Tag Archives: DMA

News, Research

Millennials most willing to trust marketing, finds new DMA research

According to the Data & Marketing Association’s (DMA) latest research, ‘Millennials’ appear to be the most willing to trust marketing messages, having significantly higher levels of trust than older generations.

On average, 53% of ‘Millennials’ trust marketing mediums, compared with just 40% for ‘Gen X’ and 29% for ‘Baby-boomers’. Baby-boomers are less trusting across almost all the marketing channels surveyed for, except messages received by mail (53%) or in face-to-face interactions (50%) – the latter is something all generations appear to have a high level of trust with.

Email is the most trusted medium from the Millennials’ perspective, with over two-thirds (69%) trusting this source.

“While email still leads the way across all generations, in terms of preference and trust, beyond this central channel there is a myriad of ways brands could engage customers. The differences between generations highlight key trends that brands should be aware of when planning their marketing campaigns,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA. “This analysis also highlights the potentially virtuous cycle of improving customers’ perception of trust, for example, on the preference and relevance for each channel.”

‘Gen Z’s’ high trust in messages received by phone (44%) and video (56%) appears to go some way to explaining why these channels are significantly more preferred by this generational cohort.

Marketing preferences and relevance –

Email is the most popular channel to receive marketing messages from brands – with 73% of consumers ranking it in their top two preferences.

However, there is a marked difference in this generation-ally. While email is the channel preferred most by Gen Z (45%), it is far less pronounced in comparison to other age groups. This figure may be influenced by a preference to receive brand content through other channels like social media (37%), video (25%), and even phone calls (19%). Gen Z is also more likely to report messages received via social media (56%) and video (59%) as relevant. If you are looking to market to millennials, consider hiring a PPC agency

At the other end of the generational spectrum, Baby-boomers prefer email (88%) and mail (52%) significantly more. This older group of consumers are also significantly less likely to find the marketing messages they receive through many of the channels asked about as relevant – with just email (63%) on a par with other generations.

Millennials are the generational cohort most likely to find marketing messages relevant across all the channels asked about within the survey.

Further information can be found on the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/dma-insight-channel-challenges-between-generations

COVID-19, Data & Analytics, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Coronavirus has increased brands compassion

A new survey by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) has found that brands have become more compassionate in 2020.

The majority of senior marketers (74%) surveyed said their brands or clients have shown more compassion and thoughtfulness amid the pandemic – this included 14% who said this increased, with just 6% reported this happening less.

Over 220 senior data and marketing professionals, who judged this year’s DMA Awards, reported their experiences had been difficult, but that these challenging times have led to an increase in thoughtful marketing.

“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on people and businesses around the world. Although there has been a positive side-effect of coronavirus, in that it has contributed to a significant increase in brands compassionate and thoughtful approaches to how they market to consumers,” Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA. “Over recent years, we have seen that the values and ethics of businesses are becoming an important motive for consumers when considering brands. The message is clear – brands who put people first are more likely to engage and connect with consumers post-lockdown.”

A desire for more compassion was also discovered in the DMA’s latest ‘Customer Engagement: How to Win Trust and Loyalty’ report, where most consumers (77%) stated that, in their opinion, brands should be more compassionate during the pandemic. Most felt they should do this by communicating both how they’re helping customers (66%) and supporting staff (58%).

How are brands demonstrating compassion?

Most industry leaders point to tailoring content and thoughtful messaging (68%), trying to be useful to consumers (62%) and taking a more customer-centric approach (55%). In addition, around half (50%) mentioned being more generous to essential workers and even reducing marketing spend and volumes (42%) to reduce the impact on consumers during this time.

When asked about the key benefits of compassionate and thoughtful approaches, the two areas most cited focus on people – both the brand’s customers and its staff. Creating a truly ‘customer first’ experience (65%) and improving the wellbeing of their own employees (64%) were followed by a feeling of providing more harmony to society (61%).

Further information can be found on the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/dma-insight-coronavirus-creates-opportunity-for-compassionate-marketing

COVID 19 Business Stories, COVID-19, News

Business revenues down by a third ahead of key holiday season

Despite announcements of additional government support and positive early signs on a variety of potential vaccines, businesses concerns rise ahead of a challenging holiday season. The latest figures from the ongoing ‘Coronavirus – The Impact on Business’ survey – conducted by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) – suggest the optimism felt over the summer months may have dissipated slightly.

The estimates of revenue decline amid the pandemic had improved over the summer, from a low of almost half (-47.2%) in May to around a quarter in September (-27.9%). However, these early signs of recovery appear to have slipped as new restrictions have meant revenue decline has risen to around a third (-34.2%).

In November, the majority (79%) of organisations surveyed reported the economic impact of the pandemic as being negative – with a quarter believing (25%) it will be extremely so. Key concerns about cashflows (76%) and cut-backs (53%) continue to lead the way, but there is also rising sentiment about the burden of social distancing (41%) and restrictions disproportionately impacting certain sectors (38%).

Moreover, 59% of businesses expect to see overall budgets decrease in the coming year, with staffing (59% expect the budget to decrease), marketing (57%), and capital expenditure (56%) expected to be worst hit.

“Across the data and marketing industry, trading remains extremely difficult for many businesses. Revenues remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels and budgets for the coming year look set to be similarly reduced,” says Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA. “Even as news of positive progress on vaccines offers a beacon of light, many businesses will have to make difficult decisions over the coming months. We welcome the government’s unprecedented support for business and will continue to represent our industry, ensuring it has the assistance it needs.”

Three-quarters (75%) of professionals surveyed reported they are continuing to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel, a rise from 66% in September. They also increasingly expect to remain in this home working environment well into the New Year – on average respondents expected to work from home for around 50 days, up from just under 40 just two months ago.

However, there are some concerns about the ability to continue to serve customers effectively in this environment. Over one in three of the organisations that responded to the survey said their ability to serve customers’ needs was becoming harder (43%) and to carry out marketing was also getting worse (35%).

For full details on the DMA Coronavirus Survey, visit:
https://dma.org.uk/research/coronavirus-november-2020-the-impacts-on-business

News

A third of consumers have video called brands or want to

According to new research from the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), Collinson, and dotdigital, 1 in 10 (12%) consumers have video called a brand and nearly a quarter of consumers (23%) are interested in brands using video calls to engage with them in the future.

The ‘Customer Engagement: How to Win Trust and Loyalty’ report highlights a number of changes to consumer behaviour and brand engagement since the survey was last fielded in 2018.

As periods of lockdown and social distancing have become part of daily life during the pandemic, consumers have had to turn to digital channels to maintain daily essential communications. Almost half of consumers (47%) are making video calls weekly.

Consumers are also open to and taking advantage of presence-free communications when engaging with brands. In addition to video calls, half of consumers (52%) have used chat customer service and would do again, or they are interested in doing so in the future.

“Clearly, our lives are all different today than they were a year ago. Coronavirus has accelerated many key trends we’ve been tracking in recent years, such as digital-first routes to brand engagement. While digital engagement with brands is a more viable and needed option for consumers during the coronavirus period, we expect the experiences of living through the pandemic will increase willingness to engage with brands remotely in future,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA.

Despite the pandemic disrupting habits, half of consumers (51%) remain ‘Active Loyals,’ compared to 49% in 2018, according to the DMA’s long-running customer loyalty segmentation. Meanwhile, ‘Habitual Loyals’ – those who are loyal to brands the engage with more regularly – have increased to 17% from 13% previously.

“Brexit, Coronavirus, and all the other challenges 2020 has thrown at people has not changed the core principles of trust and loyalty as much as some may have thought. In fact, despite the pandemic disrupting so much of our lives, half of consumers remain actively loyal to brands,” added Bond.

Brands must show compassion during the pandemic
Most consumers (77%) agree that brands should show compassion during the pandemic – 66% want brands to communicate how they are helping customers and 58% want to know how they are supporting staff.

The majority of consumers (76%) expect brands to be flexible about cancellations during this time – a form of practical compassion that could also hold some long-term benefits for brands, as 56% of customers agree they are more likely to stay loyal to brands that are able to offer flexibility in the current climate.

“Compassion is something we have heard about a lot in recent times, but this in connection to a brand is still relatively new. Over time, we have seen that the ethics and credentials of brands are becoming an important part of the consideration phase for many consumers, and this is a natural extension of that during these difficult times. This is definitely something for brands to consider,” said Scott Logie, Chair, DMA Customer Engagement Committee
& Customer Engagement Director, REaD Group.

Zoë Senior, General Manager, Agency, Europe, Collinson: “During the coronavirus period, the retail industry has been under huge pressure. The high street has seen a significant drop in footfall and according to the ONS, clothing and footwear retailers are suffering even more than most. Unsurprisingly, we have also seen a huge jump in online shopping as consumers have moved online to buy everything from weekly essentials to luxury goods. Encouragingly, despite all this change we see some of the fundamentals of loyalty have remained solid. The basic loyalty segmentation has remained relatively consistent with levels of those who are actively loyal and those actively disloyal broadly unchanged since 2017.”

Gavin Laugenie, Head of Strategy & Insight dotdigital: “Trust plays a significant role in the relationship we have with our customers. However, consumers’ trust is not quickly earned. It has to be developed over time, and with each interaction we make, carefully choosing the right channels to direct and manage that interaction. When we earn that trust from a consumer our jobs become more straightforward, so we need to nurture that trust by rewarding existing customers regularly. If not, we’ll find ourselves in a constant battle to win them back as they will put their loyalty aside to try something new and different.”

Further information can be found on the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/customer-engagement-how-to-win-trust-and-loyalty-2020

FInance, Marketing, PR and SEO

New funding released to people furloughed or made redundant by coronavirus

The Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM) and DM Trust have just launched the ‘DM Trust Home Learning Fund’. A new initiative offering UK-based employees who have been placed on furlough or made redundant access to fully funded training and professional qualifications.

The DM Trust, a charitable organisation that provides funding and support to projects across the data and marketing industry, will invest an initial £100k to the new fund.

The IDM, the learning arm of the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), will match this investment with an additional £100k.

“We remain committed to supporting both marketing professionals and businesses during these challenging times. The DM Trust Home Learning Fund will help employees negatively impacted by the current coronavirus pandemic, contributing to their personal development,” said Matt Housden, Chair of the DM Trust. “With around 46% of companies furloughing staff, this presents an opportunity for individuals to upskill and keep their marketing minds fresh to remain effective on their return to work.”

Applicants can apply the funding against the full portfolio of IDM Home Learning options for individuals, including both online learning and virtual classroom options.

Once an individual has selected a course or qualification, they should contact the IDM via an enquiry form, or email training@theidm.com with the subject line ‘DM Trust Home Learning Fund’. This will trigger an IDM advisor to reach out to the applicant to advise on the most suitable course and process the free booking.

“Skills development is a great way for staff on furlough and those made redundant to enhance their long-term personal development. We wanted to spearhead an initiative that would add value to both the individual and the data and marketing industry. This new fund gives us a real chance to aid the wellbeing of people affected by the economic crisis, at a time of physical separation,” added Andy Dorling, General Manager at the IDM.

Further information about the new training initiative and details on how to apply can be found on the IDM’s website: https://www.theidm.com/blog/dm-trust-home-learning-fund

Marketing, PR and SEO

Marketers and consumers agree on email’s importance across the customer lifecycle

According to the latest insights from the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), most marketers believe ‘Discounts and offers’ (49%) and ‘Advice, information or tutorials’ (45%) are the types of email content that help achieve their campaign goals.

The figures come from the ‘Marketer Email Tracker 2020’, part of the DMA’s annual series of studies into the channel, in partnership with Pure360. They reveal email’s multi-faceted role in communicating with consumers across all stages of the customer lifecycle – not just as a transactional channel, but one that can be used to inform and build long-lasting relationships.

“The importance of email to a business cannot be understated. It remains the primary channel that both marketers and consumers prefer across all stages of the customer lifecycle. It’s able to assist brands to enhance customer experience across each stage of this journey like no other channel”, said Tim Bond, Head of Insight at the DMA.

“During these challenging times for many people, we are seeing email used as a key medium for organisations to communicate with their customers. Brands are using email as the primary way to provide customers with advice, reassurance and updates.”

Comparing consumer preferences with what marketers believe is the most effective email content reveals both influence and opportunity. Emails influence as a means to share engaging content and the latest information with customers is clear, moving it far beyond simply a channel to share ‘Discounts and offers’. However, there remain potentially missed opportunities for brands in ‘Email receipts’ and ‘Access to other benefits’, with both having a significant disparity between consumers liking this information in emails and marketers seeing them as effective.

What types of email message/content helps you to achieve this email campaign objective? (Select all) & [Consumer] How much do you like or dislike the following in emails you receive brands? [Sorted by difference]

Email’s role across the customer journey

This year’s figures also reveal that email continues to lead all other channels for most marketers, across the contexts and touchpoints that the DMA queried. Although, notably, social media is being increasingly used to inform customers of for ‘New products or services’ (61%), ‘Discounts, offers or sales’ (54%), and ‘Advice, information or tutorials’ (52%).

Meanwhile, phone calls are still seen as useful for ‘Customer Service’ (53%) and online ads offer opportunities when it comes to ‘New products or services’ (40%), and ‘Discounts, offers or sales’ (38%).

Mark Ash, CEO at Pure360, added:

“Email continues to evolve to meet the challenge of an integrated digital world by providing a more diverse range of messages than ever before and delivers impact across every stage of the customer lifecycle. With customer experience now being the driving force behind marketing effectiveness, email marketers need to focus their energies on understanding how we can properly maximise its effectiveness in the right way to add value to the customer experience.”

Which of these does your organisation use for the following types of content/message when contacting customers? (Select all)


To read more about the DMA’s new research, visit the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/marketer-email-tracker-2020

Marketing, PR and SEO

38% of SMBs believe that GDPR doesn’t apply to them

38% of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) believe that the GDPR does not apply to customer data they may come into contact with.

This is according to the Data & Marketing Association’s (DMA) ‘SMBs and GDPR’ report, created in partnership with Xynics, which investigated the impact of the GDPR on organisations with fewer than 250 employees.

In addition, a near-fifth of SMBs (18%) feel the impact of the GDPR has been negative, which is around four times the number seen in previous research of the entire data and marketing industry, including large organisations and multinationals.

Highlighting how these smaller organisations may be struggling with the new laws more than their larger counterparts.

“While most of the data and marketing industry has long been aware, understood and implemented the necessary strategies to be compliant with the GDPR, there is a concern about knowledge gaps and training made available to smaller and medium-sized businesses. Of greatest concern is that 38% of them appear to believe that the GDPR does not apply to customer data they may acquire and process,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight at the DMA.

“SMBs form the bedrock of our economy and yet are the ones with the lowest knowledge and, therefore, the highest risk. We’ve been staggered by the increasing number of businesses, suppliers and partners that remain non-compliant with the GDPR,” stated Mike Kilby, Solutions Consultant & Data Protection Practitioner, Xynics Data Solutions Ltd. “Part of the problem is that although some businesses know they are having difficulties; the vast majority don’t know where to go for help.”

Overall, sentiment among SMBs about the new laws has been positive, whether that’s in relation to marketing programmes (54%), sales (49%) or internal processes (60%). In fact, the 57% of respondents who reported a generally positive impact on their business was even higher than the 44% we saw for all businesses in our ‘Data Privacy: An Industry Perspective 2019’ report (57%).

“Compliance is clearly an important issue when it comes to GDPR, but it’s also important to remember that the benefits of being diligent with data go far beyond that. This strategy already appears to be paying dividends for some, but the future success of our industry will be dependent on all organisations placing the needs of the customer front and centre,” added Bond.

To read more about the DMA’s new research, including the report, visit the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/smbs-and-gdpr

Marketing, PR and SEO

Twice as many consumers prefer email over any other marketing channel

Email is still the most popular marketing channel, according to consumers surveyed in the ‘Consumer Email Tracker 2020’ report released today.

The research, conducted by the DMA and supported by Pure360, delves into consumers’ perceptions, preferences and dislikes when it comes to email. The survey asked over 2,000 consumers their opinion about the email addresses they have, how they use them and the emails they receive from brands.

The data reveals that email remains the best channel across a range of contexts and the number of people that prefer email is almost twice as much as any other channel: 46% stated this compared to 26% for post, and 24% for either text or face-to-face.

In late 2019, consumers estimated the number of emails they receive, on average, as 54.9 per week to their personal inboxes, down from 73.3 in 2017. Around half of respondents (56%) also believe more than half of these emails are marketing messages from brands.

However, despite the importance and preference for the channel, just 13% of people said that over half the emails they receive are useful to them. The most cited reason for unsubscribing from a brand also remains receiving too many emails (57%).

“It’s clear from our findings that email remains at the heart of brands’ ability to communicate with customers, but they also highlight key areas where marketers can improve, such as relevancy and frequency of contact,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight at the DMA.

“Whether they’re considering a purchase, have just made one or need some help, our latest findings showcase email’s ability to help brands engage across the customer journey.”

Komal Helyer, VP of Marketing, Pure360, said:

“What’s clear is that email marketing remains core to the multi-channel experiences available to brands. These latest figures highlight how consumers believe email to be the best channel in a range of different contexts, and as a marketing communications channel, it continues to provide brands with a unique opportunity to create valuable and meaningful experiences for consumers.”

What do consumers want from brand emails?

Content-wise customers like a clear transactional link behind the marketing emails they receive, such as discounts or offers (65%), email receipts (59%) and advanced notice of new products/services or sales (43%). In other words, customers are looking for practical content that’s able to facilitate their interaction with brands.

The main reasons given for signing up to receive emails from a brand echo this, with ‘Discounts & offers’ (48%) coming top. However, loyalty also clearly plays a role, as simply being a regular customer already (43%), being sent email receipts (40%), or joining some form of loyalty programme (40%) are also key drivers.

Helyer concludes:

“Offering recipients more control on top of balancing frequency and relevance could be a trend we see growing over the next few years, further cementing email’s position as a powerful communication channel that has a variety of applications when it comes to customer engagement.”

To read more about the DMA and Pure360’s research, including the full ‘Consumer Email Tracker 2020’ report, visit: https://dma.org.uk/research/consumer-email-tracker-2020

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

DMA announces appointment of new Chair, Deputy and Board members

Stephen Maher, CEO of MBA, has been named as the new Chair of the DMA Board, with VerveIQ Founder & MD Pipa Unsworth named as Deputy Chair. The pair are also joined by two newly elected additions to the DMA Board in Cordell Burke, Creative Managing Partner at Up There, Everywhere, and Firas Khnaisser, Head of Decisioning at Standard Life.

As his tenure begins, Maher said:

“I am so delighted to be taking up this new role at such a vital time for the DMA and our 1,000 members who represent the UK’s leading brands and their marketing services partners. We will look to further extend and raise the profile of our industry expertise and training around data ethics and MarTech, as well as foster even greater industry diversity and inclusion from the classroom to the boardroom.”

Pipa Unsworth, new deputy chair of the DMA Board said:

“Though technologies like AI and data-driven marketing are prominent trends in our industry, our members are equally focused on people – building diverse teams and flexible, inclusive environments that enable the kind of creativity and innovation that delights us all as consumers. The DMA provides leadership and support across all these areas and it’s a privilege to help lead the agenda forward as we enter a new decade.”

Maher and Unsworth succeed Mark Runacus, Co-Founder and Planning Partner at Wax/On, and Caroline Worboys, COO at Outra, who took up their posts in 2017 and helped steer the DMA through a significant period of change for the association and the industry it represents. This has included helping the data and marketing industry through the biggest legislative change in a generation, with the General Data Protection Regulation that came into force in May 2018.

Both Runacus and Worboys have also supported the DMA team through its rebrand in 2019 that saw it become the Data & Marketing Association, including the Institute of Data & Marketing and DMA Talent. Meaning that from classroom to boardroom, the DMA is the driving force of intelligent marketing, moving the industry forward – for the good of marketers, businesses and most importantly, consumers.

Cordell Burke, Creative Managing Partner at Up There, Everywhere, and Firas Khnaisser, Head of Decisioning at Standard Life have both been elected to 3-year terms on the DMA Board. They will be filling the positions left by Gavin Wheeler, CEO at WDMP, and Michelle de Souza, Chief Data Officer at Age UK. Michelle was recently appointed Chair of TPS Board and will continue to Chair the DMA’s Fundraising Working Group

Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA, said:

“I am pleased to welcome Stephen and Pipa as the new leadership team, as well as having Cordell and Firas join the DMA Board. I look forward to working with all of them over the coming years to continue to shape the future of our industry. A special thanks must also go to Mark, Caroline, Michelle and Gavin for their contributions to the board during a period of significant change.”

Awards, Marketing, PR and SEO

Disney’s senior marketing VP offers guidance to the next generation of marketing talent at the IDM’s 2019 graduation

“The pace of change is only going to get faster in our industry, so you always have to keep up and stay one step ahead”

Disney’s Tony Miller offers guidance to the next generation of marketing talent at the IDM’s 2019 graduation

The Institute of Data & Marketing’s (IDM) 2019 graduation results show that professionals in the data and marketing industry continue to thrive despite significant change in recent years.

From the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and uncertainty around Brexit, to the wealth of new technologies available and increasing organisational responsibilities of the marketing function, the world in which the next generation of marketers will work is constantly evolving.

However, for marketers to keep a pace with the fast-moving times, they must continue to upskill and learn to stay one step ahead, according to Tony Miller, VP, Digital Marketing & CRM, EMEA, at Disney:

“Marketers must never stop learning, every day is a school day. Even after marketers have finished traditional education, they must remain curious, ask questions and investigate further, and always be prepared to read and upskill. The pace of change is only going to get faster in our industry, so you always have to keep up and stay one step ahead.”

These comments come as the Class of 2019 graduates from the IDM. The announcement includes the results of all the students that sat exams in 2019, with an impressive 96% of students achieving a pass. Almost two thirds (68%) of the students didn’t just pass, but also achieved a Credit or Distinction for their excellent work.

In all, there were over 450 students studying for their IDM Professional or Postgraduate Diplomas in Digital or Direct and Data-Driven Marketing in the past 12 months.

Miller added:

“With the proliferation of data, marketers must use data and insights to drive creativity and ideas. To open new doors to create, invent, and be more entrepreneurial. Curiosity and imagination, no matter what role a person has in their company or agency, is key to success – success for you in your career, success for the clients you look after to grow their business, and success for your brand.”

Andy Dorling, General Manager at the IDM concluded:

“The results we’ve seen from 2019 are a snapshot of the incredible talent we have within the UK’s creative industries, but we must ensure we continue to nurture the talent in our sector if we want to remain as global leaders in data-driven marketing.”