Buddy Media and Harris Interactive surveyed 105 senior marketing executives and found that a substantial majority are still struggling to deliver global campaigns with consistent branding. Ninety-three percent said that reaching customers across the world with a “unified brand message” was either very or somewhat challenging. Other findings:
• Eighty-nine percent regarded “identifying cost-effective tactics” as a leading hurdle for developing these campaigns. Other major hurdles included “managing overall outlay” (88%) and “determining the best channels to employ” (81%). Tracking return on investment, leveraging social media and finding appropriate local partners were tied at 70%.
• When asked to choose which marketing tools were typically the most effective, 81% of the brand managers polled selected “Web sites tailored to the local market.” Effective lead channels were print advertising (72%), television (60%) and radio and social media fan pages (tied at 54%).
• Addressing social networking specifically, 72% of respondents agreed that the medium would be an effective tool to reach consumers. Some 57% of participants were active on Facebook.
• The primary obstacles to harnessing social media engagement in global campaigns included proving the payback on this activity (48%) and managing and maintaining information (45%). PRN
Source: Harris Interactive, Buddy Media