Future of Marketing

Marketing Strategy - multichannel mix. Future messages. Marketing trends...

2011-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Future marketing strategy is more than about altering a marketing mix for multichannel customers. Marketing needs to change values as well as messaging in a world dominated by instant information and insight / feedback from our online friends and extended social networks. It means an end to hype and spin or exaggerated claims, and a focus on what is true, valid claims, accurate information, detailed feedback from real customers, genuine facts, verifiable data. This a post-marketing world: in the last century, the source of most customer information about products or services came from the marketing team itself. Today, most of the information that a customer ever learns about what you want to sell them is probably coming from other sources. That means we need to completely rethink how we position marketing messages. The very word "marketing" needs rethinking. The future is about personalized, insightful, timely, accurate, sensitive and intuitive advice along the journey of life. Conference keynote speaker and futurist Patrick Dixon, speaking to retail clients of Hermes in the UK on the future of marketing to retail customers.

New markets: older customers - ageing population in Europe / EU. Retail ...

2011-11-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Why older customers are an important retail market for consumers. Meeting the needs of older shoppers in design and layout of stores, shopping malls, and in signage. Most people over 50 cannot read small type without glasses yet most printed material used in marketing is designed for younger eyes. Conference keynote speaker on retail and consumer trends - Futurist Patrick Dixon lecture for Hermes retail clients in the UK.

Growth of Budget Brands AND Super Premium. Retail industry trends - Futu...

2011-11-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

How sales of budget brands AND super-premium brands are both set to grow. Future of retail industry and trends in sales of luxury goods and services. Economic crisis, austerity, fall in personal disposable income, increase in taxation, rise in unemployment, cuts in government spending. All these economic factors will force more people to buy budget brands. However, expect the wealth gap between the rich and poor to increase in every nation, especially growth in the numbers of super wealthy consumers. These ultra high net worth consumers will drive sales of luxury, premium, rare and exotic items, fast cars, super yachts, private jets, huge properties, exquisite jewelry, privileged access to unique experiences. Impact on marketing strategy and selling techniques. Re-positioning of key brands -- up market and down market, chasing revenues. Patrick Dixon is a trends analyst, Futurist conference keynote speaker on a wide range of global trends including retail industry, consumer insight. Keynote lecture for retail clients of Hermes in the UK.

Filling the supermarket trolley: customer journeys, future retail trends...

2011-11-11T03:58:00.000-08:00

How retail chains and supermarkets persuade customers to buy, Manipulating the customer journey around the store with well-placed special offers, combinations of products, eye-catching displays and other retail marketing promotions. Experience of Tesco, Safeway, Sainsbury, Morrisons, Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Video by conference keynote speaker and future trends analyst for retail industry conference - Hermes client event in the UK - Futurist speaker Patrick Dixon.

Future of Food Retailing, food industry trends, consumer lifestyles. Re...

2011-11-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

Food industry trends in retail - small food outlets to major retail chains. Food sales are all about emotion and consumer passion: quality, health, flavour, additives, colourants, natural food, organic food, preservatives, sourcing of animals, animal welfare, sustainable fisheries, fair trade, kosher, hallal, vegetarian, vegan - there are already hundreds of niche food markets. Expect this diversification to continue - with specialist retail food stores, and also with sub-brands inside major stores such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour or Tesco. As we have seen in recent food scares, customers are deeply worried about food safety - especially parents who are concerned about the health of babies or their young children. Therefore expect more regulations about food quality and healthiness, more food labelling, more food safety checks - and more sensational news stories about food safety lapses. Comment on future of food industry by Futurist keyntote conference speaker Patrick Dixon in presentation to retail clients of Hermes at corporate event.

Future Shopping Malls - and death of smaller outlets - Future Retail Tre...

2011-11-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

For every retail outlet that opens in a new Mall, another has to close somewhere else - a corner store, high street shop, or market stall. Huge planning implications for town centres, following massive growth of big shopping centres. Impact on consumer choice. How small stores can survive and thrive in niche markets, competing against large retail chains and multinational super brands, by offering unique products and services with outstanding insight into what their customers want, and attention to detail. That means more than market research - a deep intuitive grasp of how customers think and feel, what they are likely to be drawn to. While high street shops are threatened by the big shopping Malls, the Malls too will be increasingly threatened in turn by severe online price competition, mobile price comparison. Expect the largest Shopping Malls, biggest retail centres to focus more on the total leisure experience, creating relaxing locations, entertainment, with a sense of theatre, destinations in their own right for all ages and for a wide range of interests. Shopping in physical stores needs to be a pleasurable, engaging experience which appeals to all the senses - touch, sound, smell, taste. Crowds matter: people watching is part of the fun of the shared experience - seeing what others are doing, what they are wearing, choices they are making. Future retail in physical stores needs to be very personal, since such outlets will tend to be undercut by online price aggregators. Clever branding, marketing and selling promotions will not be enough. Conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon - giving presentation to UK retail industry on key high street trends and the future of ecommerce - for clients of Hermes.

Mobile Price Comparison: impact on retail customer sales / ecommerce. Re...

2011-11-11T02:15:00.000-08:00

Retail impact of online price comparison using mobile devices, smartphones, aggregator sites. Shopping patterns and customer behaviour. Online sales growth from retail sites, where customers compare prices in stores or shopping malls and then buy online or from a competitor store nearby. Aggregator sites will grow rapidly, creating strong price competition, eroding viability of physical retail outlets, especially in electronic consumer goods, white label products, computers, textiles / fashion and in any other area where customers like to try before they buy.

Five seconds to win a customer. Moments of Truth: Future Trends in Retai...

2011-11-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

Five seconds to win a customer. Moments of Truth: Future Trends in Retai...

2011-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Why every second counts in retail - and how companies lose customers faster than they realise. Vital trends for the future of retailing from Futurist keynote speaker Patrick Dixon. Marketing and selling to customers should be fast, easy, convenient and satisfying. Keep your customers happy, listen to them, keep close to how they are really thinking about your products and services. In a time-poor world, customers are increasingly fed up with companies that waste time, make them wait, keep them on hold, make them stand in line. Premium customers expect instant service, rapid help, total commitment, expert advice and 100% delivery on your promises.

How to win customers! Better Call-Centres, What is CRM? Customer service...

2011-11-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Future marketing, brands and campaigns -- keynote speaker and Futurist Patrick Dixon. Future trends in the retail industry, presentation for UK clients of Hermes. Targetting customers in a world which is overloaded with marketing messages. What is CRM - customer relationship management. How to run call centres to win sales, improve customer satisfaction and engagement, customer loyalty, retention and reduce numbers of complaints. How many corporations are blind to unmet customer needs, lacking true insight into how customers actually feel about how they are being treated. Most executives hate robot automated answering systems when they are customers themselves, yet are happy to alienate their own customers by forcing them to use exactly the same technologies. Why the tone of voice on the end of the phone is one of your most important brand elements, for companies who never physically meet their customers - or rarely do so.

Futurist Marketing: Competing with noise! Customers, Brands - Marketing...

2011-11-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Future marketing, brands and campaigns -- keynote speaker and Futurist Patrick Dixon. Future trends in the retail industry, presentation for UK clients of Hermes. Targetting customers in a world which is overloaded with marketing messages. How to make your key marketing messages stand out in a multichannel, multitasking world with mobile devices, smartphones, ipads and tablets being used increasingly to get information, read social networking comments and compare prices. Future marketing strategy: how to develop a more effective marketing plan which includes online marketing, direct marketing, social media marketing, latest market research, search engine marketing and internet marketing. Consumers are increasingly intolerant of marketing campaigns which are not personal, invade personal life, waste their time, interrupt their TV viewing. For more see http://www.globalchange.com

Digital Marketing - crisis for real estate agents. Multichannel customer...

2011-11-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

Future of marketing -- Impact of multichannel marketing on customer behavior. Why old selling patterns are driving customers away. How to alienate consumers rapidly. How to engage customers with your products and services. Lessons from online property aggregator sites and virtual real estate marketing. Future of mobile search, location sensitive marketing, and importance of video in selling. Why 1 in 6 of all Estate Agents lost their jobs last year in Australia. What is the future of real estate agents? How to promote your property, and sell your own home online. Easy ways to get customers to view your property and make a great offer to buy. Impact of Google Maps and other location-based Apps on marketing. Growth of mobile search requests. Lessons for marketing directors and retail executives. Patrick Dixon, conference keynote speaker on future of marketing, multichannel marketing and related trends.

Why so many marketing directors hate marketing - join the revolution. M...

2011-11-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Most marketing directors find other people's marketing messages irritating, whether TV ads, direct mail campaigns, SMS marketing, outbound call-centre marketing, billboards, press ads, mobile marketing. Consumers are increasingly fed up too. Get ready for the biggest shifts in marketing strategy for a generation -- forced on the industry by the ever-growing influence of social networks, coupled with online search, impatient and intolerant consumers, and by massive overload with general advertising noise. Getting noticed means more than shouting louder. The future is about personal relevance, information and revelation as you become a consumer guide along their journey of life. It means a radical rethink about command and control, blockbuster campaigns. Impact on marketing strategies -- what every marketing director needs to know. How to prevent your campaigns from bombing and looking last-century. How to keep pace with the mood of your customers, using technology sensitively and wisely to position your products and services at exactly the right time and in the right way, reading the mind and emotion of your customers with deep insight and accuracy. Comment by Patrick Dixon after his conference keynote presentation on the future of marketing at DED2011 Mediamind event in Singapore.

Future of marketing, mobile, technology, multichannel, digital brains - ...

2011-11-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Future of mobile, telecom, and biodigital brains. Impact of new technology and social media on marketing, customer relationships, selling and engaging consumers. Biodigital brains using implanted chips and wireless communications for thought control of machines, computers and other lifestyle devices. The ultimate marketing tool? Patrick Dixon, conference keynote speaker at corporate event for Tetrapak global leaders.

Here Comes Radical Change: Future of Public Services, Demographics -- Ke...

2011-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Patrick Dixon -- conference keynote speaker -- impact of demographics, birth rates, youth, urban migration and immigration, life expectancy forecasts. All impact demand for public services, health care budgets, community services, demand for education, need for schools. Presentation for Welsh Parliament to public sector workers -- police officers, fire service, local councils, municipal authorities, teachers, social workers, health visitors, care assistants, community officers, health and safety advisors, government contractors and service providers. Changing culture, challenging structures and attitudes. Practical leadership lessons in change management for public sector workers. Team leadership and motivation to change working practices, encourage efficiency, cost savings, better standards, improved output and service impact.

How to market using social media. Rules for social networking. Give info...

2011-07-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

Social media, using social networks to market products and services. Take hold of your future: emotions. Leadership training, motivational speaker. Patrick Dixon biography, bio, cv - ranked one of world's 20 most influential business thinkers alive today (Thinkers 50 2005) Great events change people: 4,500 event organisers(MPI. Keynote conference speaker (MPI).Future corporate events: motivational leadership programmes, executive education, team development, innovation seminars, strategy workshops, consumer groups, marketing forums, competitor analysis think tanks, team building exercises and motivational client events. Effective management depends on great communication of leadership vision, mission and strategy. Future of banks, banking, insurance, health, technology, social media, advertising, telecom, mobile phones, smartphones, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain management, oil industry, energy, environment, green tech, pharmaceutical industry, education, government trends, regulation, compliance, human resources. Conference organisation and event planning.

World-Class Events! Experience, Lighting, Stage, Powerpoint, Retail, Mar...

2011-07-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Experience matters: lighting and staging of live shows, event production team tips. How to produce a world-class corporate event. Advice for event organisers, conference organisers. Busking, smell, taste, being there, multimedia, £D marketing, immersion experiences. Future of face-to-face marketing, selling, customer relationship development. Future of travel and tourism, holidays and cruise. Future of entertainment, fashion, media and film or cinema. Future of the music industry, EMI, Sony and live musical performances. Live theatre and theatre audiences. Great leadership - connect with audience passion. How to give world-class powerpoint presentations How to wow your audience as CEO or Chairman at an annual corporate event. How to win customers, social media networks, and communicate vision at corporate events. How to structure your presentation, using embedded videos, images, multimedia content. Common powerpoint mistakes. Death by Powerpoint. How to lose audience attention. How to make a speech and how to give a world-class lecture.

Wow! Experience is everything in virtual world: customers, consumers, re...

2011-07-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Experience matters: live shows, busking, smell, taste, being there, multimedia, £D marketing, immersion experiences. Future of face-to-face marketing, selling, customer relationship development. Future of travel and tourism, holidays and cruise. Future of entertainment, fashion, media and film or cinema. Future of the music industry, EMI, Sony and live musical performances. Live theatre and theatre audiences. Great leadership - connect with audience passion.

Secrets of Great Communication, Brilliant Powerpoint Presentations, Worl...

2011-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

How to make world-class powerpoint presentations. How NOT to use powerpo...

2011-07-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

Market Research Can't Tell the Future! Consumer Trends, Customer Insight...

2011-07-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Market research, consumer trends and focus groups, predictions about customer behaviour. Customer surveys, polls and consumer insight. Forecasts of consumer trends. Change management - leadership styles to change teams, structures, processes, organisations, businesses. Take hold of your future: my personal story as a Futurist. Lessons from the past in trends analysis, growth strategies, leadership training, motivational speaker. Patrick Dixon biography, bio, cv - ranked one of world's 20 most influential business thinkers alive today (Thinkers 50 2005) Great events change people: 4,500 event organisers(MPI. Keynote conference speaker (MPI).Future corporate events: motivational leadership programmes, executive education, team development, innovation seminars, strategy workshops, consumer groups, marketing forums, competitor analysis think tanks, team building exercises and motivational client events. Effective management depends on great communication of leadership vision, mission and strategy. Future of banks, banking, insurance, health, technology, social media, advertising, telecom, mobile phones, smartphones, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain management, oil industry, energy, environment, green tech, pharmaceutical industry, education, government trends, regulation, compliance, human resources. Conference organisation and event planning. Great leadership speeches, motivational tools for team leadership, and how to communicate with large audiences. Change management, business transformation and vision building. Video by keynote conference speaker and Futurist Patrick Dixon. How to motivate business leaders for high performance, profitability and shareholder value. Industry trends for successful events in banking, banks, financial services, investments and fund management, insurance, retail, manufacturing, logistics, services, advertising brands, marketing, aviation, travel, transport, tourism, construction and real estate, government and non profit organisations, energy, sustainability, sustainable innovation, green technology, open innovation, crowdsourcing, outsourcing, food and drink / beverages, fast-moving goods (FMG), IT and communications, mobile phones, smart phones, satellite, entertainment industry, music industry, media, public relatiions, human resources, change management, strategy, risk management and other sectors. Secrets of successful corporate events, and how to give a great, inspiring, uplifting, encouraging, powerful CEO keynote speech. Effective executive education, programme development and manager training. Work-life balance and workplace motivation, leadership styles and team building. Staff retention, motivation, recruitment and talent development. University degree courses, MBAs and career progression. Why staging, lighting, theatre and performance really matter in successful corporate events. Videoconferencing, virtual teams, virtual working and virtual organisations why most people do not like videoconferencing and how to make video interviews or presentations work in conference programmes. How to create and deliver great lectures using powerpoint and other technology. Innovation and creativity in conference planning or business school programmes. Impact of global warming, climate change and energy prices on demand for corporate events, corporate travel and event location. Secrets of great event production, staging and use of multimedia. Presentation by keynote conference speaker, author and broadcaster Patrick Dixon author of Sustainagility, Building a Better Business and Futurewise.

Teams and Tribes Make it Happen. Change Management, Leadership Styles. M...

2011-07-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Change management - leadership styles to change teams, structures, processes, organisations, businesses. Take hold of your future: my personal story as a Futurist. Lessons from the past in trends analysis, growth strategies, leadership training, motivational speaker. Patrick Dixon biography, bio, cv - ranked one of world's 20 most influential business thinkers alive today (Thinkers 50 2005) Great events change people: 4,500 event organisers(MPI. Keynote conference speaker (MPI).Future corporate events: motivational leadership programmes, executive education, team development, innovation seminars, strategy workshops, consumer groups, marketing forums, competitor analysis think tanks, team building exercises and motivational client events. Effective management depends on great communication of leadership vision, mission and strategy. Future of banks, banking, insurance, health, technology, social media, advertising, telecom, mobile phones, smartphones, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain management, oil industry, energy, environment, green tech, pharmaceutical industry, education, government trends, regulation, compliance, human resources. Conference organisation and event planning. Great leadership speeches, motivational tools for team leadership, and how to communicate with large audiences. Change management, business transformation and vision building. Video by keynote conference speaker and Futurist Patrick Dixon. How to motivate business leaders for high performance, profitability and shareholder value. Industry trends for successful events in banking, banks, financial services, investments and fund management, insurance, retail, manufacturing, logistics, services, advertising brands, marketing, aviation, travel, transport, tourism, construction and real estate, government and non profit organisations, energy, sustainability, sustainable innovation, green technology, open innovation, crowdsourcing, outsourcing, food and drink / beverages, fast-moving goods (FMG), IT and communications, mobile phones, smart phones, satellite, entertainment industry, music industry, media, public relatiions, human resources, change management, strategy, risk management and other sectors. Secrets of successful corporate events, and how to give a great, inspiring, uplifting, encouraging, powerful CEO keynote speech. Effective executive education, programme development and manager training. Work-life balance and workplace motivation, leadership styles and team building. Staff retention, motivation, recruitment and talent development. University degree courses, MBAs and career progression. Why staging, lighting, theatre and performance really matter in successful corporate events. Videoconferencing, virtual teams, virtual working and virtual organisations why most people do not like videoconferencing and how to make video interviews or presentations work in conference programmes. How to create and deliver great lectures using powerpoint and other technology. Innovation and creativity in conference planning or business school programmes. Impact of global warming, climate change and energy prices on demand for corporate events, corporate travel and event location. Secrets of great event production, staging and use of multimedia. Presentation by keynote conference speaker, author and broadcaster Patrick Dixon author of Sustainagility, Building a Better Business and Futurewise.

FUTURE OF MARKETING - main website links

2011-05-11T10:18:00.001-07:00

FUTURE OF MARKETING - here are loads of videos and other resources on the future of marketing - on Patrick Dixon's main FUTURIST website.

The Future of Marketing

2010-05-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit - Dr Patrick Dixon introduces future of marketing and why traditional advertising is dead in an online world ruled by virtual communities.

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Patrick Dixon has spoken at a number of Google client events on social networks, online marketing and a range of other futurist topics. Many marketing teams are being left behind - there is more to online marketing than a website redesign, Twitter and Facebook or bulletin boards. Consumers are thinking and behaving in new ways, expect new things, interact differently - and are increasingly intolerant and impatient with any company that seems to be stuck in a slight time-warp. Marketing means a different mindset altogether: a big jump for corporations who have relied on large, successful websites backed by direct mail, print, TV, radio, e-mail and online advertising and maybe a few iPhone apps. Those things are no longer enough. Marketing often means rethinking the entire sales package, how we sell, what we sell, when we sell. Marketing can mean having to go back to product design teams, and engaging with communities online.

Click here for more

Future of paper and packaging industry 1 conference ...

2008-06-21T04:52:00.001-07:00

Future of paper and cardboard packaging in China, India, emerging markets, America and the EU. Impact of new technology on paper use. Newsprint market and newspaper readership trends -- decline in EU, growth in India. Use of paper and cardboard in Africa. Growth of middle class consumers. Future of newspapers, magazines and books. Paperless office trends -- reality. Paper consumption per person per year. Global market for paper. Exports newsprint from Russia, South America, India and China. Future of logistics, supply chain management, packaging and distribution. Energy costs in paper industry. Video on future of paper industry by Futurist Patrick Dixon, conference keynote speaker for Paper Industry conference in Sweden. Future of forestry and sustainable forestry -- link to paper industry. Verifiable forestry, reduction in energy use, chemical use, water use. Growth of online advertising revenues and fall of traditional advertising. Future of online newspapers and news sources. RFID technology in supply chain and intelligent packaging plus intelligent paper. Advantages of paper -- resolution, contrast, convenience, able to write on it. Future of plastics and competition with paper and cardboard in food and drink industry. Manufacturing demand for packaging. Resuseable cartons and recycling. Paperless office? Why paperless offices slow in coming. Future of direct mail and future of paper directories. Biological reasons why paper reading speed faster than screens. Human eye bandwidth and brain processing speed. Electronic books and digital paper. Why books and other paper products will have longer life than people think.
Paper industry, packaging, cardboard, recycling, forests, forestry, newspapers, magazines, books, future, sustainable, sustainability, energy, paperless, intelligent, rfid, plastics

Falling Birth Rates? Impact of falling fertility

2008-04-19T11:53:00.001-07:00

Impact on demographics of falling birth rate in EU, America, Canada, Japan, India, China, Asia, Africa. Falling fertility with increasing age of first conception. Child birth and child care. Older mothers and biological risks. Health care and obstetrics. IVF and infertility treatments. Ageing mothers and career pressures, baby career breaks. Pensions and social impact of older population. Future families and child rearing. Children of older parents. Psychological, physical, mental and emotional pressures of parenthood. Gender inequality and gender discrimination at work. Why birth rates are falling. Impact on population. Video by keynote conference speaker Dr Patrick Dixon, Futurist and author of 12 books on global trends including Futurewise and Building a Better Business. Birth rates, falling, fertility, women, female, trends, demographic, population, growth, decline, rates, treatment, families, gender, careers, children, babies, conception, child, asia, America, Europe, africa
Birth rates, falling, fertility, women, female, trends, demographic, population, growth, decline, rates, treatment, families, gender, careers, children, babies, conception, child, asia, America, Europe, Africa

Trust is the most important thing you sell

2008-04-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

Trust, corporate image, brand, reputational risk, managing public relations. For banks and insurers trust is all you have to sell. Why consumer confidence and client relationship really matters. Why trust and business reputation takes 25 years to build yet can be lost with negative media in a day. Marketing, advertising messages. Negative media coverage. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Retail revolution in India

2008-04-04T04:56:00.000-07:00

150,000 chain stores in 15 years with massive growth and consolidation of mom and pop small retail outlets. Specialisation, department stores, new markets, growth of middle class, designer products, luxury goods and services, competitors to wal-mart and other supermarket chains. Emerging markets and new economies, Asia, China, India and Africa. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon

Women consumers rule - female customer trends

2008-04-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

Most older consumers are women and most online sales are to women. Female consumers as pressure group and major economic force. Women and online banking. Why women own most of America and most of the UK -- living longer than men and wealth in pension funds and property. Feminisation of society, culture and business, workplace, work-life balance and emotional intelligence. Winning the war for female talent. Feminization of products and services. Niche marketing and advertising campaigns targeting women. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Power of Tribes - Clash of Cultures - Consumer Groups

2008-04-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Clash of cultures, religious tribes, brands create tribes, every corporation is many tribes. Tribal inequality of wealth risks global instability, protest movements and new terrorist groups. Tribes give music, language, poetry, literature, teams, friends, neighbourhood, family, teams, communities and nations. Most businesses are tribes of tribes. Niche markets and tribalism. Tribal leadership -- leading thousands of people, motivation, inspired workers, higher productivity, people movements. Clients and customer segmentation. Political tribes, campaigns and protest groups, activists. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon

Online Communities Change the World - marketing and consumer

2008-04-01T04:43:00.000-07:00

Impact of YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, TripAdvisor and other online communities. Why traditional advertising agencies cannot respond. Power of community opinion. New marketing models. Why online communities are trusted more than official websites or information sources. Web 2.0. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Customer focus and call-centre disasters

2008-03-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

Call-centre disasters and why customer relationship management is often destroyed by robot answering machines. Reality check. Keeping customer focus. Customer relations. Building customer loyalty and improving customer retention programmes with better customer satisfaction scores. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Global brands, mergers and demergers future

2008-03-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Globalisation, mega-mergers and acquisitions. Pressure to show how business units build synergy and shareholder value, or pressure by shareholders and analysts to break up global corporations. Future of large organisations. De-mergers, sell-offs, going private, superbrands. avoiding institutional shareholders. Mega brands and local culture. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Why business has to make life better - values matter

2008-03-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

Values really matter. People want to make a difference and feel proud of who they work for. Aditya Birla example of corporate responsibility and community involvement. Increasing motivation, winning war for talent, staff and customer retention and stronger brand and corporate image. Work of AIDS charity ACET as expression of corporate responsibility. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.

Market research - how to get great results

2008-03-27T04:59:00.001-07:00

Linkedin - business version of Facebook?

2007-06-27T12:25:00.001-07:00

Future management community linking - video comment by Patrick Dixon

Future of retailing and shopping - video

2007-06-22T10:28:00.001-07:00

How retailers and shopping centres need to fight back against online sales sites which will almost always be able to beat them with huge discounts. Shopping centres can deliver product faster into your hands than online – even with overnight delivery. Why in an increasingly fast-changing and impatient world the high street shop will always win for some consumers who need it NOW. And the other thing is providing living, breathing shopping experience. Customer behaviour and consumer choice. Online shopping and e-bay / online travel agents. Food shopping is likely to remain a go-out-shopping activity for a very long time because of immediacy and the fact that shoppers want to touch, feel and smell food before buying. Video comment by Dr Patrick Dixon, futurist, leading authority on global trends and conference speaker.

Why consumers won't wait - impatience online

2007-06-09T06:05:00.001-07:00

People do crazy things when in a hurry - the future is about emotion, not about technology. Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon lecture on future of telecom, mobile phones, marketing, management and motivation (more)

Future of marketing in a YouTube world

2007-06-05T01:24:00.001-07:00

Interview of co-founder of YouTube Chad Hurley by Dr Patrick Dixon at Google Zeitgeist CEO Summit. Lessons on future of marketing for every brand owner, advertiser and corporate image builder.

Future of Marketing - Dr Patrick Dixon at Google Zeitgeist

2007-06-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

In a YouTube, Wikipedia and e-Bay world - how media, marketing, and brand management is changing. Impact on every large business. Dr Patrick Dixon chairing panel for CEO event Google Zeitgeist.

Connecting with emotion of customers online - Patrick Dixon

2007-05-26T04:29:00.001-07:00

Why consumers trust online comments on bulletin boards more than slick advertising campaigns.

Confusing insurance industry marketing messages

2006-07-03T13:49:00.001-07:00

The insurance industry is in a mess when it comes to image, branding and marketing.

There are two conflicting messages: the first is that we are here to make shareholders wealthy – which fits with the popular image that insurance companies charge high premiums and pay out as little as possible. The second is closer to reality, which is that we exist as a community service which is run in a way that also rewards those who invest.

• Marketing: We are here to protect your family, to pay out generously and quickly if something happens to you, giving you peace of mind at a fair price. We believe in the value of what we do for you.

• Investor Relations: Our mission is to make shareholders as much wealth as we can without breaking the law and landing up in prison. We raise life insurance premiums as high as we can get away with, and pay out as little as possible.

The answer is simple: focus on the good that you do, ensure the business is run efficiently and risks are assessed accurately, eliminate fraud and pay out promptly – and the rest should take care of itself.

The alternative is to continue as we are, with a public image that is both damaging and inaccurate.

Future of online marketing - overtakes newspapers

2006-06-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Still short of TV spending though by a long way in the UK.

Google accounted for more than 50% online advertising spend last year.

Web advertising spend is set to grow 39% while newspapers fall 9% in advertising revenue nationally.

Source: Financial Times 30 May 2006

TV watching is becoming a lonely habit - advertisers watch out

2006-06-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

45% of TV watchers do so alone these days compared to 33% 10 years ago.

Interesting but the truth is that I have almost stopped watching TV at all – at least live TV is now almost zero since having digital recording a few years ago.

Screen watching – yes but more likely to be home cinema movies or a few minutes of a pre-recorded comedy, and occaisionally TV news. Hardly ever watch the main TV channels.

I’m not alone – ask anyone who actually works in television how many hours they watch for pleasure and the results may really shock you. Often the answer is zero.

Now radio – that is something different – audiences and hours per week continue to climb.

TV will struggle to find a new role in the next decade, under pressure from people like the BBC which will soon have all their archives on line for instant free view.

It means the schedules will need to rethink…. Expect to see a premium for live TV: where we know anything can go wrong and audiences can be involved.

But canned output – yes it still will live on as a community experience. It is different watching a film on your own at home when you know a million others may be sharing the same event.

For more see http://www.globalchange.com/ppt4/bbc

Strange death of modern advertising - feature by Maurice Saatchi in Financial Times

2006-06-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

This week Maurice Saatchi made a fascinating confession: “I feel as thought I am standing at the graveside of a well-loved friend called advertising”. He describes the death of TV advertising as audiences diverted into an ever wider range of infotainment, and the fact that multi-tasking teenagers recall very little of the adverts they supposedly are exposed to on TV even if you can find them…. The result of multi-tasking with SMS, e-mail and everthing else at the same time as watching the football.

Saatchi reckons it all comes down to one word branding. Owning a single idea like “search” = Google. The trouble is that there are few words worth having and fierce competition for them.

And even if an agency has a great idea for a word, the industry itself is being re-shaped at tremendous speed by new media.

Most senior advertising executives have yet to get their heads around Google adsense for example, which is capable of creating customised ad content for a new page I create within 60 seconds of it being online. Adsense goes further by pushing up or down different ads depending on how the users of that particular page on my website react.

Poor ads are removed – however much people pay for showing their content on the page – while lower paying but useful ads replace them.

The advertising space is thus being democratised, with huge implications for every brand-creator.

Cause-related marketing - future of marketing

2006-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

I talk more and more these days to audiences of all kinds about cause-related marketing, which is one of the fastest growing areas of marketing today. Cause-related marketing links products to something people believe in – and when products look increasingly the same on price and quality, values are what makes all the difference.

£50.4 million was raised in 2002 by 66 businesses benefiting 50 charities and good causes through 81 Cause Related Marketing programmes. Over £17 million worth of gifts in kind were given as part of 23 of CRM programmes

Over £13 million worth and 65,000 hours of staff time was devoted by 27 CRM programmes

90% of US workers feel proud of their companies' values when they support a good cause

87% of workers feel a strong sense of loyalty

48% of consumers change behaviour - switch brands, increase usage or try or enquire about new products

46% of consumers feel better about using company

86% have better opinion of companies trying to make the world a better place

See http://www.globalchange.com/ppt4/sustain for presentation I gave today which covers these issues in the context of creating sustainable enterprises (Impact conference in UK).

Future consumer trends in Europe - by Dr Patrick Dixon

2006-06-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Future consumer trends in Europe - by Dr Patrick Dixon: "How European consumers are changing, winners and losers in retail. The impact of technology, demographics and social trends on consumer behaviour, attitudes and lifestyle choices. How manufacturers, service providers and retail outlets will have to change to survive. "

Targetting older people - make sure print size is large

2006-06-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Most marketing campaigns are poor when it comes to targeting older consumers. Just take print size as an example. I gave a lecture recently to a company that produces electric razors. Good news: I use one of their products and have done so for the last 4 years. Bad news: I only realised the day before giving the lecture. Reason: the logo on the razor is so small that I need my reading glasses to see it and since when did I wear reading glasses in the bathroom when shaving?

I am only 49 but the company has lost 4 years of brand positioning in our home. The problem is even more obvious amongst consumers who are 10, 20 or 30 years older than I am.

Just take a look at the print size on the outside of toothpaste, or in packaging of medicines, or on restaurant menus (read by candelight).

Print size is just one of a huge number of ways that marketing executives discriminate against older consumers without realising it.

And remember that over 65 year olds own 75% of the wealth of the US and UK – and incidentally, 65% of them are women.

Radio advertising needs a rethink

2006-05-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

While great TV advertising can rank with short films for entertainment value, it is really hard to match that quality in sound alone on radio, using just a few seconds. That is why radio audiences get bored so much more rapidly with often-repeated radio ads.

The answer of course is variety rather than quality. For example making a series of 20 compelling reasons to buy a product (randomly broadcast, and not numbered). Radio advertising at best is more about information than entertainment. This is a words and sound effects channel, and sound effects can be really irritating after a while, as well as an odd voice or anything else originally designed to catch attention.

Do it once, do it twice, but don’t let people hear it a thousand times unless you have something they really need to hear again… just keep the content fresh.

Future of advertising agencies - paid for ideas or campaigns?

2006-04-30T01:22:00.000-07:00

I spoke recently at an event for advertising agencies: Big issue for the future is how people will get paid?

In the past the ideas came free and corporations paid a commission on all spending on the actual campaign. But in a digital world many campaigns have little or no direct running costs - see for example viral marketing of a funny short video clip which carries a corporate message. That means paying for ideas, which is also tough because it is hard to value an idea and the best may emerge in meetings with clients so that it is impossible to prove who contributed what to the process.

Tough times ahead as the digital world forces a complete rethink about the whole relationship.

Future of mailshots and direct marketing

2006-04-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

More than 30 million people in the US opted out of direct mail within the first 6 weeks of having the chance to do so.

Direct mail needs to be ultra-personal to succeed.

The charity I started back in 1988 (AIDS charity ACET) decided to send out a mailing to 3500 people who had given to us recently, thanking them, giving them news and the opportunity to give again.

We have a great story: all our overheads are paid or given by volunteers and because we are ultra efficient we are able to feed an orphan for a month in a place like Zimbabwe for just $1-50.

In Ukraine we have seen 100,000 pupils in 12 months in a programme costing less than $25,000 a year.

But how do you get people to open the mailing in the first place? All the evidence shows that the best opening rates come when people don't know what is inside and it looks personally sent.

Well we hand-filled the envellopes using volunteers, and stuck ordinary stamps. We used a window to the address appeared on the letter - and I personally signed plus wrote comments on more than 450.

We will see what happens, but already the responses are coming in less than 48 hours after we posted them all out.

President Chirac proposes rival to Google for Europe

2006-04-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

President Chirac yesterday proposed that the French government take the initiative in helping develop a new European search engine to rival the supremacy of Google. This will be extremely difficult given the huge budget committed by Microsoft so far, who have themselves failed to make much of an impact into the near-monopoly of Google.

However Google will find themselves increasingly under scrutiny as they occupy the dominant position in the world in terms of total web access.

In the meantime, every web master continues to try to find ways to increase profile – a task that is increasingly difficult as search algorithms become every more sophisticated, dynamically adjusting to the evolving web.

A new step forward in blogging and viral marketing

2006-04-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

This message was created using Outlook as a simple e-mail and sent to my future of marketing blog…. And is just part of another step up in communit blog development globally…. It means anyone can publish the contents of any e-mail at the speed of light to the entire online community.

More than 200 million blogs - threat to brand management

2006-04-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

More than 200 million people now keep a web diary of their own and their collective opinions are now a force to be reckoned with when it comes to brand protection and development of an advertising campaign.

Their collective voice is generating over 100 million pages every day of comment on a wide range of issues, many of which involve products and services people use.

For a long time now community sites like tripadvisor have been influencing consumer behaviour, yet many large corporations have hidden their heads in the sand, not really knowing how to respond.

While tripadvisor is not a blog, it is an example of what happens when hundreds of thousands of consumers start to share experiences online and the results can be devastating.

Just type in the name of a large hotel into Google and see who comes up highest - the official hotel site or the traveladvisor page with comments from people who have recently stayted there? And then the question is who do online readers trust the most? Answer: the majority of people trust community comment more than official advertising.

When community comments are loud and negative, corporations are probably wasting their time with expensive sites and online advertising campaigns.

The age of spin and hype is over. The third millennium is about revelation, reality and shared experience.

That's why so many companies are now quietly asking their own staff to go onto blogs and bulleting boards as well as other community sites to post nice positive comments, pretending to be customers.

It is just the start of a new era in advertising, branding and product promotion.

The lesson is this: get the product right every time and the online community will help sell it for you at zero cost. Get it wrong and you'll rapidly be out of the game. While that has to some extent always been true, in future brand elevation and destruction will happen faster than many marketing teams can even plan a campaign.

Marketing slides and videos

2006-04-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

You will find a large number of marketing resources and other information including videos and presentations on my site http://www.globalchange.com/ppt/index.htm.

These are free for all to access. The site also contains the entire text of 6 of my books.

Future of Marketing

2006-04-22T02:22:00.000-07:00

New blog on marketing trends