Category: Blog

The number of podcasts continues to grow year-on-year, and it offers a wealth of opportunity for B2B companies. As podcasts continue their climb and become increasingly popular in the B2B marketing space, it can be a perfect channel to reach potential leads. Its personable nature enables companies to increase their visibility, become an industry expert, and ultimately grow sales. Podcasts also have a longer shelf life than, for example, blogs, as past episodes are frequently revisited or listened to for the first time.  

As companies explore digital-first options, guesting or creating a podcast is a viable option for B2B companies. As conferences go digital and there is less opportunity to meet new, potential buyers, podcasts open the door to reaching a broad audience of active listeners. The medium provides a way to build trust and connection – essential in B2B sales.

Remember, the needs of the audience are the core and the foundation of every content strategy. And as our world evolves daily, deep customer relations provide the knowledge to create meaningful content that turns prospects into future customers and brand ambassadors.

Is it time to turn sales staff as industry experts, and could podcast be the next big sales driver?  

Highly successful solo entrepreneurs have used podcasts to build, scale, and grow their tribe of loyal customers for the past decade. Their agile business structure means they can easily hit the record button, distribute their content freely and pivot when necessary. 

The US market is ripe with entrepreneurs who have built international audiences using podcasts. In essence, it sparked entrepreneurs and companies to either better utilize or duplicate the podcast sales channel. These entrepreneurs use their podcasts to get to know their listeners’ pain points, develop audience personas, tailor content, and develop and drive sales of their products and services while leveraging referral and affiliate marketing. Notable American entrepreneurs such as Tony Robbins, Pat Flynn, and Tim Ferriss, to name just a few, continue to build their audiences with podcasting.

The beauty of podcasts is brands can start their own or actively guest on podcasts that align with their product and service offerings or potential growth markets.  

For example, a software as a service (SaaS) brand may want to expand into a new vertical market that doesn’t traditionally use its products. Linking with the vertical through influencers and getting on their podcasts provides the brand with the opportunity to build awareness, trust, and interests.

Unlike blogs, where readers tend to skim and drop off quickly, podcasts listeners multitask and spend more time engaged in the content. According to Edison Research’s 2019 study, 52 percent of podcast users listen to the entire audio episode. They listen to most of the shows they download on their smartphones and other mobile devices, and 58 percent of podcast listeners listen to between 76 percent and 100 percent of the shows they download.

Perhaps the most compelling benefit is that podcasts connect the listener on a more personal level and build more readily a relationship with an audience that prefers to listen to their content.

This might be the right moment to hit ‘record.’

Next in the Digital-First World series, we’ll look at how new marketing technologies (martech) is being used by companies to collaborate on campaigns and manage work.

NewsCreds’ Insight report published in June of this year gives a glimpse of howmarketers will reinvest their budgets in the COVID-19 era as marketing budgets shift to digital-first programs and how teams will continue to collaborate remotely.  

As stay-at-home policies are extended, and as pressure to execute campaigns quickly increases, marketing technologies (martech) may well continue its projected growth trajectory and exceed pre-COVID-19 spend levels according to NewsCred.  

In Gartner’s CMO survey released in July, the research firm projects spend levels on martech to stay at 26 percent of marketing budgets in 2020. Of the 432 CMOs surveyed, 68 percent foresee an increase in martech investment in the next 12 months.

Even as spend levels remain at pre-COVID-19 levels, most markets still struggle with utilizing the full capabilities of their martech platforms as marketers in the Gartner study report using only 58 percent of their martech stack’s full capabilities; this will be an instrumental force in whether martech spend levels remain or diminish in the coming months.

The announcement by Google’s CEO that it would extend its remote work policy well into 2021 sent a clear message to CEOs around the world that how companies manage their workforce is a long-sprint into the unknown.

Other tech giants have followed suit with Mark Zuckerberg expecting half of Facebook’s workforce to be remote within the decade and Twitter telling its employees they can stay home permanently.

As the world awaits a vaccine, companies are bracing for extended remote work of its employees that could drive martech spends above current projections as marketing teams must rely on technology to collaborate on campaigns and manage work.  

In the U.S., according to a recent survey by economists at Harvard Business School, one in six workers is forecasted to continue to work from home or co-working at least two days a week. This change in the work environment plays a significant role in how platforms can keep teams on track and working together. Managers will need to foresee these changes and ensure they have the tools in place. A survey of hiring managers by Upwork felt that one-fifth of the workforce might end up being entirely remote after the pandemic. 

In the NewsCred study, the acceleration of campaign execution is a top priority of 70 percent of the marketers surveyed. As C-suites tackle financial and market uncertainties in the months to come, how marketing budgets end up is still to be seen.  

Tied to faster execution of campaigns will be sales. If marketing teams prove their worth, then budget allocations to marketing could remain stable or even grow. 

Even as the CMOs surveyed in Gartner’s survey remain optimistic, there is a feeling that they are out of sync with the rest of the C-suite. 

“Marketers remain stoic in the face of adversity and are significantly out of step with other members of the C-suite,” said Ewan McIntyre, vice president analyst for Gartner for Marketers. “We are seeing a significant number of CEOs and CFOs building scenario plans that include a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we progress into the ‘recover’ and ‘renew’ phases of this pandemic, CFOs will turn their attention to profitability, and marketing has the dubious honor of topping the list of functions where finance will look to trim expenses even further.”

Could Going Digital-First Save Marketing?

It is difficult to predict how the remaining quarters of 2020 will end up. As countries brace for a potential second-wave of lockdowns due to increased COVID-19 cases following the summer months, companies will likely initiate budget cuts. In Gartner’s study, more than 44 percent of the CMOs surveyed had mid-year budget reductions due to COVID-19, and of those, 10.7 percent expect additional cuts of more than 15 percent.

The larger question is whether a digital-first approach can build and sustain companies in the coming months and 2021.

Next in the Digital-First World series, we’ll explore the world of logos and brand identity and the changes to come.

When a carmaker changes its logo design, that’s a big deal. Not only does it get car enthusiasts arguing (and debating) on the old vs. new design; it has vast implications on the mechanics of how it will be placed (and look) on a broad spectrum of models; and how it will play out in its massive multi-channel marketing machine. 

In July, Nissan announced its new logo design. Marketers were quick to think it meant 3D logos were dead, and that brands would move to 2D logos for a better ‘digital-first’ experience.

In the case of Nissan, and most arguably all big brands, the process is long and arduous. Let’s not assume Nissan woke up in March and decided to redesign its brand for a digital world. In fact, Nissan began its redesign process (way) back in 2017.  

Here’s a snippet of the Nissan logo redesign story published on the company website. It illustrates the complexity and the variables the design team took into consideration.  

“The journey began in the summer of 2017, when Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design, began to study potential changes to Nissan’s logo and brand identity. He set up a design team led by Tsutomu Matsuo, deputy general manager of Nissan’s advanced design department, to study everything from a subtle evolution to a complete reinvention. Albaisa offered the keywords “thin, light, and flexible,” and set Matsuo and his team on their journey.

“Inspiration was drawn from breakthroughs in science, technology, and connectivity. How these have brought fundamental changes to customers,” said Albaisa. “As you can imagine, visions of digitalization started swirling in our heads.”

The team needed to consider several variables, including an early decision for the logo to be illuminated on upcoming all-electric models. This presented technical challenges, such as gauging the thickness of the logo’s outline to ensure a crisp impression when lit, and of course, compliance with government regulations for illuminated elements on cars. The logo also needed to make a strong impression when not illuminated, such as when it appeared digitally or on paper.

Smart logo design begins with understanding how it is used across various mediums, as the Nissan example illustrates. 

With digital playing a more significant role in marketing, it is understandable that even automobile makers are taking the leap to refine their logos to give them a sleeker, more polished look. With Nissan, the new design provides the company with a logo that enhances its current electric car Ariya and future models, moves in unison with its future product direction, and works well in digital usage.

We’ve seen other brands make major redesigns to fit both the physical and digital look of the logo and reflect product direction. Look no further than your iPhone. Hard to imagine the first Apple logo on today’s MacBook or iPhone.

Some claim 3D logo designs are dead. In the case of Nissan, apparently not. Nissan’s mix of logo renderings does include 3D, so the company sees a 3D world out there.  

This most likely says that good logo design includes a mix of options to take into account the diverse platforms brands use to promote and communicate in today’s multi-channel world. Hello Mars.

While Pantone, the authority on all things colors, predicts the end of gray in the near future, is gray really off the table? Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, says, “now is not the time for grays.” She recommends meditative nature shades like blues, greens, and browns as calming options. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2020 is Classic Blue. Selected in 2019 and as a cultural statement, the institute sees it as a color that fosters resilience and is protective.

As an agency CEO stated, global fusion design will increase as remote and dispersed teams come together on projects.

Will logos go towards safer colors in the months ahead, or will grays be seen as a safer bet?.  Time will tell.

Next in the Digital-First World series, we’ll examine how sales and marketing and B2B customers are evolving as remote work becomes the norm.

A recent McKinsey study that included decision-makers from 11 countries from seven sectors saw that digital and remote were and would continue to play an instrumental role in how B2B sales operations going forward in the months ahead. 

Of those surveyed, digital interactions were seen to be two to three times more critical to their B2B customers than traditional sales interactions. According to the Mckinsey report, nearly 90 percent of sales interactions moved remote – whether through video conferencing, phone, or a web sales model. Although some remain skeptical going forward, more than half see remote sales as equally or more effective than sales models used before COVID-19.

The shift to greater importance on digital interactions reflects B2B customer behavior changes seen during the past couple of years and heightened in the wake of COVID-19.

Across the buyer-cycle, customers continue to show a preference for self-service channels to research and evaluate products and services, and to order and reorder, mimicking B2C. Traditional digital channels, such as the company website, continue to play an instrumental role. In contrast, suppliers’ mobile apps and social media or online communities play increased importance in the sales cycle.

As companies establish multi-disciplinary teams to manage sales operations, sales leaders must accept (and trust) digital-first channels and foster relationships with marketing.

And as habits and practices in B2B sales continue to change and evolve, customers may expect a more B2C-style buyer process; this could drive a tighter interlink between sales and marketing in meeting the bottom-line quarterly results.

In the McKinsey 2019 study (pre-pandemic), these trends were emerging as instrumental in B2B sales. The survey showed that suppliers who provide ‘outstanding digital experiences’ to buyers were twice as likely to ‘be chosen as primary suppliers’ than those who provide poor experiences.  

Not surprisingly, a company’s website plays a significant role in meeting buyers’ digital-first experience and demonstrating a customer-first mentality. As marketing teams run and manage the digital experience, working hand-in-hand with sales is fundamental to the B2B buyer journey to ensure a smooth transition to a digital-first sales channel approach.  

Offering live chat during the research stage of the buyer journey was rated one of the top three requirements for a ‘best-in-class supplier’ by 33 percent of those surveyed. Buyers expect speed, transparency, and expertise, and the website needs to deliver on all three. When asked to list the top three most frustrating issues with suppliers’ websites, decision-makers in the McKinsey survey cited: length of the ordering process; difficulty finding products; and technical glitches with ordering. In addition, respondents also cited confusing websites, lack of information on delivery and technical support, and difficulty setting up payments.

One can argue that these are the same pain points and frustrations once experienced by consumers concerning B2C companies in the early days of e-commerce. As seen on multiple fronts, the cross-over of B2C tactics into the B2B space continues to blur.

How B2B companies transition to remote sales and move forward in the coming months will be determined by their ability to adapt to their buyers’ needs and organize their teams accordingly.  

It will also depend on how B2B decision-makers see a new digital sales model to better reach and serve customers. Of those surveyed, the response varied strongly by country; perhaps not surprising U.S. decision markers were more favorable.

Next in the Digital-First World series, we’ll visit the Gen Zs and how they will change the way companies tell their brand story.

The brand story is a popular topic in marketing. Books are written on it, and agencies and consultants make their living helping companies tell their story. But could the brand story be heading for a big change as younger consumers gain strength in their buying power and digital voice?

The brand story traditionally starts with the founders, the path they took to build the perfect product and conclusively ends on the ultimate customer experience. This holds true to digital-based brands, where telling the story is conventional and trendy; just browse the About Page of most startups. Of course, the brand story is important. But the question is, how relevant is it, especially as companies age and the emotional link isn’t there with the newer and younger customers. A case in point is Apple, perhaps the most iconic brand today. 

In Interbrand’s 2019 report on how the best global brands connect with Generation Z, it may come as no surprise; Gen Z wants brands to reflect their values. Brand-hype isn’t cutting it anymore. They expect brands to score on trust, loyalty, and engagement. And these aren’t just empty demands; they reflect how they speak about brands on social media and online. This group not only communicates differentially amongst each other but also with brands. Today’s young consumers are tech and digital native, and unlike groups of consumers before them, the internet-connected world is the only one they have ever known.

That savviness means their world revolves online where they talk and exchange amongst themselves a lot, and as young consumers, Gen Z buying power impacts 40% of consumer sales.

As Interbrand states in their study, ‘iconic moves aren’t about loud noises and baseless stunts anymore— they need to be guided by principles and ideals consumers hold dear.’ Growing in a more progressive and accepting society, Gen Z is a group that is active in social and environmental causes such as climate change and social equality. All attributes that impact in a very dynamic way how brands must communicate and behave.

Infegy used social listening data of Gen Z to uncover varying personas. 

Perhaps it’s not surprising as this group watched their parents go through the 2008 financial crisis that ‘long-term economic and life goals are top-of-mind.’

One persona featured in the study – Entrepreneur – reveals how even higher education is seen as optional. The traditional path for this persona group is radically different from their parents; the Entrepreneur is planning their career path to start their own business rather than go through formal training. Entirely possible in today’s increased offers of online training and lower entry points for new ventures. 

Baby boomers relate to Apple through the story of Steve Jobs and his mission to change the world (at the pinnacle of the technology revolution); this isn’t how Gen Z relates to the company. 

And this holds true with other older brands tightly associated with the founder and heritage, which is perhaps why cross-branded collaboration between names such as Off-White and Louis Vuitton resonate with younger buyers, a consumer-driven interweaving between old and new.

It is critical to listen to customers in a digital-first world and foresee changing expectations in what they want and expect from brands.  

And that their story is from the perspective of the consumer, aligning to values, causes, and about conversations that matter to them.

Watch this space as we continue to explore the Digital-First World and its impact on brands.

To embark on a trip collectively to improve the condition of everyone. That is the thing that I value most about my life. Milton Glaser

On the eve of graphic designer Milton Glaser’s passing, the importance of his work in commercial art is immeasurable. He is perhaps best known for his 1977 “I ♥ NY” logo. 

To fully understand the influence of Mr. Glaser’s work and the transformative impact “I ♥ NY” had in New York’s rebirth, it’s worth visiting the city then.  

New York in the ’70s was going through a dark time in its history; the city was bankrupt, crime rates were high, residents were fleeing and as Mr. Glaser asserted “there was a lot of dog sh**! in the streets.” New York was a dying entity filled with unhappiness. 

To convince New Yorkers to stay and to promote tourism, the city commissioned the advertising agency, Wells Rich Greene, to create a marketing campaign centered on the the verbal brand slogan ‘I Love New York.’  

‘I love New York’ was seen as a representation of the spirit and passion of New Yorkers.  

The magic came as those words and feelings transformed into a visual narrative. The then deputy commissioner of commerce of New York State, William S. Doyle, approached Mr. Glaser to create a logo.

“What was needed to begin the process was a visual equivalent for the words,” he wrote of the design in his book Art Is Work (The Overlook Press -2000).

His first logo idea gained quick approval by the commission. But, it was in a taxi two days later that Mr. Glaser transformed New York City; sketched on a scrap of paper in red crayon the iconic “I ♥ NY” logo that would soon transform a city and define an era in place branding was born.

What Made the Logo so Impactful?

The original logo was approved, but in Mr. Glaser’s mind, it was a banal typographical visual. The new logo was a complex puzzle; it was usual and alluded to something going on: The ‘I’ was a complete word; the ♥ a feeling; and NY a place – this had never been done before.

Mr. Glaser’s graphic logo turned a noun into a verb (which people don’t tend to like, for example, Apple’s Think different campaign); was open to interpretation (is it I heart or I love); and it moved away from the pedestrian image people have of cities and places (Paris – Eiffel Tower).

On “I ♥ NY” imitations: “I like them all… you do work because you want to affect the world. I did something that a lot of people were affected by.” Milton Glaser

The Rules for Developing an Identity?

For Mr. Glaser, identity is imagination, surprise, appropriateness, and intelligence. A logo must go beyond the graphical and verbal elements; it is, in fact, a state of mind, a belief. The “I ♥ NY” logo in his view wasn’t a brand but a statement: I love New York. Even as New Yorkers were at a desperate moment, they were committed to their city.

“Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is not its origins, but its persistence.”
Milton Glaser

The Power of a Logo

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Glaser once again brought hope to a city in despair. He designed a modified version with a dark bruise on the heart and appended with ‘more than ever.’ “I ♥ NY More Than Ever” embodied Mr. Glaser’s capacity to use his talents for the common good. The logo symbolized a city hurt but united. 

Mr. Glaser taught us the importance of visual and verbal identity to how we comprehend our world. That how a seemingly simple idea – I Love New York – transformed into a visual identity helped transform a city and would change the way cities would brand themselves in the future.

Milton Glaser jet Blue and I Love NY case study. From the Milton Glaser website:

jetBlue was simply a project intended to integrate the identity of jetBlue with the I Love New York logo we had designed. In this case, the issue was to make these two separate logos look as though they wanted to be together.