Integration has almost become a cliché in the world of direct marketing. At some point, a decade or so ago, direct marketers concluded the world had moved on so far that being DM alone was not enough. Hence the integrated agency serving the integrated needs of clients was born.
2012 was the year multichannel really went mainstream and stopped being ‘nice to have’. Rather than retailers with comprehensive multichannel platforms being trailblazers, those without are now starting to look like laggards.
Welcome to The Marketing Week, your guide to the good, the bad and the downright bizarre marketing highlights of the last seven days.
Ryan Young, Marketing manager for Great Wall, talks about expanding the Chinese car brand into the UK.
Between July and September 2012, China recorded economic growth of 7.4 per cent: the lowest since the first quarter of 2009 when the global financial crisis was at its peak. It was also the seventh consecutive quarter that growth fell in the country.
While Chinese companies are showing continued interest in the West, PepsiCo is looking east for inspiration. Last month it opened a new research and development centre in Shanghai. The facility is described as “a hub of new product, packaging and equipment innovation for PepsiCo’s businesses throughout Asia” and a means of improving R&D processes across the food and drinks group.
Consumer confidence in sharing personal information has improved this year, but brands still have work to do if they are to convince customers their data is safe. Those are the findings of the latest Data Tracker research from fast.MAP, which shows that while there has been a rise in the proportion of people willing to submit personal data during online purchases this year, there is still plenty of nervousness about what brands are doing with those details.
Video: eBay Q&A
Ebay’s UK head of advertising and head of buyer experience talk to Marketing Week about the brand’s drive towards a multichannel future at their social shopping pop-up in London last week.
Brands have become more important in the Chinese market as consumers base more purchase decisions on branding, according to the latest annual Millward Brown BrandZ report.
Marketing Week spoke to Spotify’s vice president of Europe Chris Maples at the (very green) launch event for its design overhaul that aims to make the streaming service a social discovery platform.
Britvic and AG Barr announced plans to merge in an all-share deal to become one of Europe’s biggest soft drinks companies, projected to deliver annual sales of £1.5bn.
We take a look back at how ethical issues have affected the marketing industry in 2012, from tax avoidance issues to gambling. Do any of them have the potential to become genuine crises in 2013?
If you are in the world of financial marketing you should be aware of some developments ticking away behind the scenes that might effect your direct marketing strategy. If you are not aware – and there’s certainly a chance that the creative agencies are not up to speed – there might be some shocks in store.
1966 The first credit card in the UK is issued by Barclaycard 1967 First cash machine introduced to the UK The first ATMs predated plastic cards, so cheques impregnated with radioactive carbon 14 were used Also in this story: Is it the end of the line for cash? Read the cover feature here MasterCard’s Marion […]