ARTICLE
Audio (MP3) Listen in New Window Presentation (PDF) Open in new window Agenda Introduction International Trends and Lessons Learned from International Marketing Media Consumption Trends Branding Trends Digital and Social Media As Marketing Communications Trends Tom Hirons, President, CEO, COO - Oversees concept development for large-scale branding and creative efforts - “Riley Professor Chair” at IU school of Journalism - State Chamber vice Chair - Past President, American Advertising Federation – Indianapolis International Marketing 96% of consumers are outside the U.S. America, for all its opportunity, its vast size, and resources still amounts to only 4% of the world’s population. 2/3 of world’s purchasing power And while the US has 1/3 of the worlds purchasing power, 2/3 lies beyond our borders. Indiana 2013 exports = $34.2 billion Canada $11.8 billion Mexico $4 billion Germany $1.9 billion Japan $1.8 billion France $1.4 billion And our two biggest export markets are right next door. With the new I 69 project we are ideally situated to do even more trade with Canada and Mexica. Bottom line - you don’t have to go far or everywhere to go global. U.S. Multinational companies 7,000 in 1975 >40,000 today And the trend is clear. In the past 40 years the US has grown from 7,000 to over 40,000 multinational companies. International business is big business. Yet it is not just FOR big businesses. Small businesses can go international. Targeting a single country may be your first, best step. B2B and B2C companies are both welcome and the hurdles for B2B might even be easier. If you make a product. If you provide a service. International opportunities abound. Two men had the vision to change the way we see the world and thus the way we see commerce. Many credit Pythagoras, the mathematician, with calculating the world to be round, inspiring explorers to seek new trade routes. But it was Thomas Friedman who brought us full circle and proclaimed the world was indeed flat. Friedman identified ten “flatteners” that dramatically reshaped our world and lowered the barriers to international commerce. Ten flatteners #1: Collapse of the Berlin Wall #2: Netscape #3: Workflow software #4: Uploading #5: Outsourcing #6: Offshoring #7: Supply-chaining #8: Insourcing #9: Informing #10: "The Steroids" Five of those are directly attributed to global communications architecture. 7 keys to driving traffic to your website Google analytics tracking, analysis and content optimization Search engine optimization (SEO) Search engine marketing (SEM) Digital marketing Social content Earned media Paid media In May of 2012, the Harvard Business Review proclaimed “Global business speaks English.” This has been misunderstood by many. Yet it was never intended to presume the world should or would speak English. This article reviewed the conscious decision of these six leading multinational corporations to speak one language, English, and use it internally around the world for efficient, consistent, timely and accurate business communications. The language of business remains native, and having bilingual staff or first-rate language resources is critical. Don’t get lost in translation Professional translation Culturally sensitive product and service naming Select images with cultural sensitivity Cultural sensitivity is not limited just to language. What’s wrong with this photo? In Arab culture, showing the bottom of your shoe is one of the most insulting gestures you can make. Work with professionals who know the implications of color, the presence or absence of diversity, gender-based sensibilities and the impact not just of your words but of your graphics. 7 universal communications truths Research driven / targeted Relevant Clear / accessible / intuitive Concise Consistent You-focused / benefit oriented Measurable Trends in Branding “The art of marketing is the art of brand building. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity.” Philip Kotler Professor of Marketing Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University “The emotional relationship between the consumer and the company/product, based on the sum of all interactions between them.” Marc Gobè Emotional Branding Digital Marketing Trends for 2015 “To win in marketing, they [companies] MUST have a digital strategy, and that digital strategy should probably include using social media.” – Kim Garst, social media brand strategist In 2014, 25% of all marketing dollars were spent on digital. In 2015, this amount is expected to increase to 33%. At Hirons 62% of 2014 media purchases were digital. Smarter email marketing - Not more emails, but better emails with more valuable magnet leads Humanized brands - Putting relationships ahead of sales - Increased emphasis on building connections over promoting products - Listening and engaging rather than promoting Content quality vs. quantity - Increased quality to better utilize SEO - Low-quality content, even in large quantities, can hurt your SEO - Fewer, more valuable posts - Emphasis on engagement over distribution Fewer online marketing strategies - Streamlined digital marketing campaigns - Effective ROI calculations - Retargeted investments Less “selling” in “social selling” - Increased focus on attracting a community, not selling to it Mobile-first - Each and every piece of content will first be functional for mobile - Requires better understanding of audience - Adaptation of content for “on-the-go” readers - Shorter, less pictures Company-wide content development - All departments giving input regarding what content is created and how it’s distributed - Results in greater SEO, streamlined messages, consistency Strategizing for the constantly connected consumer - Average consumers daily lives revolve around technology - The future of marketing hinges on delivering the right messages to the right person at the right time - Focus should be on integrating all channels successfully You and your consumer are a team - Pull-marketing tactics have been phased out by push marketing - Brands are seen increasingly as collaborators - Brands that inform their audiences are more likely to be remembered A sharp focus on KYC (Know Your Customer) - More focus on customer retention and engagement - Permission-based marketing results in better user experience - Consumers will chose you if you deliver content that they like Conquering the Goldfish Effect - The average attention span of most people is eight seconds - Over 270,000 million pieces of content are published every day - Critical to provide the right context and add true value in order to stand out The importance of data - Adds credibility - Enables sound decision making - Only way to measure the impact of campaigns - Data should be the driving force behind every marketing initiative Personalization over globalization - Build marketing communication around the consumer rather than the product - Proactively suggest products based on previous interests - Focus on interactive, immersive brand experiences that are relevant to the customer, rather than just ads Smart channel attribution - Know how your consumer wants to connect with the brand - Use those channels to get your message across Think big instead of viral - Start thinking long-term - Identify and measure KPIs to determine campaign success or failure - Move away from focusing solely on the campaign – think about the broader long-term implications for the brand Why Social? Social Media and Marketing Social is public relations, customer service, loyalty-building, education, collaboration, networking and thought leadership. Twitter - 271 million monthly active users - 500 million tweets per day - 78% use mobile as main platform - Skews slightly male - Ongoing, conversational dialogue Facebook - Skews slightly female - Largest demo: 25 – 34 years of age - Still top social network for teens - 14% growth in users and 19% growth in engagement - More in-depth, comprehensive information - “Home base” for social presence YouTube - Reaches more adults 18-34 than any single cable TV network - Statistically, half of you have visited YouTube in the past month - Repository for video content; less dynamic Instagram - Viewed as more “prestigious” than Facebook or Twitter - Slighter higher average income - 68% female - 37% of online users aged 18-29 utilize Instagram - 200 million monthly active users What’s your strategy? Forget vanity metrics - Focus on consumer activity and feedback rather than social shares and likes - This data should be used to drive marketing decisions Your universal brand story - Write your story out - Who are you and what should people now about you? - Your social media tone should reflect your brand tone and content Tips and tricks - Most effective times for posting are on Thursday and Fridays between 1 and 3 p.m. - Aim for posts with rich media - Cross-promote and be consistent - A/B test - Refresh older content - Engage - Keep an open ear - Measure and improve Dos and Don’ts - DO ask for feedback - DON’T ask for followers or likes - DO experiment - DON’T feel you have to cover every social media outlet - DO be responsive - DON’T always respond to everything - DON’T assume people understand your tone - DO err on the side of being overly kind - DON’T be afraid to address misinformation -DO be strategic about doing so For more information contact Tom Hirons at thirons@hirons.com
Tom Hirons, President, CEO, COO - Oversees concept development for large-scale branding and creative efforts - “Riley Professor Chair” at IU school of Journalism - State Chamber vice Chair - Past President, American Advertising Federation – Indianapolis International Marketing 96% of consumers are outside the U.S. America, for all its opportunity, its vast size, and resources still amounts to only 4% of the world’s population. 2/3 of world’s purchasing power And while the US has 1/3 of the worlds purchasing power, 2/3 lies beyond our borders. Indiana 2013 exports = $34.2 billion Canada $11.8 billion Mexico $4 billion Germany $1.9 billion Japan $1.8 billion France $1.4 billion And our two biggest export markets are right next door. With the new I 69 project we are ideally situated to do even more trade with Canada and Mexica. Bottom line - you don’t have to go far or everywhere to go global. U.S. Multinational companies 7,000 in 1975 >40,000 today And the trend is clear. In the past 40 years the US has grown from 7,000 to over 40,000 multinational companies. International business is big business. Yet it is not just FOR big businesses. Small businesses can go international. Targeting a single country may be your first, best step. B2B and B2C companies are both welcome and the hurdles for B2B might even be easier. If you make a product. If you provide a service. International opportunities abound. Two men had the vision to change the way we see the world and thus the way we see commerce. Many credit Pythagoras, the mathematician, with calculating the world to be round, inspiring explorers to seek new trade routes. But it was Thomas Friedman who brought us full circle and proclaimed the world was indeed flat. Friedman identified ten “flatteners” that dramatically reshaped our world and lowered the barriers to international commerce. Ten flatteners #1: Collapse of the Berlin Wall #2: Netscape #3: Workflow software #4: Uploading #5: Outsourcing #6: Offshoring #7: Supply-chaining #8: Insourcing #9: Informing #10: "The Steroids" Five of those are directly attributed to global communications architecture. 7 keys to driving traffic to your website
In May of 2012, the Harvard Business Review proclaimed “Global business speaks English.” This has been misunderstood by many. Yet it was never intended to presume the world should or would speak English. This article reviewed the conscious decision of these six leading multinational corporations to speak one language, English, and use it internally around the world for efficient, consistent, timely and accurate business communications. The language of business remains native, and having bilingual staff or first-rate language resources is critical. Don’t get lost in translation
Select images with cultural sensitivity Cultural sensitivity is not limited just to language. What’s wrong with this photo? In Arab culture, showing the bottom of your shoe is one of the most insulting gestures you can make. Work with professionals who know the implications of color, the presence or absence of diversity, gender-based sensibilities and the impact not just of your words but of your graphics. 7 universal communications truths
Trends in Branding “The art of marketing is the art of brand building. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity.” Philip Kotler Professor of Marketing Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University “The emotional relationship between the consumer and the company/product, based on the sum of all interactions between them.” Marc Gobè Emotional Branding Digital Marketing Trends for 2015 “To win in marketing, they [companies] MUST have a digital strategy, and that digital strategy should probably include using social media.” – Kim Garst, social media brand strategist In 2014, 25% of all marketing dollars were spent on digital. In 2015, this amount is expected to increase to 33%. At Hirons 62% of 2014 media purchases were digital. Smarter email marketing - Not more emails, but better emails with more valuable magnet leads Humanized brands - Putting relationships ahead of sales - Increased emphasis on building connections over promoting products - Listening and engaging rather than promoting Content quality vs. quantity - Increased quality to better utilize SEO - Low-quality content, even in large quantities, can hurt your SEO - Fewer, more valuable posts - Emphasis on engagement over distribution Fewer online marketing strategies - Streamlined digital marketing campaigns - Effective ROI calculations - Retargeted investments Less “selling” in “social selling” - Increased focus on attracting a community, not selling to it Mobile-first - Each and every piece of content will first be functional for mobile - Requires better understanding of audience - Adaptation of content for “on-the-go” readers - Shorter, less pictures Company-wide content development - All departments giving input regarding what content is created and how it’s distributed - Results in greater SEO, streamlined messages, consistency Strategizing for the constantly connected consumer - Average consumers daily lives revolve around technology - The future of marketing hinges on delivering the right messages to the right person at the right time - Focus should be on integrating all channels successfully You and your consumer are a team - Pull-marketing tactics have been phased out by push marketing - Brands are seen increasingly as collaborators - Brands that inform their audiences are more likely to be remembered A sharp focus on KYC (Know Your Customer) - More focus on customer retention and engagement - Permission-based marketing results in better user experience - Consumers will chose you if you deliver content that they like Conquering the Goldfish Effect - The average attention span of most people is eight seconds - Over 270,000 million pieces of content are published every day - Critical to provide the right context and add true value in order to stand out The importance of data - Adds credibility - Enables sound decision making - Only way to measure the impact of campaigns - Data should be the driving force behind every marketing initiative Personalization over globalization - Build marketing communication around the consumer rather than the product - Proactively suggest products based on previous interests - Focus on interactive, immersive brand experiences that are relevant to the customer, rather than just ads Smart channel attribution - Know how your consumer wants to connect with the brand - Use those channels to get your message across Think big instead of viral - Start thinking long-term - Identify and measure KPIs to determine campaign success or failure - Move away from focusing solely on the campaign – think about the broader long-term implications for the brand Why Social? Social Media and Marketing Social is public relations, customer service, loyalty-building, education, collaboration, networking and thought leadership. Twitter - 271 million monthly active users - 500 million tweets per day - 78% use mobile as main platform - Skews slightly male - Ongoing, conversational dialogue Facebook - Skews slightly female - Largest demo: 25 – 34 years of age - Still top social network for teens - 14% growth in users and 19% growth in engagement - More in-depth, comprehensive information - “Home base” for social presence YouTube - Reaches more adults 18-34 than any single cable TV network - Statistically, half of you have visited YouTube in the past month - Repository for video content; less dynamic Instagram - Viewed as more “prestigious” than Facebook or Twitter - Slighter higher average income - 68% female - 37% of online users aged 18-29 utilize Instagram - 200 million monthly active users What’s your strategy? Forget vanity metrics - Focus on consumer activity and feedback rather than social shares and likes - This data should be used to drive marketing decisions Your universal brand story - Write your story out - Who are you and what should people now about you? - Your social media tone should reflect your brand tone and content Tips and tricks - Most effective times for posting are on Thursday and Fridays between 1 and 3 p.m. - Aim for posts with rich media - Cross-promote and be consistent - A/B test - Refresh older content - Engage - Keep an open ear - Measure and improve Dos and Don’ts - DO ask for feedback - DON’T ask for followers or likes - DO experiment - DON’T feel you have to cover every social media outlet - DO be responsive - DON’T always respond to everything - DON’T assume people understand your tone - DO err on the side of being overly kind - DON’T be afraid to address misinformation -DO be strategic about doing so For more information contact Tom Hirons at thirons@hirons.com