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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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Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Best practice Europe Legal & Compliance MENA Strategy and Management

Preparing for a new internet age

internet age

Gary McIlraith looks at how marketers can prepare for the changing nature of the internet in 2014.

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Global Insight Strategy and Management

A single customer view in a crazychannel world? Don’t be stupid!

single customer view

Professor Merlin Stone discusses whether the single customer view is a serious aspiration as the number of channels explodes.

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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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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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Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Business Analytics Europe India Insight MENA Russia Strategy and Management

Have a ‘MINT’

affiliate, have a mint

Did jumping on the BRIC economic bandwagon give you indigestion? Try a MINT. The economist who coined the term BRIC for the powerhouse economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China has done it again. This time it’s the MINT countries of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. Doug Sacks wonders if the new term sucks . . .

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Americas MENA Middle East USA

The Middle East – an incubator for women entrepreneurs

 Can women entrepreneurs be more common in the Middle East than in Silicon Valley? Columnist Doug Sacks (pictured) ponders the question.

Yasmin Elayat, an Egyptian-American born and raised in Silicon Valley says yes. She feels “the ecosystem of investors, business mentors and other entrepreneurs in Egypt and the Middle East was more supportive than those in the U.S. or Europe…”

While a study by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) suggested women in MENA were the least likely in the world to start a business, the study did not include data from startup powerhouses Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE and Qatar (Israel was included separately).Doug Sacks WEB

In Jordan, the number of female-led startups is closer to 33 per cent, near the global average of 37 per cent, and in Egypt, about half of the businesses invested in so far involved mixed-gender teams. The number of women entrepreneurs throughout the region probably lies somewhere in between, at about 15-20 per cent. Compare this with the GEM study findings that 10 per cent of the US adult female population and 5 per cent in Europe was involved in entrepreneurial activity in 2012.

While the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the Middle East are vast, there are reasons for their rise in the Middle East:

Multiple business incubators and accelerators have opened in major cities across the region in the last three years, along with organisations and competitions specifically targeting women.

The World Bank says more women in the Middle East now attend university than men.

Girls throughout the Arab region are funneled into the hard-to-enter university science courses because of better high school grades than boys.

The number of women-led startup businesses could flourish further because the internet enables highly educated women to start a home-based business if, as in Saudi Arabia, her family might object if she went outside to work.

To read more, click here. 

Doug Sacks is International Business Development, Focus USA. Read his blog, here.

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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.