*Social Networks a Low Priority for CMOs: Despite the cultural phenomenon that Facebook and MySpace have become the past five years, 55% of the CMOs at leading brands surveyed
by Epsilon, in partnership with GfK Roper, said they're not too interested (22%), or not interested at all (33%), in incorporating the social networking sites into their marketing
strategies.
Though dialogue marketing is a bona fide trend in the industry, just 10% percent of CMO survey respondents said they already are using these social sites in their marketing
plans. Internet forums (52%), Webcasts and podcasts (47%), e-mail (47%), blogs (37%) and Webinars (52%) outscored Facebook and MySpace (35%), in terms of being social media
elements that marketing executives said they are very interested or somewhat interested in using.
Additional findings include:
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CMOs bracing for budget reductions identified e-mail as the channel they are least likely to cut back on versus any other tool in the traditional or digital marketing
mix;
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While just over half of the companies surveyed already use consumer data mining, 23% more said that they plan to utilize the technology in the next 12 months;
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55% of those not already employing Web analytics plan to do so in the next 12 months; and,
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Customer loyalty and rewards programs remain polarizing, with 33% of companies already using the strategy and 17% planning to use in the next year, but 50% not using or
planning to use.
Source: Epsilon
*Marketing Execs Under Increased Pressure: Marketing executives are under growing pressure to show a return on investment for their programs, but many are struggling and
finding the process complex, according to a report by The Conference Board. Among the findings:
- Two-thirds of the 73 surveyed companies have implemented marketing ROI programs in recent years. The most frequently used metrics include customer loyalty/satisfaction,
customer retention, market share, marketing spending, revenue, Web page views and profits.
- 37% report measuring ROI less than a year. 40% report measuring ROI over the last one or two years. Less than 25% have been at it for more than three years.
- More than one-third of companies report making no efforts to measure marketing returns on investment.
- 91% of companies who report "good progress," and 67% of companies who report "some" progress, have incorporated marketing ROI into their performance objectives. More than
half of those who report "good" progress have also put in place recognition programs for marketing ROI.
Source: The Conference Board
*Millennial Journalists Lead New Media Usage: While journalists across all age groups are rapidly adopting social media tools, the greatest usage is shown to be among young
"Millennial Generation" journalists (18-29 year-olds). Preliminary findings about these Millennial Generation journalists, shared by the Society for New Communications Research
Symposium, revealed that 100% of Millennial respondents believe new media and communications tools are enhancing journalism, versus 40% in the 50-64-year-old demographic. The
study, conducted by SNCR and Middleberg Communications, includes the following findings:
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87% of 18-29 year-olds believe bloggers have become important opinion-shapers, versus 60% of 50-64 year-olds;
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87% of 18-29 year-olds confirm that new media and communications enhances the relationship with their audience, versus 42% of 50-64 year-olds;
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48% of all respondents use LinkedIn, and 45% use Facebook to assist in reporting;
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68% of all respondents use blogs to keep up on issues or topics of interest; and,
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86% of all respondents use company Web sites, 71% use Wikipedia, and 46% use blogs to research an individual organization. PRN
Source: SNCR and Middleberg Communications