Marketing jobs, subscription services, retail sales: 5 interesting stats to start your week

Marketing job posts on LinkedIn down by 42% last year

Last year was a tough year for job hunters, with marketing job posts on LinkedIn falling by 42% compared to 2022 levels.

For B2B marketing roles specifically, there were 43% fewer job posts on the platform.

On a sector-by-sector basis, marketing jobs in the healthcare industry were hardest hit, with 60% fewer job listings on LinkedIn in 2023 versus the year prior. Financial services and tech marketing roles also saw steep declines, with 56% and 52% fewer jobs being posted, respectively.

The way marketers have worked has also been evolving. In 2021, almost three in five (58%) of marketing jobs posted on LinkedIn were remote, compared to less than one in five (18%) last year. Over a third (36%) of marketing roles were hybrid in 2023, compared to 14% in 2021.

Although two-thirds (66%) of marketing leaders say their organisation requires them to be back in the office, just a quarter (25%) say they prefer it.

Source: LinkedIn

Netflix loses market share in first quarter of 2024

Netflix saw a slight decline in its market share of the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) sector in the first quarter of 2024 (January to March).

The streaming service saw its market share fall by a percentage point to 28% in quarter one 2024. It remains the market leader in the UK, closely followed by Amazon’s Prime Video, which holds 27% market share. Disney+ is the third largest SVOD service in the UK, holding 20% market share.

Apple TV+ made a one percentage point market share gain in the first quarter of the year, attracting subscribers with offerings like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. However, with 7% market share, it remains four times smaller than Netflix.

Paramount+ holds a similar market share to Apple TV+ at 7%. In the first quarter of the year, Now TV held 6% market share, representing a one percentage point drop from the previous period.

Source: JustWatch

Bad weather and early Easter drag April retail sales

UK retail sales fell by 4% year over year in April, as a March Easter and poor weather dragged down sales. By comparison, in April 2023 retail sales grew by 5.1%, according to the figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMH.

When correcting for the distortion created by the earlier timing of Easter, the average growth for March and April together was 0.2%. This is below the three-month average of 0.5% and the 12-month average growth of 2.2%.

“Dismal weather and disappointing sales led to a depressing start to spring for retailers, even accounting for the change in timing of Easter,” says BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

“People delayed typical spring purchases despite retailers’ attempts to entice customers with heavy discounts,” she added.

For the month of April, food sales were in decline year over year. Food sales did increase by 4.4% year on year over the three months to April though, against a growth of 9.8% in April 2023. This is below the 12-month average growth of 6.7%.

Source: BRC – KPMG

One in 10 consumers buy ‘dupes’ at least once every few months

Over one in 10 (11%) consumers buy “dupes” of branded products at least once every few months, according to research from GWI.

Dupes, or duplicates, are products designed to mimic more expensive branded versions. It’s a popular practice to dupe beauty and luxury products.

The primary reason shoppers buy dupes is for value. Around half (49%) of consumers who buy the replicas say they do so because of the price, while 11% said it was for the quality.

Just under a fifth (17%) of consumers think dupes are a practical way of getting a designer look for less. However, over a quarter (27%) do think it’s worth saving to purchase authentic designer items rather than buying replicas.

In the cost of living years, interest in own-label products has risen sharply. For example, the number of people who buy or prefer own brand laundry detergent has increased by 33% since 2021, while for mouthwash this is 31% and for snack products this has risen by 23%.

Source: GWI

Global social media ad spend to approach £200bn in 2024

Social media has cemented its spot as the largest media channel worldwide by advertising investment, according to Warc Media’s ‘Global Advertising Trends’ report.

Having overtaken paid search last year, social media is forecast to total $247.3bn (£198.1bn) in 2024, up 14.3% year-on-year. Meta alone is on track to surpass linear TV in global ad revenue by 2025.

Meta will earn $155.6bn (£124.64bn) in ad revenue this year, representing a 63.0% share of global social spend. Both Facebook and Instagram grew by more than 20% year-on-year in Q1 2024.

In the UK, social media ad spend grew 15.6% year-on-year in 2023 and is forecast to reach £8.8bn in 2025, per the latest AA/Warc expenditure report. Much of this growth is attributed to rising spend on social video formats, up 20% on last year, according to IAB UK.

Users have also significantly increased their social media usage. According to GWI data, time spent on social platforms has increased by 50% since 2014, from an average daily consumption of 95 minutes to 152 minutes in 2024.

Source: Warc Media