The latest Bellwether report predicts that 2013 will bring a rise in marketing budgets and confidence overall, with positivity about company performance the highest that it has been in a year, despite businesses expecting to face challenging times ahead.
Here, Newsline has captured industry reaction to the report’s findings, with opinion from adconnection, MEC, Essence, G2 Joshua, Dialogue, Jaywing, Volume and Gekko.
It’s no surprise to see ad spend predicted to dip in 2013, only to rise again triumphantly in 2014. It’s well documented the lack of activity for the nation to get excited about this summer, and the continuing industry pessimism clearly reflects the cautious approach marketers have.
Looking to the future, marketers need to heed the lessons of the year past. While the summer of 2012 represented a wonderfully unique period, in which Britain was able to shine at its very brightest, to view it as an anomaly would be foolish.
The ’empty’ year we face ahead in 2013 is an issue on the lips of many, but the solution already lies in front of us – the power of face-to-face human interaction. What characterised the London Olympics wasn’t just the remarkable success of our athletes, but how the whole occasion was brought to life by the huge army of volunteers and their unrelenting, inspirational and uplifting enthusiasm.
Just because there’s no major global sporting event or Jubilee to highlight the summer ahead, it doesn’t mean marketers should immediately cast aside what is an incredibly power and valuable marketing tool. In austere times consumers do want value, but most of all they want relevant, engaging experiences.
Of course, the uncertainty of the economy (and welfare in general) is having an effect on consumer shopping habits and behaviours; and I imagine this is being acknowledged by brands when budgeting to some extent. While 2013 requires brands to be brave, the brave will win if they get the message right. With no distractions ahead, what better time to surprise and delight?
Daniel Todaro
MD
Gekko
Read the full article at: http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/2013/04/11/bellwether-report-industry-reaction/
gekkofm 