Tag Archives for research

CMO research available on March 17, register now!

With colleagues at CMG Partners, I have been working on an exciting CMO Agenda research effort and are ready to release the finding to the public on March 17th. Register to receive the free detailed report.

About the research:

What is the “right” role of the chief marketing officer (CMO) and by extension, marketing, within an organization? Should marketing have a seat at the executive table? Should the CMO lead or follow in the pursuit of strategic initiatives? Do the answers to these questions vary depending on industry, company size and type, etc.? How has marketing changed over the last 10 years?  And what will the next 10 years bring?

In talking with more than 30 CMOs and lead marketers from mid-sized organizations to Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries, we found commonalities in practice and differing perspectives on the role marketing can and should play within the organization. Some of the most innovative and cutting edge marketers we spoke with articulated the lead marketing position as a transformative role, working as both a team member and an agent of change within the c-suite.

Marketers openly spoke about their current priorities and critical challenges, and provided candid commentary on how they were approaching each.  One of the most thought provoking aspects of our research was a discussion on the evolution of marketing.  By capturing thoughts on the swinging pendulum between the art and science of marketing we were able to portray an interesting view on past and future practices.

Register to receive the free detailed report.

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Choose organic product placements or your brand suffers

Lindstroms research focused on the brain.

Lindstrom's research focused on the brain.

… well Ford’s did related to their American Idol sponsorship/placement based on a recent study by Martin Lindstrom which looks at brain function. This finding is highlighted in the CMO Strategy column on Adage.

Martin describes that both Coca-Cola and AT&T increased brand equity but Ford brand equity declined and Lindstrom infers that this is due to poor context of the placement (or that it was inorganic and maybe forced into the show storyline) on the popular TV show American Idol.

My synopsis:

I agree with the research finding, how could you not. Maybe that is the point. It is good to have some proof in an area that is more art than science.

I had a client last year that was trying to formalize their product placement strategy and measurement. Through analyzing their data that spanned from traditional recall and brand studies to sales, CMG Partners came to roughly the same conclusion that organic placements perform better.

In addition, we found that the placements for placement sake under-perform placements coupled with advertising in the spots following an in-show placement. Further, this effect was even more impactful if the ad was related to the show not just a random 30 or 60 second spot.

Finally, as the research and my work points out the secret, in addition to how a placement is executed, is selecting the right placement/sponsorship. Below are criteria I would recommend marketers use:

  • Brand Linkage/Strategic Fit: Is the property consistent with the brand essence?  Does it deliver opportunities that are consistent with its objectives and strategic approach?
  • Target Fit/Relevance: Is the property relevant with key consumer segments?
  • Relationship Building: Does activation of the property provide means of delivering added value and interaction between the brand and its customers?
  • Drives Sales: Can the association deliver opportunities that help drive sales or loyalty?
  • Exclusiveness: Does the property provide an opportunity for exclusive/”only from” content?
  • Activation: Can the property be activated across multiple elements of the marketing mix to generate necessary customer excitement in order to accomplish the marketing objectives?
  • Scope and Scale: Does the association deliver global vs. national vs. regional scope or scale? Does this align with your marketing and brand strategy?
  • Cost/Efficiency: Can this association deliver against those objectives at a reasonable/appropriate cost?
  • Sustainable Equity: Does the property provide a multi-year or multi-event marketing and relationship-building platform vs. a one-off event?

For some comic relief, I was telling a colleague about this post and she sent me this 30 Rock product placement clip. Thanks Meghan!

Brandtags is worth checking out

I ran across the site brandtags.net a few months back. It is an experimental site where users can “tag” a brand that is displayed with words that are top of mind. It is a must see for someone interested in brands. Obviously this is not a representative sample of users tagging brands, but it is useful for a new perspective and method of brand research. You can browse brands that have been tagged using this link: http://www.brandtags.net/browse.php

Happy brand tagging.