Green Shoots? Maybe not for everyone

Earlier in the year The Chartered Institute of Marketing published the results of the 2009 Marketing Trends Survey. The general consensus was that the UK economy was going to get worse before getting better. However there was some optimism among respondents that prospects for their own businesses were likely to improve over the next 12 months. You can find out more on the Institute’s website.

Analysing spend

In June of this year, the East of England Region of the Institute conducted a similar survey but also looked in depth at trends in marketing spend, particularly across traditional and new media. The respondent profile was pretty robust, covering all shapes and sizes of organisations from B2C, B2B and the Third Sector. The results were enlightening and may be indicative of the current mood among marketers in Greater London too.

In general it is the traditional above-the-line media, such as Press, TV, Radio and Outdoor that is going to suffer the biggest cut in marketing spend this year. For example only 5% of respondents said they would increase their Press spend by over 5% whereas 28% said they would reduce spend by over 5%. Recently released advertising spend figures would tend to back this up.

Conversely, nearly a quarter of respondents said they would increase spend on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) by over 5% (nearly 9% intend to increase spend by over 10%). A similar picture emerged for Online Advertising, Online PR (blogs, viral, social media) and Pay Per Click (PPC). Over 20% of respondents said they would try Social Media marketing, Blogs and SEO for the first time this year.

Exploring ROI

To some extent these findings reflect the uncertainty that exists among marketers regarding the Return on Investment different marketing activity delivers. According to the survey the media or activity delivering the best ROI are Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM), Email, SEO and, for those using the activity, Field Marketing. Direct Marketing seems to polarise respondents – nearly 20% ranked this activity 1st or 2nd highest ROI whereas a similar number of respondents ranked it worst or 2nd worst ROI.

However, it is pretty clear that Press, TV, Radio and Cinema are regarded by a significant number of marketers as the worst for ROI. Perhaps the old saying “half my advertising works, I just don’t know which half” is still true.

Is all this just a blip and will the level and mix of marketing activity return to normal once the recession is over? Not according to our survey.

The media or marketing activities most likely to suffer in the long-term as a result of the recession are predicted to be Press, TV, Radio, Cinema, Outdoor, Exhibitions and Sponsorship. I bet you can guess what’s coming next – the winners are likely to be Online PR, SEO, Email, Online Advertising, CRM and PPC.

It will be interesting to see what really happens over the next year or two.

NEW CAM Diploma in Digital Marketing

The results of the survey suggest there’s no better time for the Institute to introduce new CAM Diplomas in Digital Marketing. It seems if you want to get ahead in marketing these days then you are going to have to become either proficient or expert in everything digital.

Phil O’Brien

It is with much sadness that we have to announce the recent death of Phil O’Brien. Phil was the man responsible for running the very successful GLR mentoring scheme for many years and introduced countless members to Mentors who happily shared their skills, knowledge and experience. Phil will be sadly missed by his many friends, colleagues, Mentors and Mentees.

We all know that times are tough. But, when the people in your team aren’t motivated, things just get tougher. Okay, it would be nice if you could reward everyone with a great teambuilding day, or even a much-deserved bonus. But if those aren’t realistic in your current marketing department, what can you do as a manager or leader to make things brighter for everyone? If you’re not a leader, what attitudes can you adopt to communicate a positive mind set? Here are a few ideas you could try out – wherever you are in your career.

• How much time have you spent in the past year to improve your communication, management or leadership skills? Schedule some time with your boss to discuss the areas you’d like to develop and the resources you need to develop them. If you’re working with someone who’s under-motivated, suggest they start their list, too. The Institute can help. Here, you’ll find events as well as resources that discuss how you can make changes in your work style.
• Looking back on the last six months, what time and money did you receive in training and development? If you don’t think it’s enough, what are the business arguments for increasing investment in you and your team? Plan your arguments carefully.
• Does your manager have a good relationship with you and know what you need to progress? The changing economy may be changing your goals, too. Are there new opportunities for you or for your team that you really want to pursue? If you’re not a manager, can you help a member of your team by suggesting a training programme or qualification?
• Do you have a clear picture of what you can do to increase your value or that of your team to the business? Everyone is focused on the bottom line, how are you responding to the challenge?
• During the past year, do you feel you’ve had the chance to learn and grow at work? A team should instill confidence in its members, and if you feel like you have opportunities to grow, you’ll be more confident. Can you help the people around you grow by simply sharing information like a useful link or a new article? So much learning is achieved informally. And your colleagues will probably be happy to do the same for you.
• Do you feel like your opinion matters? If you don’t, ask yourself if you’re communicating your ideas through the proper channels. Complaining over coffee won’t help your boss understand what you want, and it won’t do anything to get your ideas or ambitions off the ground.
• Do you know the vision or mission of your company? Do the people in your team? How are you promoting those aims? Do you see your job as important to your company’s goals? Take some time to think this through, and don’t hesitate to support a member of your team who feels insignificant. Simple courtesies like sending thank-you emails for completed tasks or even answered questions go a long way to making people aware their contribution matters. Don’t forget to praise your colleagues directly.
• Do you have friends at work? For some, teams are lonely places. Many people perform better and feel more confident when they’re working among friends. That doesn’t mean you should spend every weekend with your colleagues, but it does mean you can have lunch with a less popular workmate or enquire after his or her family. Feeling valued as a person can have a positive impact on performance.
• Who would you go to with a suggestion, complaint or concern at work? Stay focused on communication, and direct your concerns to your manager, don’t just talk about it, plan to make changes and take steps to make those plans work.

From a case study of management that just isn’t working to exploring a new model of performance management, David Finney takes a good look at where managers could do better.

Last January, Amber Harrison won the GLR News giveaway. Her prize: a coaching package from Hannah McNamara, a Chartered Marketer and qualified coach. Amber is Head of Branding at SITA, an organisation specialising in air transport communication and IT solutions. We caught up with Amber to talk about her prize and what she got from it.

How did you get started?

“At first, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my coaching sessions. So I bounced a few ideas around. To help me narrow things down, Hannah introduced a tool known as the Wheel of Life. For me, this was a really useful concept. It helps you see how your career, relationship, health and friends are all interlinked. And, it asks you what you need to do to get to the highest point of the wheel in each area. By articulating your ideas and explaining them to a coach, the situation becomes clearer and more concrete. I was able to narrow my focus down to career.”

Once you knew what you wanted to change, what happened?

“I needed to do practical things as well as look at the broader brushstrokes. Since career change was important to me, I worked on interview techniques. For example, as an internal candidate, I could gather information before my interview that external candidates wouldn’t have access to. Hannah isn’t afraid to challenge how I saw myself, or how other people might see me – which I found incredibly useful. Coaching allows you to assess and confirm. We agreed on actions and targets at the ends of every session. Without fail, Hannah always asked about them in the course of the next session.”

Where are you now with your goals?

“So far, I’ve completed one interview for an internal role - which I felt went very well regardless of the eventual outcome. I was completely prepared and very pragmatic. Whatever happens, I’ve learned that it’s essential to have a plan. The preparation helps you focus your mind, and it definitely gives you the edge. You have to take responsibility, discuss and appraise.”

What’s your opinion of coaching?

“I recommend it. By all means, start with ideas about what you want to discuss and achieve. But don’t limit yourself. You’ll soon start to see how interrelated the different parts of your life are. When you start making changes, there’s definitely a knock-on effect. What I liked about working with Hannah is her understanding of the marketing industry. I didn’t need to explain everything in detail. Every response she made was considered, personal and relevant. She’s very professional, but works very personally. And, she gathers your feedback along the way. So, if you have questions or issues, you can address them. She also provides you with plenty of tools. There’s a coaching agreement, checklist and other materials like the wheel of life that help you think in new ways. The materials are a real support when you want to go over things generally or go back to a particular insight. You can do it easily. Hannah works as part of a team, so there are other people and personalities to choose from.”

The arrival of LangCommLingo’s telephone interpreting service makes doing business or travelling in non-English speaking countries so much easier – and safer. No matter what time zone you’re in or what day it is, the LangCommLingo DialCard gives you 24-hour a day access to the interpreting help you need within seconds. So don’t worry if your hire car breaks down or customs want a word at the airport. Just use the card to make a call and have a live interpreter help you to be understood – without ever having to attempt to speak the language.

With over 150 languages spoken by qualified and experienced interpreters, this is a service that will protect you against the misunderstanding and confusion of a language that you don’t speak and can’t understand. Check out the full benefits.

LangCommLingo is giving away 20 personal DialCards, each with 20 minutes free airtime good for a full year. These are travel must-haves whether you’re away on business, or exploring for pleasure. Getting started is easy. Simply register and you’ll receive an access code. When you need help, call the LangCommLingo number and follow the instructions. Your network provider will charge you for the phone call. For your chance to win a DialCard, all you need to do is answer a few short questions.

Studying for exams shouldn’t be all slog. Set yourself a realistic study timetable and stick to it. When you reach a milestone like the end of a chapter, even the half way mark, reward yourself. Try out new techniques as you go, there’s no need to get unnecessarily bogged down. Learning isn’t a punishment. And don’t forget to talk about what you’re doing. Meet up with some people in your class, or just chat with a colleague at work. Going over ideas verbally can make them more concrete and more likely to stick in your mind. A positive rather than punitive approach makes it much easier to study regularly and retain more. Here’s a few tips and reminders to make things easier.

Use acronyms

Acronyms are fun – and strangely addictive. Remember when the points of the compass were confusing? Never Eat Shredded Wheat sorted things out pretty quickly, as every ten-year old knows. Not only does an acronym remind you of the terms you need, it can set your brain in motion and make it much easier to remember key points and supporting detail. An acronym can also help you condense terms into identifiable chunks that will really stick with you. Try these out:

Success is in the air!

It’s not all doom and gloom out there. Our members are living proof that the economy is alive … and kicking. So take a minute and meet a GLR member who has found new paths to success. His advice could just inspire you to take the next step in your own career.

Are you senior enough for the Levitt Group?

The Levitt Group, formerly the Marketing Network, is the Market Interest Group for senior marketers. It exists to maintain and develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities of its members. Membership is limited to Chartered Marketers, Fellows and graduates of the Institute’s Intensive Diploma Programmes for senior managers.

A GLR first with the Media Trust

The evening of July 8th marked the first GLR speedmatching event with the Media Trust – organised by Ade Onilude and Cimcom, the creative communications special interest group. Speedmatching evenings are free informal networking events that introduce charities in need of media and marketing support to the professionals who can help them. The evenings operate on the same principle as speed-dating! When the perfect match happens, the partners agree to continue working together. It could be help with a short term project or one that’s more involved. The event was a huge success and resulted in 33 matches. Well done to everyone involved!

The feedback from the charity partners was outstanding.

Another way to get involved

The Media Trust also has an exciting events calendar all of its own. GLR members are welcome to get involved by leading their own event or helping in another way, just email them or go to www.mediatrust.org/training-events to find out more.

Cycle Britain for Paralympics GB

Deloitte has teamed up with Threshold Sports to create the Deloitte Ride Across Britain - a nine day, 1008 mile bike challenge that will see 500 people ride the famous John O’Groats to Lands End route from June 12-20, 2010.

The route, traditionally completed in the opposite direction, will be divided in to nine daily stages with overnight stops in tented villages where all the riders can gather, recuperate and swap stories from their day’s cycle. You can cycle the full route of 110 miles a day as a solo rider, or you can enter in a relay team with a support vehicle, choose a bike buddy, and pick which sections of each daily stage you’d like to pedal.

Threshold’s mission is through Ride Across Britain to raise £1million for ParalympicsGB between 2010-2013, so this will become an annual event with increasing participation numbers each year.

On your bike for the Prostate Cancer Charity

The final stage of the 2009 Tour of Britain will take place on an iconic circuit at the heart of London, using the same course that kicked off the 2008 Tour in front of over 120,000 spectators. Before the professionals take to the circuit though, The Prostate Cancer Charity London Ride will be held, as 1,000 cyclists get the chance to ride two laps of the actual route of the final stage to welcome The Tour of Britain to the country’s capital.

Unlike the professionals who’ll be racing at top speed, riders in The Prostate Cancer Charity London Ride will have time to enjoy all the sights around the circuit, while soaking up the applause of supporting family, friends and fans, and of course enjoying the unique experience of riding the roads that will decide The Tour of Britain in the afternoon. And signing up couldn’t be easier. It’s a great opportunity for a great cause.