2020 Trends – Marketer Priorities

I believe it is more important to know what a marketer wants rather than what an agency wants to tell them. By knowing what they want; their top challenges, pain points, and goals, an agency can adjust their positioning to better align with the prospect’s needs. I want a marketer to say, “Who are those guys? They know exactly what I’m struggling with and how to solve it. I want to meet that agency and hear what they have to say.” I want my agency clients to evoke that same response from their prospects.

 

How can you know what a marketer really wants? You can ask them, one by one, or through a survey. I’ve done that and shared the results on my blog. It’s a lot of work. Better yet, we can let the experts ask; the trade associations, the media, researchers, thought leaders, and industry groups. After all, they are much better equipped to gather the right people and get them to share what we all want to know. That’s what I did in this trend report.

 

The following is a collection of key topics that top B2C and B2B brand marketers, industry experts, and researchers have identified as the challenges, priorities, trends, and pain-points today and going into 2020. This list was compiled from a variety of publicly available sources including Marketing Week, Forbes, Gartner, Nielson, Forrester, ANA, AAAA, NetImperative, Catapult New Business, MediaPost, Mediapssst, AdExchanger, AgencySpotter, CMO.com, ChiefMarketer.com, Smart Insights, Adobe, B2B Marketing, IHAF (In-house Advertising Federation), Entrepreneur.com, IBM, and others. The content has been anonymized since I don’t have permission from the authors.

 

I gathered this source material and analyzed it by topic and frequency of mention to come up with my list of marketer priorities for 2020. In most cases, I have summarized and abbreviated the thoughts for easy digestion. As you know, some marketers can be longwinded. I use this list and the underlying data to shape and sharpen agency positioning and messaging.  That’s not to say agencies should throw away everything they’ve ever done and regurgitate this. Rather, they should take what they are and sharpen it around these core topics to be more relevant, topical, and interesting to their target audience.

 

Marketers say their biggest challenges are more content and more effective content, restoring brand and company trust, better personalization, data-informed creativity, and deeper customer engagement. Cost efficiencies, performance attribution, data management and insights, technology advancements, and storytelling are also on their list. Finding a purpose, along with social responsibility, gets a lot of buzz. Marketers are seeking ways to go beyond sales and growth that engages, inspires, and rallies their customers and non-customers.

 

This is by no means a complete list. It is a collection of the most talked about things today and a peek into their priorities as they seek ways and resources to accomplish their goals. I’ve collected just a few of the many comments about each topic to illustrate the need. I urge you to dig deeper into the trade associations, media, and Google to understand the need and nuances as you compare your agency’s messaging to what the marketplace is looking for.

 

The first two, Business Partners and Capabilities are common themes that reach across many topics. Business Partner speaks to the increasing need for agencies to be knowledgeable and proactive in the overall success of the business, not just advertising. The second, Capabilities, is a short collection of things mentioned as new or important capabilities marketers are thinking about. The next 20 represent the top mentions from 102 topics analyzed. The last, Business Development, are issues relevant to business development practices.

 

Business Partner

• Tighter collaboration and alignment behind organizational goals: There is too little time and too much to do for CMOs to hand-hold agencies and make sure they play nice with each other
• Strategically grounded advisory, perspective, and insight: No matter the discipline, agencies must understand business imperatives and be able to contribute strategically to the marketing organization
• Quicker to learn and adapt to — or better lead — change: Brands will expect their agencies to keep up, or better, be agents of change themselves
• Think globally. No company is an island. CMOs need to think beyond borders and consider other cultures and countries in their marketing strategies
• A business strategy has to converge with the marketing strategy and permeate everything from the business model and go-to-market strategy to brand positioning and consumer engagement
• Intimate knowledge of the business, brand, and customer
• Research showed that while 42.4% of marketers think their organization should be structured around the customer, just 5.8% of business are actually set up this way
• The rapid change we’ve all been experiencing is going to speed up even more due to the unprecedented pace of scientific advances
• ROI and ROMI are increasingly owned by the CMO and scrutinized by leadership
• We have more data to understand people, but our marketing mix is still too fragmented
• Influencer marketing has been a sea change in the last few years
• Create better cross-platform synergy for my marketing campaigns
• Finding more customers, engaging more deeply, and turning into sales

 

Capabilities

• Voice Search: It’s not a matter of if voice will be used as a brand and marketing advantage, but how to benefit from it
• Voice and Alexa integration. Figuring out where and how to use voice is a big opportunity to exploit
• Visual Search: makes it possible for consumers to take a picture of something in the real world and find information about it. Optimize your site (and social) images for visual search
• ABM: A lot of companies know it is important, but they don’t have the right skills and resources. It will be a much bigger focus in years to come
• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and automating insights for marketing messages and distribution will be a major trend that continues
• Word of mouth and influencer marketing are some of the best ways to reach new markets, and with the proper content to create brand loyalty and renewal
• Big data, big tech, and big security issues are increasingly challenging
• Marketing automation is a core tool that we have to master

 

The top 20 priorities by frequency of mention out of 102 topics analyzed

 

1. Content

• Content operations need to grow to meet the different needs of customer segments or individuals (i.e.: more specialized content), and few external agencies are prepared to help.
• We need to create more relevant engaging advertising content and storytelling to break through the content clutter
• We’ll see less linear TV, less print and less digital display in favor of content and influencers
• Creating an ecosystem of content that will surround the customer and be there at every touchpoint in their life
• We are looking for opportunities to build engagement through digital with relevant content
• Content: whether it’s an article or a video on social media -- opens the door for two-way communication, which is crucial for building trust
• Content marketing is #1 - this has been in the top 3 for several years
• Factors that contribute to content marketing success include; higher quality content, refined strategy, better-targeted distribution, ability to show results
• Content continues to be king for all brands, and people are finding new and interesting ways to continue to engage more deeply
• We have to be better at targeting our content, collateral, and our sales techniques to reach customers on different levels

 

2. Trust…

…in agencies

• Greater relationship transparency and fiscal accountability to rebuild trust pushing agencies for absolute transparency as fraudulent practices continue to make headline news
• Trust in my agency: clients give their current agency roster a score of just 5.7 out of 10
• Transparency: Establish an open book policy and stick with it- Allow clients to open up the books at any given point and time

 

…in brands

• Build back brand trust. Customer experience and loyalty center around trust. The CMO leads the way to create open and honest relationships with customers
• Establishing trust between my brand and the consumer
• Consumer expectations regarding privacy and transparency
• Growing consumer gap between brand promise and expectations

 

3. Personalization

• Companies view personalization, and the benefit of creating a better relationship with prospects and customers, as a strategic point of difference, and one to be actively pursued
• Owned audiences and more targeted authentic personalization with clear attribution and ROI are seen as a growing imperative
• Across the board, personalization is a key trend 
• The concept of the “decision-maker” has taken on a new meaning. This means marketers have to be able to create hyper-personalized touchpoints that speak to that
• Personalization can be a huge challenge to take on especially when you consider the number of touchpoints there are
• The current funnel accepts anyone, reaching out to people who are more likely to be interested is not only more cost-efficient; it’s also more sustainable and less time-consuming

 

4. In-housing

• Agencies must embrace in-housing by adding value and helping brands through this transition, rather than fighting for control back
• Agencies are being relegated to large-scale, strategic initiatives with offline media spend as clients take digital media executions in-house
• When it comes to turnaround times and cost, we are so much more efficient with our in-house team
• CMOs view the in-house shop as a low-cost, efficient alternative to external agencies
• Digital share of work has been stable, Content work is up
• The enemy of in-house agencies is to get caught in creative ruts and just do what they've always done
• CMO’s challenge with In-house and agency partnerships, is to Identify the strengths of all partners and assign specific roles for strategy and execution to replace competition
• In-house workload is increasing: For 90 percent of respondents, the workload of their in-house agency has increased in the past year
• Managing growth: The biggest challenge for in-house agencies is managing growth. Specifically, the two top challenges are managing workflow due to increased projects, and scaling efficiently

 

5. Cost

• Active support of clients' efforts to produce content cost-effectively: The amount of stuff we have to produce is going up exponentially and we have to find a way to economize
• Increasingly output-oriented and bottom-line obsessed: Marketing leaders will favor compensation models that are output-based (deliverable vs. retainer-based) and focused on driving their organizational KPIs
• When it comes to turnaround times and cost, marketers are going in-house because it is so much more efficient
• ROI and ROMI are increasingly owned by the CMO pushing them to find more efficiencies and cost-savings

 

6. Data

• Data must be human: Data-driven thinking and experiences, marketers know that their customers are still people – not segments
• Big Data (including market and customer insight and predictive analytics) has to be better utilized at the start and analyzed at the end
• Agencies have to demonstrate superior knowledge of data, analytics, and measurement: Creative not fully informed or supported by data will fail to get internal buy-in

 

7. Creativity

• CMOs are in a creative rut because of the need for cost efficiencies that is hurting the value of their brands as they offer digital customer experiences that all look and feel the same
• Good data drives great creativity, so they are inextricably linked. Raw human insights, understanding people's behaviors and understanding when and how they react to the world opens doors to amazing work
• Marketers are searching for new ideas and different approaches to offset declining response, low engagement, less results, weak ROI
• Agencies have to harness the glut of data to drive more effective decision making and more powerful creative, and attribute results to their efforts

 

8. Engagement

• CMOs need to rethink investments and shift resources out of baseline technology and into creative customer engagements
• We are looking for new ways to build engagement through digital with relevant content
• The business strategy and go-to-market strategy have to be linked to brand positioning and consumer engagement
• We have to improve our ability to engage audiences, not just identify and find them
• I struggle to keep consumers engaged with my brand. It’s a constantly moving target

 

9. Technology

• CMOs have the fastest-growing tech spending among C-suite executives, with projected increases of 9% to 11% on data and analytics, ad tech and marketing automation, while spending on agency services advances by a meager 2.4% a year
• Too many marketers are overspending on technology while underspending on the creative efforts that help consumers distinguish one brand from the next
• CMOs need to rethink investments and shift resources out of baseline technology and into creative customer engagements while finding the right balance between brand differentiation and digital
• Tech-centric CMO: the number of tech-centric CMOs will double while the demand will triple leaving a serious talent gap among senior marketers. Can agencies fill it?
• There’s so much technology out there for marketers that it's almost paralyzing

 

10. Customer Experience

• B2B brands sometimes don’t look at relevance and emotional connections. That’s why we’re so focused on the customer experience
• There are so many channels customers use, and they have an expectation that no matter how they interact, it will be a singular experience. Most brands fall far short.
• The race to execute digital customer experiences has resulted in a look and feel that is practically the same for everyone
• Customer experience and loyalty center around trust and trust is at an all-time low. We’ve got to change this.

 

11. Digital

• Digital is at the core of everything we do because that’s where our audience spends their time. We will continue shifting budget to reflect this
• We are constantly looking for new opportunities to build engagement through digital with relevant content
• Why do digital customer experiences all look and feel the same? Where is creativity
• CMOs are expected to continue increasing digital media spend
• We’re focused on brand evolution, creative, the media mix and accelerating digital across all channels
• We are searching for new ways to apply innovation, AI, technology, and marketing automation to improve our engagement, personalization, and sales

 

12. Influencer Marketing

• Word of mouth and influencer marketing are some of the best ways to reach new markets
• Strategic use of influencer marketing has generated amazing results and we will continue to invest
• We are spending less on search and more on Influencer Marketing
• Moving from macro-influencers to micro to better personalize by smaller communities and segments
• Haven’t seen any analytics or ROI but want to

 

13. Customer Insights

• CMOs are seeking a much richer understanding of their customer segments. This more nuanced understanding of brand affinity or loyalty will be used to better target the appropriate messages, content and offers
• Consumers are changing. CMOs need to stay ahead of trends and find ways to reach picky Gen Z-ers who don’t watch traditional ads. They need to understand influencers and social marketing
• Commerce, culture, and consumption have sped up and converged, purchases are influenced by geo-data, social media, and general popular culture at any moment in time, and at a moment’s notice
• We need to better mine big data, including market and customer insight and predictive analytics, to drive our decisions and our creative
• Consumer insights have always been important but today, with declining response rates, brand rust, and generational influences, it’s more important than ever
• I don’t need any more numbers. I need to know what it means and how I can act on it

 

14. Purpose

• CMOs need to connect with a cause. Consumers favor brands that are socially responsible and want to support companies that take a stand
• The notion of purpose-driven marketing is just getting bigger and bigger
• Companies and brands have to figure out how to dealing with social activism, #MeToo and a breadth of issues that are important to consumers
• More than ever, consumers care about a holistic relationship with brands and businesses, one that is purpose-driven and reflects their values
• We want a brand to stand for more than just making money
• Social issues and brand purpose can be polarizing. We need help figuring out the best place to stand

 

15. ROI

• The challenge is identifying the appropriate performance indicators that will tell you what is moving the needle
• Better marketing analytics are critical to driving better decision-making about investing in the right marketing activities with the greatest return on investment
• I used to measure success by clicks, views, and awareness but now I’m being held to bottom-line performance and business ROI
• Better measurement and attribution to accurately calculate ROI and eliminate or increase the right tactics
• I have to know the ROI, or I can’t invest. Gone are the days of a hunch

 

16. Social Media

• We have to get better at managing social networking
• Social media is definitely playing a bigger role in our marketing strategy than it has in the past and we plan to leverage social even more
• Social is at the core of everything we do because it is the center of our audience’s universe and how they communicate, share, and purchase
• Social is declining on some platforms and growing on others. Use by generation and audience is shifting. We need to know where to spend and when to pivot
• For the B2B market, LinkedIn is likely to grow in importance, both social and paid

 

17. Storytelling

• We want to create relevant engaging advertising content and storytelling
• Being honest and open, and knowing when to listen, is the foundation to strong brand stewardship and effective storytelling
• Storytelling appeals to people’s hearts rather than just their heads when considering our brand
• Storytelling across all platforms in new and innovative ways that cuts through the clutter of a noisy digital atmosphere will continue to get more share of budget
• Everyone’s talking about storytelling, but few actually do it well. We want to be one of the few

 

18. Targeting

• Need better market and customer insights and predictive analytics
• Understand and target Gen-Z. Consumers are changing
• More targeted authentic personalization with clear attribution and ROI
• Better targeting drives better personalization. We plan to invest and lead in these areas
• What good is targeting if we don’t understand the target
• The ability to target audiences is getting better every day, but don’t feel we are taking full advantage of it across our marketing ecosystem

 

19. Analytics

• investing in and strengthening our marketing analytics program to better understand the impact of our campaigns on key influencers, clients and talent
• Need better marketing performance data and analytics
• Need better market and customer insights and predictive analytics
• I can’t determine ROI without better analytics across every channel. Right now, it’s apples to oranges. I want all cherries
• What’s the best way to measure today versus yesterday, and what should I be measuring tomorrow; response, engagement, conversation, no, it’s ROI

 

20. Speed/Agility

• More streamlined, agile, and nimble engagements: Even the smaller, independent agencies don't move as quickly as clients want. The premium is on speed
• Speed and agility, turn-around and cost
• Organizations driven by culture change and agile mindsets have a first-mover advantage. Marketing in real-time is where we have to be
• Outside agencies can’t compete with the cost, speed, and agility of my in-house agency.
• My customer won’t wait for me to catch up. I can’t wait for my agencies to either.
• My boss’s boss had five years to turn the brand around. My boss had two. I have one or I’m out.

 

Business Development

• IPG’s Magna raises 2019 U.S. ad projection to 4.1 percent from 3.0 percent. 9/19/19
• 57% of CEOs and 63% of CMOs expect to increase their 2019 marketing budgets
• Only 30% of CMOs expected to increase traditional media budgets and 44% expected to decrease them. 82% of CMOs expected to increase digital media spend
• We continue to see both project-by-project assignments and AOR assignments coming directly from marketers and through search consultants
• Reporting an increase in AOR/lead-agency opportunities, others are seeing more project work than ever before
• Projects coming directly from marketers that have their own in-house resources, after the marketers decided those internal resources couldn’t handle the projects
• The volume of reviews is increasing, although the value of each is going down. This is likely related to the increase in the number of project-by-project reviews
• Service searches down: Branding, User Experience, Design Strategy, Communication Design, Gaming, CRM Automation, WOMM, Multicultural Marketing, Innovation, Influencer Marketing
• B2B decision-makers use digital platforms 96 percent of the time before they contact a sales rep, we have to have the right content in the right place at the right time 
• Complex Relationships: 81% of major brands use multiple agencies managed individually by marketing, the integrated lead agency, 44% and network agency with specialty, 39%
• The top prospecting activities to receive the most investment are:
  • Attend Industry Events/Networking
  • Custom Content (i.e., Industry Vertical or Audience Research)
  • Search Consultant Outreach
  • Agency Publicity & News Releases

 

What can you do with all of this data?

Your goal is to make your messaging meaningful and relevant to the things your audience cares about when hiring agencies for today and tomorrow. Some of the topics mentioned are things you already do. Others may not be part of your service offering. You need to identify what you can and can’t talk about and consider things you might want to develop as a service offering to better meet the needs of your market.

 

The content from these articles and interviews was excerpted, or summarized, and categorized by topic. It was then analyzed for frequency of mention to prioritize the list by subject. In the abstract, this information is interesting. More to the point, the better you align your positioning and messaging with these topics, the more effective you can be getting attention and interest from restless marketers. It’s a mixed bag of old and new, as it always is, but insightful for business development and the evolution of your agency. Remember, if you are standing still, you are falling behind.

 

Happy Planning!

I can help you turn these insights into a better performing business development plan that builds a pipeline of more and better prospects. And that means a better 2020 for agency growth. If you like this post, click the thumbs up, so I’ll know and then sign up for my new business newsletter. Find me on Twitter and LinkedIn for daily tips, tricks, and insights. And, please share your new business advice, successes, and failures. #LetsGrow!