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thesource
volume 5 | issue 56
august 2009
the strategy issue
Your Source for Interactive Marketing Insights

Trendwatch

by Tony Brinton, Director of Strategy

We’re observing some interesting trends in strategic marketing that have resulted from advancements in technology, knowledge gained from experience, learning from other disciplines of science, and of course the down economy.

Ethnography for Marketers
Ethnography is a strategic method for researching human societies. It has existed in the soft sciences for some time, but only lately has it become more widely adopted in marketing and advertising. Ethnography is generally conducted from a holistic standpoint, and is founded on the principle that people are better understood in the fullest context possible. Therefore ethnography includes research methods like observing people at home or at work, understanding their habits, preferences, living and working styles, pain-points, etc. Immersing the team in the real life world of the subjects they are studying produces invaluable insights that can’t be derived from other traditional research methods such as surveys and focus groups. These insights are then used to spark brainstorming sessions that often lead to profound innovations.

Continued Shift Toward Digital
Marketers are continually allocating more of their budgets toward digital interactive media for its effectiveness, measurability, attractive return-on-investment potential and its increasing desirability among consumers. Whatever traditional media remains in advertisers’ marketing mix is now driving to online components that act as the central hub for the campaign.

Emerging Media in Integrated Programs
More marketers are starting to include emerging media in their original campaign strategy, rather than tagging on those items as a clumsy, incomplete afterthought as they have in the past. Companies are beginning to see the powerful effect of social, viral and mobile channels, all working intelligently in unison to advance campaign goals and produce better results.

Getting More for Less
The tightening economy is causing marketers to be more resourceful when crafting marketing strategies. We are seeing an increase in efforts to share campaign costs with partners through co-branded campaigns. We are also seeing an increased interest in low-cost channels such as social/viral/mobile media and email.

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More Articles from this Issue

The Source | August 2009

In this Issue

Statistics Corner

  • According to Anderson Analytics, Generation Z (13-to-14-year-old) social network users were more likely to use MySpace than Facebook. Only 9% of them used Twitter and none used LinkedIn.
  • Generation Y was a somewhat different story. Three-quarters of 15-to-29-year-olds used MySpace, 65% used Facebook, 14% used Twitter and 9% used LinkedIn.
  • Generation X, 30-to-44-year-olds, and baby boomers, 44-to-65-year-olds, connected on LinkedIn more than any demographic. 9 in 10 older social network users, which Anderson Analytics called the WWII generation, used Facebook, and 17% tweeted.

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Client of the Month

New Roads is the direct-to-consumer division of CPS, a specialty finance company that has been providing auto loans to people with credit problems through car dealers nation-wide for over 16 years. CPS is a nationwide company that has purchased over $8 billion in auto loans from dealers since 1991. Currently, CPS works with over 7,000 dealers nation-wide and provides its dealer base with seven distinct finance products to help customers with bad credit. The company’s stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol “CPSS.”