement effectively.
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  Best partners are integrated agenices-OR- Best-in-class specialists
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  Growing need for provable advertising ROI
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  Chart no. 4 - Forces at Work
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  Improving internal collaboration
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  Q29 If you suddenly discovered your marketing budget had doubled, where would you spend the money? Please rank the following using 1 for highest priority and 10 for lowest priority.
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  Content development
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  Chart no. 11 - Polarizing Debates
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  The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.' - F. Scott Fitzgerald
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  Rise of social media
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  Content-based marketing
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  The jury is still out on research effectiveness
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  Chart no. 12 - Polarizing Debates
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  Chart no. 18 - Polarizing Debates
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  Q20 Which side of the polarizing debate best reflects your opinion?
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  Increasing competition
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  Declining importance of traditional distribution channels
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  Disruptive technologies
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  Media fragmentation
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  Chart no. 5 - Forces at Work
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  Chart no. 8 - Forging New Solutions
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  Chart no. 9 - Forging New Solutions
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  Chart no. 14 - Polarizing Debates
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  Agencies most tuned into new marketing concepts and tools
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  What is the best way to constructively open up the branding development process to a broader range of internal and external influences?
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  Background, methodology and sample composition
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  Background, methodology and sample composition
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  Client/Agency Self Description - Organization Priority
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  Social media and personalized experience having greatest impact on world of branding and marketing.
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  Provable ROI, increasing competition, and media fragmentatiow have significant impact on the world of branding and marketing.
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  True impact of media fragmentation only beginning to be felt
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  Rise of social media
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  Demand for personalized experiences
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  Declining importance of traditional distribution channels
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  Diminishing advertising returns
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  Top of organizationl priorites include ongoing customer relationships; brand thinking and actions beyond marketing department; and marketing and social media ROI
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  Chart no. 6 - Forging New Solutions
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  Q25 Top three priorities for your/your client’s organization?
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  Developing and maintaining ongoing customer relationships
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  Thinking more holistically about the entire user experience has the greatest impact on long-term strategy
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  Chart no. 7 - Forging New Solutions
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  Thinking about branding more holistically
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  Questions remain regarding social media and content-based marketing generating ROI
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  Analytic dashboard
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  QR codes or other customer bar codes (e.g., StickyBits)
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  Chart no. 10 - Forging New Solutions
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  CRM
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  Number of polarizing debates as clients and agencies seek fresh paths and new approaches.
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  Marketers split on how controlled the process should be
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  Chart no. 13 - Polarizing Debates
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  Chart no. 15 - Polarizing Debates
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  Chart no. 16 - Polarizing Debates
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  Chart no. 17 - Polarizing Debates
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  As the entirety of the user experience figures more prominently in branding thinking, how will 'campaigns' come to be defined?
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  Is the core notion of the creative 'big idea' undergoing transformative change? What will it become? How will it be defined? Who will create it?
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  Client/Agency Self Description - Focus
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  We must shift from broad-based to one-to-one media -OR- We can't forget the importance of broad based media
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  Less about 'right' decision and more about organizational buy-in. -OR- Organizational buy-in only goes so far if strategy and ideas aren't right
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  Marketing impact decreases as people involved increases -OR- Get high impact marketing b invite as many people into the process as feasible
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  Still identifying an evolved set of 'best practices' for this still young branding century
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  Q21 Rate the impact these trends are having on the marketing world and on your/your client’s organization.
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  Shift from mass marketing to one-to-one
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  Splintering target audiences
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  Media fragmentation
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  Demand for personalized experiences
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  Diminishing advertising returns
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  Q22 Rank the impact the following are having on the marketing world.
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  Shift from mass marketing to one-to-one
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  Splintering target audiences
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  Increasing competition
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  Growing need for provable advertising ROI
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  Disruptive technologies
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  Need to think and act upon branding issues/opportunities more holistically and comprehensively
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  Addressing increasing customer demand for personalized products and experiences
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  Developing effective and sustainable social media strategies
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  Thinking and acting from a brand perspective beyond just the marketing department
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  Need to identify more innovative, relevant, integrated, and cost-effective research practices
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  Need for cross-functional teams to understand and support cross-channel brand strategies
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  Linking marketing and social media programs to ROI
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  Creating truly integrated programs
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  Web 3.0
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  Q23 Which three of the following are having the biggest impact on your/your client’s long-term strategy?
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  Increasing involvement of the C-suite (CEO, etc.) in brand development decisions
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  Using more innovative research approaches
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  Using innovative media thinking
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  Expanding the number of specialist partners used
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  Consolidating the number of partners used
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  Strengthening cross channel integration
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  More tightly integrating brand and product development activities
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  Focusing on the entire user experience
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  Staying on top of the latest marketing innovations
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  Emphasizing segment specific programs
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  Using iterative/parallel processes
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  Improving marketing efficiency and accountability
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  Improving external collaboration
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  Focusing on the entirety of the user experience has the greatest impact on long-term strategy for customer-driven and product-driven companies.
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  Brand development process and thinking must be opened up and intergrated across the entirety of the organization
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  Q26. Rate the degree of difficulty of implementing each of the following brand building initiatives.
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  Need to think and act upon branding issues/opportunities more holistically and comprehensively
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  Addressing increasing customer demand for more personalized products and experiences
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  Developing and maintaining ongoing customer relationships
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  Developing effective and sustainable social media strategies across the entirety of the marketing and brand development mix
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  Thinking and acting from a brand perspective beyond just the marketing department
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  Need to identify more innovative, relevant, integrated, and cost-effective research practices
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  Need for cross-functional teams to understand and support cross-channel brand strategies
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  Linking marketing and social media programs to ROI
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  Creating truly integrated programs
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  Strategic and creative skills valued most when selecting an ideal agency partner.
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  Q24 Rank the attributes in order of priority that you seek in a partner
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  Specialist
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  Generalist
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  Strategic
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  Creative
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  Collaborative
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  Accountable
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  Idea-driven
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  Objective
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  Flexible/nimble
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  Efficient
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  Integrated
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  Cost effective
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  Questions remain regarding social media and content-based marketing generating ROI
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  Q28 How interested are you in trying each of the following? And if you have tried it, what's your assessment of the initiative's impact?
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  Location-based mobile services (e.g., Foursquare, Scvngr, etc.)
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  Branded apps
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  Behavioral targeting
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  Online retargeting
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  SEM/SEO
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  Marketing modeling
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  Data visualizations
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  Group buying and shopping
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  Sales force automation platform (e.g., Salesforce.com)
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  Crowd-sourcing
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  Content-based marketing
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  Online ad exchanges
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  Affiliate marketing
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  Social monitoring and sentiment analysis
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  Corporate social media policies
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  Mobile commerce or 'mcommerce'
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  Pop up retail
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  Social media-based customer service
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  Many tactics generating buzz but not much trial
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  Q27 Please rate your awareness and familiarity with the following marketing concepts:
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  Location-based mobile services (e.g., Foursquare, Scvngr, etc.)
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  Branded apps
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  Behavioral targeting
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  Online retargeting
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  Analytic dashboard
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  SEM/SEO
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  Marketing modeling
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  Data visualizations
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  Group buying and shopping
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  Sales force automation platform (e.g., Salesforce.com)
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  Crowd-sourcing
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  Online ad exchanges
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  Affiliate marketing
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  Social monitoring and sentiment analysis
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  Corporate social media policies
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  Mobile commerce or 'mcommerce'
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  Pop up retail
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  QR codes or other customer bar codes (e.g., StickyBits)
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  Social media-based customer service
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  Online content development heads list of investment priorities.
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  Traditional advertising
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  Social media
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  Events
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  PR
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  Research
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  Digital/Online marketing
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  Mobile
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  Internal resources
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  A split can be observed when it comes to whether or not the answer lies in opening up the decision-making process.
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  Clients significantly more likely than agencies to believe in the importance of controlling the branding message as much as possible.
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  Clients and agencies divided on best brand-development partner priorities
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  Agencies more likely than clients to believe the rise of social media and media fragmentation will have a high degree of impact on their organization.
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  Agencies more likely than clients to believe that holistic brand thinking, staying on top of latest marketing innovations have the biggest impact on long-term strategies.
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  Clients more likely to believe that improving internal collaboration is a key long-term strategy priority.
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  Agencies place greater priority than clients, on the need to think and act upon branding issues more holistically.
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  Clients more likely to prioritize developing and maintaining ongoing customer relationships.
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  Agencies less skeptical than clients about effectiveness of new approaches
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  What is the ideal creative development and approval process as clients move from centralized campaigns to approaches based more on many smaller ideas rolled out in real time?
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  As media fragmentation continues to accelerate, what will be some of the unexpected consequences?
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  What does the integration of social media and personalized experiences look like?
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  How to best combine the strengths of a traditional integrated agency with the growing client preference for best-in-class specialists?
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  Shift from mass marketing to one-to-one
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  Rise of social media
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  Splintering target audiences
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  Media fragmentation
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  Demand for personalized experiences
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  Increasing competition
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  Declining importance of traditional distribution channels
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  Growing need for provable advertising ROI
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  Diminishing advertising returns
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  Disruptive technologies