Category

Digital Marketing

NVISION Insights and Innovation Team
In CMO, Sustainability, Marketing Trends, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Food for thought

Going Green: Four Ways to Embrace Sustainability to Your Marketing

hands holding soil and baby plants

From the organic vegetable isles and free-ranged meat to vegan cosmetics, consumers these days, especially Millennials, are driving sustainability movement into a much more personal level into their lifestyle.

As “going green” efforts grow in popularity, it presents the opportunity for brands to boost sales by appealing to modern consumers who are driven towards activism.

According to Kate Harrison in her Forbes article, “Fully 92% of consumers have a more positive image of a company when that company supports environmental causes.”

In order to capitalize on eco-friendly trends, help combat climate change, and reach more customers, brands must focus on sustainability. It’s a win-win!

sustainability-eco-friendly packaging

Show Off Your Eco-Friendly Packaging

Studies indicate that the majority of Millennials and Generation Z’ers are willing to pay more for a product that has sustainable packaging. In order to do so, brands should use recycled or biodegradable materials.

Using recycled materials, such as aluminum, conserves energy, and reduces waste. And opting for biodegradable versions of packaging materials, such as PCW recycled paper and cardboard, cornstarch, bubble wrap, and plastic, accomplishes the same. When consumers see your efforts to make a positive impact through sustainability, they will be more attracted to your brand.

This is a powerful branding move that can also cut costs for marketing teams.

commercial print-sustainability

Invest in Sustainable Print Materials

Every brand recognizes the importance of showcasing a positive brand identity using print materials such as business cards and brochures. But, unlike popular belief, using print materials doesn’t have to equate to damaging the environment.

To reduce your environmental impact, invest in sustainable print materials. Use recycled print materials, waterless printing, plantable seed business cards, recycled cotton, and PCW paper to deliver an extremely professional, polished product that also protects Mother Earth.

By doing so, you’ll be doing your part to save the world, while simultaneously increasing brand appeal and boosting profits.

Sustainability Applies to Digital Too

Brands can save significant energy by implementing an eco-friendly web design. When you choose a green web host, you can help ensure (and advertise the fact) that your site is not contributing to global warming.

As Harrison explains, “Some of these [green web host] companies purchase carbon offsets to make up for the energy they use, while others tap into renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to power their servers.” These “lighter” websites even load faster, which gives you an upper hand against your competitors. Your site will have lower abandonment rates as a result of the quick loading time.

sustainability-industrial

Myths Busted

The biggest mistake brands make when it comes to sustainability is believing the common myths surrounding it. The most prevalent of these myths is that sustainable printing is more expensive than the alternative, and has a lower quality than traditional printing.

The fact is that sustainable printing supplies and processes have improved dramatically in recent years. So much so that print marketing materials created with eco-friendly methods are indistinguishable from those made with conventional methods. The quality is the same, if not better. And, with the growing prevalence of eco-friendly print materials, the cost has decreased, making it a realistic and competitive alternative to traditional printing.

This enables your brand to do its part without sacrificing marketing impact.

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As the environmental crisis worsens, it’s more important than ever for brands to implement eco-friendly practices. By doing so, not only will you be helping Mother Earth, but your brand will also be more appealing to those who stand by sustainability.

By using eco-friendly packaging, investing in sustainable print materials, using environmentally-friendly web design, and re-thinking the myths regarding sustainable printing methods, you can help save the world AND improve sales and profitability for your brand.

And by working with a trusted partner who can help you capitalize on sustainable printing opportunities, your brand can compete on the quality and effectiveness of your marketing materials.

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NVISION Insights and Innovation Team
In CMO, Marketing ROI, Digital Marketing, Marketing Operations, Marketing Strategy, Accountability, Business Forecast & Trends

Redefining CMOs Roles in 2020

man with chess board - full

The definition of CMO is blurring across the business landscape; the advancement of Martech and the accessibility to data is forcing the traditional CMO to evolve and expand their responsibilities.

Elite CMOs are expected to play a pivotal role as growth drivers in the organization, and this is where the integration of a CMOs role begins. Recently, Forrester Research published an article predicting how the role of a successful CMO will evolve beyond 2020, and here’s how.

growth chart-CMO's mindset1

Own the Customer Experience

As the landscape of marketing steers away from focusing on the legacy strategy in acquiring new customers to creating a direct-to-customer environment by providing hyper-personalization, the expectations of CMOs have also shifted to become an owner of the customer experience across all touchpoints.

To maintain this ownership and thrive even further, CMOs need to capitalize on data science and analytics to provide impeccable customer experiences while, at the same time, being compliant with the regulations that govern the privacy of data.

2020 represents a year of re-imagining CMOs roles to transform into an influencer of the customer experience by creating and positioning the marketing ecosystem.

people shaking hands-partnership

CMO is No Longer Chief Marketing Officer

The CMOs role will no longer be about being Chief Marketing Officer. The role now has more dynamic responsibilities as being a Collaborating Marketing Officer or Contributing Marketing Officer.

Marketing should interconnect everyone throughout the organization. That’s how you build your brand unity, brand voice, and brand image. Without this continuity, you can’t sell, connect, or service your brand. The entire organization must stand behind the consistency and the value of the brand that they represent.

According to the article, “In 2020, one designated C-suite leader will be responsible for all that surrounds the customer, clarifying the role of marketing in a business environment obsessed with growth.” And that role will most likely be filled by the CMO. A connector that amplifies the growth goal and the brand vision with C-suite members and decision-makers, and a contributor to influence both the internal and external brand impact.

CMOs must find ways to collaborate with a multi-layer of influencers to drive impact across the business by connecting different facets of the business.

business woman speaking to associates

2020 Vision Required

Generational gaps are slowly creeping in the marketing world as younger groups of leading management emerge. The perspectives on long-term growth goals and identifying barriers for the growth may differ by generation.

Regardless of these generational gaps on how to interpret strategic goals and success, the role of the CMO must comply with the business growth goal while satisfying all levels of the audience, both internally and externally. Smart CMOs should account for this generational trend by developing a succession plan for long-term growth. One of the prime responsibilities of CMOs is to prepare the next generation of marketers with the forward vision that is better suited for the new marketing landscape.

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2020 will be the year that many CMOs will transform to expand their influences and responsibilities.

The sophisticated customer demands will force CMOs to take ownership of developing a memorable and impactful customer experience, while creating the culture of the brand, to influencing internal decision-makers and developing the next generation CMOs.

It may sound like a big weight to carry, but for CMOs that prioritize the right objectives, it should be a successful 2020 and beyond.

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NVISION Insights and Innovation Team
In CMO, Marketing Trends, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Retail Trends, CPG, Online shopping, E-Commerce

Future of CPG Marketing: Building a Winning Strategy

man on speedy go kart - full

The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry marketing is changing. The game and the rules are evolving, and brands need to identify and implement new and strategic ways to keep up in order to remain profitable.

According to Clare Gordon, Nicolas Willemot, Eileen Shy, and John Grudnowski in their Bain & Company article, “Today, marketing consumer products is more like a sprawling contest of mixed martial arts, with new competitors playing by different rules; an unprecedented complexity of channels, content, and partners; and a step-change in speed and ways of working that has punches flying at incumbent consumer products companies.”

To ensure future success, CPG brands need to transform their marketing operations to better connect with consumers in this ever-changing industry. Here’s how brands can prepare for the future of CPG marketing.

Define New Growth Platforms

In the past, brand marketers just considered geographies and nearby industry verticals when brainstorming marketing methods. However, this approach is no longer effective. Brand marketers need to take more factors into the mind and remain aware of new marketing trends that emerge in the CPG industry when coming up with marketing strategies.

CPG marketing trends have shifted from services to experiences, and now further to communities, and brands must discover new growth platforms in order to keep up with this pace of change. To determine the most effective marketing methods and growth platforms, they need to evaluate the past and the future. Brand marketers can enhance their marketing methods by combining the old with the new.

So, instead of relying only on legacy marketing tactics, brand marketers should think “outside the box.” Consumers today want more engagement with brands. Marketers should create innovative ways to connect with consumers based on demand while envisioning marketing strategies that influence every touchpoint of the individual consumer journey in the long run.

By taking a step further and implementing a growth platform that enhances marketing tactics of the past to improve the future, CPG brands can transcend beyond their current products, business models, and capabilities.

man with tablet showing charts-growth

Rethink Your Brand Portfolio

The truth be told. The conventional marketing formula no longer brings growth. As the marketplace undergoes a rapid transformation, marketing leaders are compelled to rethink their brand from its competitiveness to capabilities and the way they connect with consumers.

Disruptive industry trends and insurgent brands have raised the bar on consumer expectations that force brands to build and manage a more diverse brand portfolio to meet the demand.

By focusing on refining optimal portfolio roles, identifying winning strategies, determining the level of investments and ROI expectations, will help marketing leaders to develop a 360-degree consumer engagement strategy through omnichannel touchpoints of the customer journey. According to the article, “CMOs need to reassess growth platforms and future brand portfolios, along with developing a supporting strategy on data and technology,” to fulfill their newly assigned role as growth drivers in this versatile CPG marketplace.

brand idea poster - onsite services

Transform Your Operating Model

Brand marketers should consider adopting a new operating model and partnership structure that falls in line with the emerging trends in the CPG industry. They must also ensure that they have an effective process in place to manage this transition.

Brands should collect and utilize customer data in order to personalize the shopping experience for their target market and make it as engaging as possible for shoppers. As Gordon, Willemot, Shy, and Grudnowski explain, “Take control of targeting and consumer data to build differentiated capabilities for retargeting groups of consumers, as well as driving insights and guiding strategy.”

Consumers expect to see advertisements that are specifically targeted to their needs. Brands can put their consumer data into good use to tailor their marketing techniques to fit the profile of their target audience.

When you identify the needs of your customers and effectively use personal information, you can influence their shopping process, convert them to loyal customers, and simultaneously drive sales for your business.

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As new trends and changes emerge in the CPG industry, it is essential for brand marketers to be aware and plan new marketing strategies for the future.

By defining new growth platforms that involve “thinking outside the box” of legacy marketing methods, focusing on refining optimal portfolio roles by revamping your brand portfolio, and transitioning to a new operating model that satisfies customers’ shopping experiences, CPG brands can generate demand, drive sales, and keep up with the fast pace of industry changes.

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For more than three decades we’ve partnered with Fortune 500 companies to deliver marketing operations solutions. Led by a strategic account management team, we’ll help you develop, procure, fulfill and distribute printed collateral, signage, point-of-purchase displays, direct mail, branded merchandise and much more.

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NVISION Insights and Innovation Team
In CMO, Marketing ROI, Marketing Trends, Digital Marketing, Marketing Operations, Marketing Strategy

CMO’s Guide: Capitalizing on Emerging Marketing Trends Beyond 2020

man with ipad

The landscape of the marketing industry is in constant motion. These changes present new opportunities for marketers to engage with consumers to drive sales. However, some brands are struggling to keep up with changes in the industry, and are consequently falling behind as the broader retail landscape changes.

According to Charles Golvin, as quoted by Chris Pemberton in his Gartner article, “Shifting consumer behaviors and technology innovation deprive marketers of equilibrium. Recovering that equilibrium will require organizational alacrity, a laser focus on customer needs, and a balanced embrace of automation.”

In order to ensure future success, brands need to find ways to capitalize on the current changes in the industry. So, what can brand marketers do to gain benefits from emerging marketing forces in the coming years?

shop with digital network graphics - retail continuity

Adapt to Consumer Behavioral Changes

Consumers are changing the way they shop. Technology plays a major role in this evolution of the modern shopper. Customers now use voice commands, wherever they are, to get tips and advice from automated voice interfaces as if it were a human. Brand marketers need to ensure that their brand comes up as a suggestion when customers search for a particular product through voice automation.

Along with using voice commands, consumers respond enormously to video content. Brands should recognize this emerging preference and focus on producing creative, engaging video content to capture the attention of potential customers. By discovering how to use new consumption formats to reach your target consumers, you can increase the effectiveness of your marketing presence and drive sales for your brand.

marketing meeting

Partner With Experts

As we already know, many brands collect personal data from shoppers. But the simple act of gathering information doesn’t lead to results by itself. Brand marketers need to figure out how to properly analyze and utilize the data that they have.

Brands need to ensure that they employ analytical talent with the expertise necessary to extract valuable insights from large amounts of data. As Pemberton explains, “Based on the Gartner Marketing Analytics survey, nearly half of marketing leaders surveyed said some of their most expensive and experienced analysts and data scientists spend their time preparing data to be analyzed rather than analyzing the data.” The problem is that many data analysts are simply “missing the mark” when it comes to effectively utilizing personal information to market towards a target audience.

When brand marketers know how to put consumer data into action, they are able to focus on personalizing the customer experience, which results in higher profits and increased conversion rates. An effective way to capture the attention of customers is through personalized, creative marketing materials that can engage customers with call-to-action.

AI-machine learning

Marketing with Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence is an important technology that has strongly impacted the marketing industry. The increased use of sophisticated technology for marketing may pose challenges for brand marketers, especially those who are convinced that legacy marketing tactics are the only effective way to reach customers. What brands need to realize is that an effective, balanced combination of physical marketing tactics and digital marketing methods is required for brands to remain profitable in the current age.

Brand marketers can capitalize on the emergence of new automation devices by delivering personalized communications to consumers. Pemberton explains, “Vendors promise their AI solutions will yield increases in marketer efficiency and deliver optimal communications to prospects and customers at the moment of maximum influence.”

As automation methods continue to dominate the marketing industry, marketing teams will experience a disruption in the way they perform. But, when brand marketers see technological advances as new opportunities, as opposed to problems, they can invent and implement innovative methods to improve marketing outcomes and customer experiences.

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The changing terrain of marketing in the coming years doesn’t mean that you will struggle. Instead, brand marketers should see these market challenges as opportunities to redefine their business by thinking of new, creative ways to engage with customers and drive sales.

Adapting to customers’ behavioral changes related to shopping, hiring experts who know how to effectively analyze data to improve marketing tactics, and capitalizing on the use of machines for marketing are important steps you can take as a brand marketer in order to flourish in today’s challenging market. By understanding these useful actions, brands are more likely to remain profitable and ensure a prosperous future for their business.

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For more than three decades we’ve partnered with Fortune 500 companies to deliver marketing operations solutions. Led by a strategic account management team, we’ll help you develop, procure, fulfill and distribute printed collateral, signage, point-of-purchase displays, direct mail, branded merchandise and much more.

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NVISION Insights and Innovation Team
In Healthcare, Marketing Trends, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Direct Mail

3 Tips to Driving Healthcare Marketing to Success

elderly woman at the hospital counter - full

Today’s healthcare consumers are much different than the healthcare consumers of the past, thanks to the wealth of resources available, including the advancement of technology. Patients now have more options than ever, and can access them instantly from their devices. As a result, healthcare companies today face new challenges when it comes to marketing effectively.

According to Lindsay Resnick in CMO.com, “Success in a transformative landscape requires marketing leaders to re-examine strategic imperatives, anticipate what’s coming next, and deftly navigate a fast-moving set of obstacles and opportunities to capture customer mindshare.”

In order to ensure success in these changing market conditions, healthcare brands must capitalize on emerging opportunities to improve their marketing campaigns, and here’s how.

doctor touching screen -healthcare

You and Yours Only

Delivering an exceptional customer experience being the priority, healthcare marketers should collect, analyze, and leverage consumer data to develop a “Patient Persona” to attribute marketing strategy.

By leveraging the sum of cross-channel consumer data, nothing will attract more consumers than an intimately crafted and satisfying message tailored to consumers’ needs.

When consumers are content with their needs through your product, your brand will experience higher profits, increased demand generation, and enhanced brand awareness.

As Resnick stated, “Customer experience will go beyond journey mapping as healthcare companies commit to budgeted, cross-functional efforts across customer life cycle touchpoints.”

people looking up - crowd

Know Your Shoppers’ Personas

To effectively reach and engage with customers, brand marketers need to be aware of the different types of segments they’re targeting. The four most common categories of shoppers include: digital by lifestyle, digital by choice, digital by need, and offline society. Each consumer group has unique shopping needs, and brands need to prepare marketing approaches for each of them.

As Amar, Raabe, and Roggenhofer explain, “Best practice is to design primary service for each segment, using contact volume distribution and persona profiles that differentiate by digital behavior to determine engagement strategies and the necessary investments in each channel.” Different types of consumers will respond to different marketing tactics, so brand marketers need to get creative to effectively reach a large audience of shoppers.

More and more customers demand personalized journey fit their needs. The first step for brands to achieve this is to understand the shopping preference of their target consumer groups.

Some consumer segments respond more to online advertisements, whereas others are more touched by physical marketing materials such as direct mail that drives them to brick-and-mortar stores where they can experience a personal connection with the brand. Therefore, brands should focus on developing marketing strategies that serve each persona group based on their shopping preferences in conjunction with omnichannel digital efforts.

digital data-hand touching tablet

Combine Data, Creativity, and Technology

To healthcare brands, it is critical to provide an attractive, yet attentive customer experience by realizing the three-way convergence of brand, direct, and content marketing. And they should combine data, creativity, and technology to develop and implement robust marketing approaches.

For obvious reasons, developing customer touchpoints based on consumer data is essential to deliver personalized experience via relevant conversations to exchange value to retain profitable consumers.

And health brands, perhaps more than most industries, must take advantage of the technological resources; apps that can be used on mobile devices to easily and quickly interact with brand representatives, search for product information and ask essential questions help close the gap between customer and care.

No one enjoys feeling like they’ve wasted time. When customers receive an easy, convenient, yet quality experience, they will be happier, and more likely to become your brand ambassador.

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As the healthcare industry changes and presents more challenges to marketers, health brands must employ new methods to remain profitable and satisfy their customers’ needs.

By using customer data to deliver a more personalized experience, ensuring that there is an effective channel for communication and productive engagement with consumers, and employing marketing techniques that combine data, creativity, and technology, you can provide a satisfying, helpful customer experience that will drive sales, and increase brand awareness.

And by working with a trusted partner who can help you capitalize on new marketing opportunities in the healthcare market, your brand can compete on the quality and effectiveness of your healthcare marketing efforts.

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For more than three decades we’ve partnered with Fortune 500 companies to deliver marketing operations solutions. Led by a strategic account management team, we’ll help you develop, procure, fulfill and distribute printed collateral, signage, point-of-purchase displays, direct mail, branded merchandise and much more.

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