CIM survey shows upbeat mood among marketers

This year’s first Marketing Trends Survey from the Chartered Institute of Marketers (CIM) reveals that there is a more upbeat mood among marketers in 2006, with the confidence that their companies will fare better than the wider economy. The CIM survey is now conducted every six months as opposed to every three.

In the autumn of last year, 45% of respondents said that the economy would remain stable while 40% said they thought the UK faced a downturn, but this figure has now fallen to 30%, while 19% of those surveyed say they think the economy will improve, compared to 13% in the last survey (MW October 27, 2005).

And when assessing their own future, marketers are confident their companies will fare better than the wider economy. While 28% say the outlook remains the same for their own organisation, over half (54%) believe conditions will improve. Almost one-fifth say sales are set to increase by between 6% and 10%, while 13% expect sales to be up by between 11% and 15%, and another 16% are expecting sales to grow by 16% or more.

Despite this upbeat mood among marketers themselves, their optimistic outlook is not reflected in companies’ plans for employment. Although over a quarter of businesses say they will be increasing the size of their marketing department, 13% are planning staff cuts.

Another negative aspect of the survey, says CIM chairman Paul Gostick, is that “too few organisations recognise that marketing is central to success. The number of businesses that consider marketing to be a high priority has slipped from over two-thirds (67%) in the winter 2005 report, to just over half today.”