emerging from the recession

October 2009

Emerging From The Recession

Colin Byrne, CEO, UK & Europe, Weber Shandwick

“These next few years are going to be the best yet”

-Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive, Microsoft

“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”

-Paul Romer, Stanford University

“The marketer is the one who understands that the question isn't just ‘How do we make our year?’ but also, "How will we thrive in 2015?“

-Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer & Senior VP, General Electric

Source: Business Week Magazine US

General Electric

1. …reputation matters more than ever

2. …public opinion matters more than ever

3. …consumers make split-second decisions on brands

4. …consumers expect to be listened to

5. …consumers confirm their decisions to buy products by going online and asking people they know

6. ... NGOs are on the rise and impacting brand decisions

7. …cause-marketing helps build preference

8. … the visible hand of government is more prominent in business today

9. …employees are important ambassadors for brands

10. …integration is key to success

The power of PR is undeniable in today’s marketing mix because…

Communications will be the 3rd fastest-growing economic sector going forward, rising from the 4th position

Communications industry is estimated to decline by 1% in 2009, but it is expected to grow faster than the GDP in 2009 and over next 5 years

VSS Communications Industry Forecast (2009)

Richard Watson: Future Files

Ageing

Power shift Eastwards

Global connectivity

GRIN technologies

The Environment

Five Trends Shaping Our Future

Social media marketing

Source: Weber Shandwick Inline Research, 1,021 UK consumers 18+, August 2009Note: Percentages shown are percentages of mentions of “very” and “somewhat influential”, not percentages of respondents

Thinking about goods or services in general, how influential are each of the following sources in helping you make your purchasing decisions?

Around one in three UK consumers (31%) are interested in social media interaction with brands

Q2. And to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Please select one answer per statement

Total Agree

31%

43%

I am interested in interacting with my favourite brands through social networking websites (such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo etc.)

I often don’t believe what I read in online user reviews, forums and social networking sites until I have checked the facts in the mainstream traditional media e.g. newspapers and magazines

16Source: Weber Shandwick Inline Research, 1,021 UK consumers 18+, August 2009

Purchasing decision influence according to age demographics…

50% of UK consumers aged 18-34 claim their purchasing decisions are influenced by traditional print media

Only 26% of UK consumers aged 55+ claim their purchasing decisions are influenced by traditional print media

However, online alone won’t reach the over 55’s...

44% of UK consumers aged 18-24 claim their purchasing decisions are influenced by recommendations online

Only 10% of consumers aged 55+ made the same claim

Risky Business: Reputations Online

CSR: Green & Black’s

CSR: Innocent Drinks

CSR & Sustainable Development

xxxx

Trafigura

At least three-quarters of Asian (77%) and Black (78%) people and half (51%) of Chinese people in the UK are worried that marketing by mainstream brands has little or no relevance to them.

75% of Black, 63% of Asian and 54% of Chinese people believe that consumer brands are not aware of how to market to individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds, compared to 31% of white people.

Multi-Cultural Communications