We’re continuing our coverage of aspects that impact marketing strategies with the next big 3:
- Level of digital maturity
- Cultural aspects
- Country-of-origin
And without further ado, we’ll dive into the first one because we see a strong focus on data – gathering as many data points as possible – without looking to get the story. What has been described as being data rich and information poor.
The company’s level of digital maturity
Simply put, that will directly impact the degree to which a company is able to run more complex marketing campaigns and execute on sophisticated but more effective approaches in a way that’s informed by data and insights (objective factors) versus opinions and gut instinct (subjective factors).
According to Think with Google reports, due to time, budget or expertise shortages, companies will typically find themselves in one of these 4 stages:
- Marketing campaigns use mainly external data and direct buys, with limited links to sales.
- Some use of owned data in automated buying with single-channel optimisation and testing.
- Data integrated and activated across channels with demonstrated link to ROI or sales proxies.
- Dynamic execution across multiple channels, optimised toward individual customer business outcomes and transactions.
Research into data-driven marketing maturity by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) finds only 2% of businesses use insights and technology to create useful, relevant experiences at multiple moments across the purchase journey.
To connect the dots, this area often now dubbed “digital transformation” does require some TLC going into all the pillars it makes up:
- Attribution: Accurately measure and value customer touchpoints.
- Assets and ads: Deliver attention-driving, intuitive experiences across digital touchpoints.
- Audience: Organise data to identify, understand and influence the most valuable audiences throughout the sales funnel.
- Access: Efficiently reach your identified audiences across all ad inventory types and channels, with the right levels of control.
- Automation: Optimise marketing operations to drive profitability and growth.
Cultural aspects
Let’s start with one of the trendiest things in search – the rise of voice. Everyone is talking about it, few companies leverage it and even fewer are aware of the underlying cultural aspects of how people interact with emerging technologies..or the ones that are not so emerging any more.
According to a Hootsuite research done in 2020, it’s easy to see that, for example, in Asia voice search is no longer a trend but business as usual. Which is worth noting especially for those out there looking to enter new markets. This has to be part of your homework.
Country-of-origin
New data from the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project reveals which nation’s brands add the most value to goods that are manufactured there. The survey asked people in 23 countries whether they would think more or less positively about a product if it was made in one of 12 nations.
Across the 23 countries an average 50% of people would think more positively about a product if they saw “made in Germany” written on it. By contrast, only 6% on average would think worse of the product for seeing its place of origin, giving products made in Germany an average net score of +45 and the top spot on the list.
When it comes to British goods, on average 41% of people across all countries think positively of them and only 6% negatively, giving a net score of -34 (tying in third place with France).
Unsurprisingly, most products receive a ‘home team advantage’, being more positively reviewed by those in its country of origin. Nowhere is this more the case than Mexico, where 67% feel warmer towards anything “hecho en Mexico”, compared to an average of 17% across the 23 countries.
It’s easy to see how country-of-origin is a USP in itself!
When putting together all these variables it may start to seem overwhelming. And you eventually find that actually, the formula that works for you is actually quite unique to you.
At Apidae Digital, we understand the unique combination of challenges and goals at any given time. That’s why each project is customised for individual clients who can choose from simply selecting one service to a bundle of services for a complete marketing experience.
Get in touch with us and let’s chat about how we can help you navigate these challenges.
