Marketing jobs, gender equality, fastest growing brands: 5 interesting stats to start your week

We arm you with all the numbers you need to tackle the week ahead.

Lockdown easing lifts consumer confidence to pre-lockdown levels

The additional easing of Covid-19 restrictions has boosted UK consumer confidence back to pre-lockdown levels, according to the latest GfK Consumer Confidence Index.

The figures show the index has increased by six points in May, to -9. Since April, three of the five measures used to create the index have risen, while one has fallen and one remains flat.

There is also hope for the first time since the pandemic began that consumer confidence will return to a positive score later this year.

The index measuring consumers’ views of their personal financial situation over the last year has fallen one point this month, to -4. This is the same level recorded in May 2020. But consumers are far more confident in how they will fare over the coming year, recording a score of 10, which is the same as April.

People’s view of the general economic situation over the past year is up 10 points to -48, while consumers’ view for the coming year is up 15 points to 4, a marked improvement from the score of -54 recorded in May 2020.

The major purchase index is up five points to -7, a full 40 points higher than it was this time last year.

Source: GfK

Two-thirds of marketing employers plan to hire this year

More than two-thirds (67%) of marketing employers are planning to hire in 2021.

At the same time, six in 10 marketers are planning to change jobs this year, as hybrid working practices and a sense of “greater purpose” rise up the career priorities list.

Career expectations have shifted markedly over the past year. Half of those surveyed claim they are considering an imminent career change as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of those marketers, 61% say they intend to make changes to their working practices and will be looking for a new role that enables hybrid office-home working, while 17% say they plan to look for a new role based completely remotely.

Over four in 10 say they plan to prioritise upskilling and 22% plan to pursue an entirely new career path to find a role with a “greater purpose”.

Source: Hays/Chartered Institute of Marketing

Disconnect between what marketers and agencies view at top priority

A third of marketers (31%) say their core focus for 2021 is digital adoption, acceleration and ecommerce, followed by 18% who say they are planning to reinvest in brand, balancing short and long-term needs.

Next on the list is responding to changing customer behaviour and needs (14%), growth and innovation (10%) and reinforcing core values to remain distinctive, credible and believable (8%).

However, when agencies were asked what they think brands’ core focus will be for marketing this year, the areas they believe will be top of the agenda for their clients are not the same, showing a clear disconnect.

Agencies put digital adoption, acceleration and ecommerce in third place (16%). Topping the list with a score of 19% is growth and innovation top, followed by a purpose-led focus (17%). This is followed by responding to changing customer behaviour and needs (9%), reinvesting in brand, and balancing short and long-term needs (8%).

Agencies also put reinforcing core values to remain distinctive, credible and believable lower down the list with 7%.

Source: Creativebrief

CMO four times more likely to be seen as a role ‘for men’

Just 19% of Brits think there is gender equality in their workplace, with 44% of people still believing certain roles are suited more to men or women.

Most see C-suite roles as gender neutral, with 62% suggesting the role of CEO can be performed equally well by a man or woman. But the role of CEO is nine times more likely to be seen as a job for a man (29%), compared to a woman (3%).

Looking specifically at the role of CMO, 21% believe it is a role largely ‘for men’, versus 5% who see it as a role ‘for women’.

Men (23%) are also four times more likely than women (5%) to have perceived leadership skills, while women are viewed as being more empathetic (45%, versus 4% for men).

Source: Samsung Pioneers

Hygiene brands world’s fastest growing in 2020

Hygiene brands Dettol, Vim and Lifebuoy were the world’s fastest growing brands last year, according to Kantar’s ‘Brand Footprint’ study, which is based on actual shopping behaviour of more than a million shoppers.

All three grew by more than 15%, with Dettol recording growth of 39%. Dettol’s growth was driven by an increase in penetration, with one in four households choosing the brand during the year, compared with one in five in 2019. The brand was also purchased 10% more frequently.

Overall, 29 of the 50 biggest FMCG brands in the world grew as households spent more time at home in 2020, more than in any previous edition of the study.

Coca-Cola remains the most chosen brand for the ninth year, increasing the number of times it was chosen globally by 4% year on year to 6.5 billion, based on take-home grocery sales. However, out-of-home sales fell by 20%.

Rounding out the top five most chosen brands are Colgate, Lifebuoy, Maggi and Lays (Walkers).

Source: Kantar

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