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In the News USA

Digital marketer? Get set for a golden era: veteran recruiter’s view from the top of the year

US-based digital and direct marketing recruiter Jerry Bernhart (pictured) makes some predictions for 2014.Jerry Bernhart _028retCropped (WEB)

 

 

I believe that because of enduring economic and social forces, we are in the very early stages of a golden era of employment for those who sell and market products and services over the web, and the battle is on to lure the best talent available.

What does this mean for job-seekers in the year to come? It means more and better offers and abundant opportunities like we’ve never seen before.Here’s my top five forecast for 2014:

5. More multiple offers.

Back in the days of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, receiving just one job offer was something to brag about. How things have changed. Among actively looking candidates, those who are the most sought after are now routinely getting multiple offers. You know the ones I mean, the ones with proven track records who’ve moved the business forward everywhere they’ve been.

There’s a message here for employers: Snooze and you’ll lose. When it comes to attracting and hiring top achievers in online marketing, time is your enemy. Drag your feet, and I can practically guarantee you’ll lose them. A bird in the hand beats two in the bush any day, particularly when it comes to the best and brightest digital marketers. If you have a bird in the hand and it’s a bird you really want to hire, move quickly and make sure you make a highly competitive offer, which leads me to number 4.

4. More competitive offers.

I negotiated some amazing compensation packages last year. In one situation, one of my clients extended an offer which included a 33% bump in salary, an increase that was almost unheard of just a few years ago. While this definitely represents the exception rather than the norm, there’s no question that top candidates in recent years have benefitted from what I call ‘salary creep’ as the war for marketing talent has heated up. I look for more of the same in 2014 and, in fact, I look for those incremental increases to creep even higher. This trend is inexorable.

Many companies have come to realise that the differential value created by the most talented digital and direct marketers, the ones who can re-conceive the business and inspire people, can be enormous. Better talent makes a huge difference. Power is shifting from companies to the individual and that’s giving talented candidates more negotiating leverage than ever before.

3. Lengthy hiring process.

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from candidates is how they get strung along for weeks or months before companies finally make a hiring decision. One candidate I recently worked with, interviewing for a manager level position, met with 11 different department heads during a one-day visit and that was on top of a separate meeting with an industrial psychologist.

These marathon interview sessions used to be commonplace only for top retained searches at the C-level. While this example is extreme, I can tell you from my own experience that the average duration of the interviewing process in digital and direct marketing has easily doubled over the past ten years. The reluctance to pull the trigger and make candidates jump through so many hoops is understandable. Hiring managers face a wall of worry including fears that the fragile economic recovery will sputter and hurt their business. But perhaps more importantly, there’s the fear of hiring the wrong person, a fear that has become much more pervasive since the Great Recession.

Studies have shown that a bad hiring decision can cost a company up to five times the annual salary of the person hired and that carries with it some potentially hefty implications for the manager who did the hiring. The decision to hire is the biggest decision a business leader makes. Unless the need is urgent and the company is losing big money while a desk remains vacant, expect hiring delays to continue to be the norm in 2014.

2 More counter-offers.

I am not a fan of counter-offers, but like them or not they’re a fixture of the recruitment landscape and they’re driven by this inviolate law: as the supply of sought-after talent diminishes, the frequency of counter-offers goes up.

Talent shortages are already appearing in small to medium-sized markets, particularly in the red hot field of digital analytics. Your need for an ace digital marketer is exceeded only by the pain another company will experience if they lose one, so it’s no wonder that counter-offers have been on the rise and, for better or worse, we’ll see more of them in 2014.

1. More opportunities!

It may be hard to imagine for those of us who work in this space, but there are still tens thousands of companies out there that have little more than a rudimentary web presence. I regularly receive calls and emails from companies that are still very rooted in traditional marketing. Their online marketing strategy starts and stops with an ecommerce shopping cart and an occasional email blast.

For many of those businesses, digital marketing is becoming their need of the hour. In 2014, traditional media will continue shrinking, digital media will continue growing and career opportunities for digital marketers will only become brighter.

Jerry Bernhart is the owner of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, established in 1991.

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Americas Canada In the News

Cirque du Soleil joins hands with DHL

In the photo, DHL Express CEO Ken Allen and Cirque du Soleil CMO Mario D’Amico sign the partnership agreement, with the cast of Quidam looking on.dhl-cirquedusoleil (WEB)

DHL has announced that it will support Cirque du Soleil, a major live entertainment company, as Official Logistics Partner.

DHL will be integrated into Cirque du Soleil’s supply chain activities, with its DHL Global Trade Fairs & Events team, a subsidiary of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, supporting the event logistics of Cirque du Soleil Big Top and Arena tours worldwide.

DHL will also provide global logistics support for the corporate headquarters of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, Canada. The partnership will see the two global brands engage in joint marketing activities for their worldwide customer bases, partners and employees.

Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express, said: “Cirque du Soleil and DHL are a perfect fit.

“We have both grown from entrepreneurial beginnings into global brands through a commitment to conquering new frontiers and amazing and delighting our customer bases. As we pool our respective strengths through this partnership, both brands’ proven ability to innovate and deliver excellence will contribute to even more exciting customer experiences in the future.

“We look forward to replicating the breathtaking performances under the Cirque du Soleil Big Top in our own operations behind the scenes.”

Finn Taylor, senior vice-president, Touring Shows, Cirque du Soleil, said: “Cirque du Soleil is delighted to be partnering with industry leader, DHL, as our official global logistics partner.

“This is a fantastic alliance for us, marrying two beloved brands known for their commitment to excellence in their respective fields. With a global touring operation spanning over 150 locations across more than six continents, logistics is critical to the success of Cirque du Soleil.

“In announcing DHL as our worldwide Official Logistics Partner, we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with another global brand that shares our commitment to excellent quality. We look forward to integrating DHL’s services into our supply chain and to introducing the Cirque du Soleil experience to new audiences and markets together.”

The main logistics requirements of Cirque du Soleil consist of the set-up and ‘tear down’ of shows and transfers between tour venues, including the use of air, sea and land transport and customs clearance services. A single Big Top show can involve the movement of up to 80 freight containers. The Canadian-based entertainment company also has a range of standard supply chain requirements within its day-to-day business operations, including small package shipping, warehouse management and merchandise distribution.

A total audience of 15 million people is expected to attend any of the 19 Cirque du Soleil shows around the world in 2014.

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In the News UK

UK marketing pay rises 5.6% in the past year

Marketing spend at highest level for 13 years

Average marketing salaries in the UK have risen 5.6% in the past year according to specialist marketing recruiter EMR.Salary-increase-200x150

The recruiter’s 2014 Salary and Market Trend report found marketing salaries increased almost £3,000 from £50,781 in 2012/13 to £53,613 in 2013/14. However, bonuses have stayed fairly steady at £7,155 this year compared with £7,238 last year.

Marketing spend is currently at its highest level for 13 years and has seen four consecutive quarters of growth. Q3 2013 saw a 12.3% increase in spend compared with the same period last year.

Marketers themselves are even more upbeat with a 30% increase in those feeling optimistic about the economy over the coming year – from 21% in 2012/13 to more than half currently (51%).

Simon Bassett, managing director of EMR said: “An increase in overall pay and salary in particular is a major sign of confidence within the marketing industry as it represents a longer term commitment than simply raising bonuses. The sector is performing well and spending more and the huge increase in optimism is a by-product of this.”

In more good news for the marketing industry, 43% of marketers reported that the number of staff in their department had risen over the past year and 36% expect further headcount growth in the next 12 months. Forty-four per cent of marketers expect to change jobs in the next year.

Job security has risen 6% over the past year from 55%, to 61% currently.

Similarly, job satisfaction has risen from 41% to 48%.

Bassett continued: “Marketing has a major role to play in the economic recovery as companies seek to expand. Talented staff are central to this hence increased hiring and increased movement in the job market. Many marketing professionals will have stayed put during the worst of the downturn as confidence was low, but now the sector is booming again, marketers will be on the look-out for an attractive move and bigger pay rises.”

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Americas In the News USA

US survey: Big Data marketing budgets rise again in 2014, but hiring slows

Infogroup Targeting Solutions survey at DMA13 Conference finds companies continue to make technology investments, but focus on data analysis couldguidelines suffer without adding people

Most companies will continue spending heavily on big data marketing initiatives in 2014, but fewer companies plan to hire for data-related positions compared to a year ago, according to a Stateside study from Infogroup Targeting Solutions.

The report, based on a survey of almost 400 marketers at the USA DMA13 Annual Conference, found for the second straight year that more than 60 per cent of companies expect their big data marketing budgets to increase. But the majority of marketers do not plan on adding new employees to handle their data efforts in 2014, a reversal from a year ago when most companies said they did expect to hire for big data positions.

“The survey findings also indicate that marketers are moving from the information-gathering stage to the analytics phase of big data adoption. But a downturn in hiring could stall big data implementation, as the need for human capital is greatest during the analysis and action stages”, said David McRae, president of Infogroup Targeting Solutions.

“Big data is meaningless without manpower,” McRae said. “While it’s exciting that most companies are making bigger investments in big data, marketers should not forget that it takes people to make sense of the information. Hiring before reaching the analytics stage enables companies to become data-led and act on the data.”

Marketers seeing positive ROI

Big data early adopters will be spending the most in 2014, likely because they are already reporting a positive ROI. Two-thirds of marketers who have already made big data investments expect to see increased budgets this year, ten per cent higher than those who have not started yet.

When it comes to specific big data investments, the most popular technology in 2014 will help marketers with enhanced analytics (42 per cent). Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of marketers say data analysis will be more of a priority this year, and a quarter plan to hire data analysts or strategists.

The ITS findings show where data-driven marketing is headed in 2014: 62 per cent of marketers expect an increase in their data-related budgets, down six per cent from last year.

Only 43 per cent of marketers plan on hiring for data-related positions, compared to 56 per cent in 2013. Among survey respondents who are hiring, 59 per cent intend to onboard data analysts or strategists.

More than half (54 per cent) of marketers have already invested in big data. Among those early adopters, 61 per cent are already seeing positive ROI.

Thirty per cent of marketers plan to invest in big data for the first time in the next two years; of the 15 per cent who plan to invest for the first time in 2014, 86 per cent expect to see positive ROI in the first or second year.

Eleven per cent of marketers have no plans to invest in big data solutions. Big data implementation is a multi-year process that requires sustained investment in technology and talent,” McRae said. “To maintain momentum, marketers need to create an intentional roadmap because big data cannot be tackled in a day.”

Infogroup Targeting Solutions surveyed 370 marketers in person on tablet devices at DMA13 in Chicago from Oct. 14-17, 2013. The full report, ‘Big Data’s Big Step: Analytics Takes Center Stage for Marketers in 2014,’ can be downloaded here. 

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In the News

‘Mobile data roamers to generate $42bn in revenues by 2018’

A new report from Juniper Research has valued operator revenues generated from mobile data roaming at $42 billion by 2018. This will represent 47% of the global mobile roaming revenue, compared to an estimated 36% in 2013.

The report notes that these revenues will be driven by increasing data usage, as operator migration towards 4G will induce consumers to take advantage of faster broadband networks, while reductions in roaming charges will spur more frequent and heavier usage.

LTE to drive roaming business

The new Mobile Roaming: Regulations, Opportunities & In-flight Strategies 2014-2018 report found that with LTE deployments increasing and set to grow exponentially in all markets around the world, it will continue to fuel the explosion of roaming data usage.

However, the report notes that in order to achieve the full potential of LTE roaming, successful business models towards end-users and between operators are needed. Roaming agreements for 4G LTE are in its initial stages and operators are currently looking to partner with tier one operators in developing the right wholesale model.

Report author Nitin Bhas added: “Operators also need to sort out the right economics to encourage more usage at a value to the end users in order to avoid revenue erosion. They need to also provide services that are both relevant and cost effective to LTE roamers.”

EU regulatory impact on roaming revenue

Meanwhile, the report found that if the proposal to end roaming charges in the EU gets the European Parliament approval, then this would significantly impact on roaming revenue levels. Under this scenario, the report forecasts that European voice, SMS and data revenues would decline by just over 20% in 2016. However, the actual volume of usage and number of active roamers will continue to rise over the forecast period.

Unsurprisingly, the proposal for such a regulation is witnessing fierce opposition from operators, including Vodafone, Orange and Telefónica.

The ‘The Rise of the Roaming Empire II’ whitepaper is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report.

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Data Driven Channels In the News UK

Affiliate marketing and lead generation adspend hits £1bn

ads viewability

UK businesses spent £1 billion on affiliate marketing and lead generation activities in 2013, 15% more (on a like-for-like basis) than in 2012, according to the second annual Online Performance Marketing study conducted by PwC for the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB).

This generated £14 billion in sales via price comparison, voucher, cashback, loyalty and product review websites – the most common forms of Online Performance Marketing (OPM). This represents a return of £14 for every £1 invested by advertisers.

Across OPM sites – such as Comparethemarket, TripAdvisor, Vouchercodes, Nectar and Quidco – advertisers don’t pay publishers to show the ad, they only pay if the ad causes someone to complete a defined action, such as making a purchase (affiliate marketing) or submitting contact details (lead generation).

In 2013, UK consumers made 150 million purchases via affiliate websites – three for every British adult – totalling £13 billion. £1 billion in sales was generated from Britons submitting contact forms. This means OPM now drives about 10% of all UK e-commerce retail sales.

Dan Bunyan, manager at PwC, said: “OPM generated around four billion clicks in 2013, the equivalent of ten million per day or 120 per second, about 5% of which resulted in a transaction. This high conversion rate and the high return on investment explains the significant increase in advertisers (to 4,000) and publishers (to 12,000) now using OPM.

“It isn’t just the big publishers, or ‘super-affiliates’, who generate revenue through OPM. It’s opened up a new and growing industry among the ‘long tail’ where Individuals and small publishers with specialist knowledge of a particular area can produce websites and then automatically generate advertising revenue.”

OPM ushering in a “new era of savvy and careful consumerism”

OPM taps into consumers’ desire to find the best deals. More than half (52%) of British adults online report having visited a price comparison website in the last six months. Nine in ten say they cash in vouchers or redeem points, half of whom do so every month. One in eight has redeemed a voucher or deal using an app on their mobile phone.

UKOM-approved comScore data shows that in November 2013 alone, 39% of the UK internet population (18.7 million people) visited a price comparison site; 35% (16.6 million) visited a voucher/coupon site while 21% (9.9 million) visited a loyalty or cashback site.

Tim Elkington, director of Research & Strategy at the Internet Advertising Bureau, said: “Characterised by deals, incentives and product reviews, OPM has ushered in a new era of savvy and careful consumerism.

“However, the industry is growing quickly because it’s an ‘everyone wins’ situation.”

He explained: “Consumers can save money in a variety of convenient ways and get access to content online free of charge. Advertisers get new customers – nearly six in ten people become repeat customers of a company they only discovered through a deal or incentive site – and, at a return of 14:1, it’s extremely cost-effective. It also generates extra revenue for the publishers in the middle, large or small, via referral fees.”

Finance and retail advertisers account for more than half of OPM spend

The finance sector, driven by insurance and credit card advertisers’ use of price comparison sites, is the biggest spender – accounting for 35% of OPM expenditure in 2013 – followed by retail (21%). The top five are completed by travel & leisure (17%), telecoms & media (9%) and gaming (7%).

Commenting on the success of OPM, Olivier Claude, marketing controller Affiliate & Email at BSkyB, said: “Between 2010 and 2012, affiliate channel sales volumes grew by 33% and customer quality has improved. At the same time, affiliate share of online volumes have grown steadily. Should Performance Marketing maintain positive volume growth and positive ROI, we should expect an increased investment in the channel.”

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Americas Europe In the News Latin America MENA Middle East

Samsung and Google top ‘global super brands’ ranking

Samsung and Google top the list of most admired global brands in a multi–country survey from YouGov, covering Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.

The list was compiled using YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks consumer perception of brands through daily nationally representative surveys in 15 countries around the world. Each brand is assigned a ‘Buzz’ score based on whether respondents have heard anything positive or negative about a brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news, word-of-mouth or friends and family.

Samsung rates in the top 25 most well-regarded brands in 13 of the 15 countries surveyed, while Google comes top 25 in 12 countries. They are followed by YouTube in third place, which ranks in the top 25 in 10 countries. German automaker Volkswagen (8) and American electronics brand Apple (8) both rank fourth globally. Rounding out the list of global super brands are Sony, Audi and BMW, which rank in the top 25 in six of 15 countries surveyed.

In Brazil, China and Mexico, three of the major emerging economies covered in the YouGov rankings, all of the global super brands rank highly with consumers. Google is notably absent from the top 25 in China, while Samsung is rated number one among Chinese consumers. Chinese search engine Baidu has the largest share in internet search in China, and is the country’s third most well-regarded brand, according to YouGov BrandIndex.

In addition to Volkswagen, German car makers Audi and BMW also make the top 25 in both Brazil and China, and enjoy a strong global profile in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Japanese electronics company Sony is also in a strong position, making the top 25 in six countries, spanning Latin America, Europe and the US.

YouGov BrandIndex CEO, Ted Marzilli, said: “Technology and internet brands transcend national boundaries and provide products and services that impact people’s daily lives. Whether it is technologies made by Samsung, Apple and Sony, or the wealth of information and videos made instantly available by Google and YouTube, these companies shape modern life and connect people from around the world, making them some of the most powerful global super brands.

“Three German automakers, Volkswagen, Audi and BMW, made our global super brands list, which shows the high regard that consumers around the world have for German craftsmanship in the auto category. In addition to being top brands in the European markets, they also rate highly in Brazil and China, which are the new frontiers of the global economy.”

Global super brands, based on the number of countries surveyed where they rank in the top 25:

  1. Samsung
  2. Google
  3. YouTube
  4. Apple, Volkswagen
  5. Audi, BMW, Sony

See the full global rankings 

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In the News UK

Retailers are failing to meet mobile shoppers’ service expectations, says report

The majority of UK retailers are failing to assist mobile shoppers as they browse online. a recent study commissioned by LogMeIn, Inc. has revealed.

According to LogMeIn’s findings, just 12% of UK retailers offer live chat support to mobile shoppers, despite research showing live chat can boost conversion rates.

In addition, more than a quarter of shoppers are more likely to make a purchase if they talk to an assistant online.

With analysts predicting that online spending is set to reach an estimated £49.78 billion in 2014 in the UK, and mobile commerce (m-commerce) predicted to account for approximately £9.46 billion of these sales, LogMeIn examined 120 of the UK’s largest online stores to understand how retailers are reacting to this shift when providing customer service.

Ross Haskell, director of products, BoldChat at LogMeIn, Inc, said: “A high street store without shop assistants is almost unimaginable, yet that’s the experience many retailers are offering shoppers online.

“If shoppers need help, most have to pick up the phone or wait for a response by email or on social media. By incorporating live chat into the online customer journey, retailers can give shoppers the chance to ask for assistance, without any interruptions, when and how they want it.”

The study revealed retailers are almost twice as likely to offer live chat support to desktop shoppers than to mobile shoppers, with 20% of online stores giving shoppers the option to chat with an assistant. While many retailers have yet to embrace live chat, a global survey of 4,709 people commissioned by LogMeIn in 2013 shows that it is now the third most popular channel for consumers.

The LogMeIn commissioned 2013 Live Chat Effectiveness report found that 17% of people prefer to contact companies via live chat, while 23% favour the good old-fashioned telephone and 53% opt for email. Social media is the first choice for less than seven per cent of people, but is now the most widely available channel for customer service, overtaking the telephone.

Almost every retailer, nearly 97%, responds to enquiries on Twitter, while 94% use Facebook to provide support. Email is offered by 93% of online retailers in the UK, while nine out of ten (90%) publish a customer service phone number on their website.

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In the News UK

Carphone Warehouse backs award-winning bid to get more over-55s online

Slingshot Sponsorship signs Carphone Warehouse as Headline Partner for annual UK campaign

After the success of last year’s partnership, Digital Unite has announced that Carphone Warehouse will again act as Headline Partner for Spring Online, a UK digital inclusion campaign, which will run from March 31 to April 4.

Around seven million people across the UK have never used the internet, of whom just over six million are aged 55+. Many more can’t do basic online tasks such as send an email or browse the web.

Since 2002, Digital Unite’s Spring Online campaign has sought to inspire people, particularly older people, to achieve a lasting use of the internet by supporting volunteers and organisations to hold hundreds of free internet taster events across the UK. Last year, around 1,000 Spring Online events were held helping over 20,000 people to get online.

The successful partnership between Carphone Warehouse and Spring Online 2013 saw a number of Carphone Warehouse stores actively participate in the campaign with their own Spring Online events. One store in particular, Carphone Warehouse Billericay, received a Spring Online 2013 Best Event Award for its enthusiasm and commitment to the initiative as the in-store team hosted their event on a Sunday when the store is normally closed. Such was the success and interest by local people that the Billericay store has continued to remain open one Sunday every month to help more people learn about digital technology.

Kesah Trowell, CSR lead at Carphone Warehouse, said “Getting to grips with technology can be daunting for many older people yet they can have the most to gain, whether it’s keeping in touch with friends and family, internet shopping and banking or finding out about community events and activities. At Carphone Warehouse, we’ve been guiding people through the complexities of the connected world for 25 years and are keen to share our knowledge and experience to help combat digital and social exclusion.”

Now in its 13th year, the Spring Online campaign has been instrumental in successfully helping tens of thousands of people make technology a part of their everyday lives, helped even more so through the partnership with Carphone Warehouse. Carphone Warehouse’s sponsorship of the Spring Online campaign will be administered by Digital Unite’s charitable arm, the Digital Unite Trust.

Judith Graham, operations manager for Spring Online, said: “We are delighted to have Carphone Warehouse as Headline Partner for Spring Online again this year. The way the stores took time out from business as usual to get involved in the campaign and effectively meet the needs of local older people was terrific. We’re looking forward to building on these successful foundations with Carphone Warehouse to help even more people in 2014.”

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In the News USA

Furious consumers 'abandon brands online out of frustration with mistargeting'

A new US study sheds light on mistargeting and how furious it makes consumers, with 94 per cent deleting emails, unsubscribing and generally taking steps to break off all lines of communication.

Janrain, a major provider of user management solutions for the social web, announced the results of their fourth annual US consumer survey, a Social Login and Personalisation study, that reveals 96% of consumers acknowledge having received mistargeted promotional information.

As a result, 94% break off communication and never visit the website again.

Simultaneously, 88% of consumers have encountered social login – the use of an existing ID from a social network such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. for registration – with more than half (51%) using it to register and login to other sites.

Yet, while the vast majority of online consumers (91%) are satisfied with social login and most report a preference for personalised communication, brands have yet to seize the opportunity to improve online marketing as a result of the data they can collect in the social login process.

The study, conducted by Blue Research – an independent research consultancy, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of nearly 600 social media consumers last October – confirms that marketers are wasting money providing content to consumers – ads, offers, promotions, etc – that have nothing to do with their interests.

People are fed up and taking action.

Paul Abel, managing partner, Blue Research, said: “In the four years that we have conducted this study, what is interesting to note is the evolution of consumers that are now no longer willing to accept mistargeted communications.

“Today, of those who receive mistargeted communications, almost seven out of ten report automatically deleting the email without even looking at them. This should be of interest to marketers determining best practices related to personal customer communications.”

Another key finding is that, among non-users of social login, the number one barrier is lack of trust. Almost half reported that they don’t trust a company to use their information appropriately. Just over a third are concerned the company will post to their social network feeds.

Larry Drebes, CEO, Janrain, said: “This year’s study confirms that it’s paramount for marketers to establish trust and transparency about how personal information will be used.

“The good news is that once trust is no longer an issue, consumers are willing to be identified and recognised as customers across multiple devices to receive personalised content.”

Other key findings:  

  • 64% of consumers using social login are more likely to return to a website that remembers them without a username and password.
  • ·60% find suggested products/promotions based on their social login profile information useful.
  • 49% of respondents who use social login would allow mobile phone apps to offer special in-store offers.
  • Social login users are 78% more likely versus non-users to download a mobile app from a site that is personalised.

A 60-minute webinar is being given by Paul Abel on Wednesday January 29 at 11am (PDT), 2pm (EST) on Social Login and Personalisation and the above findings. Click here to register.