On June 14th, at the ARF’s Women in Analytics event, thought leaders in the research industry shared best practices and inspiration to help attendees gain ground on their thought leadership path.
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As record numbers of people began leaving their jobs in mid-2021, the Analytics Council’s Organizational Working Group wondered how this “Great Resignation” had affected the advertising, media, and research industries. The Working Group partnered with Dynata to conduct a survey to find out.
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Does the digital environment support or constrain advertising creativity? The answer is both. But how? Researchers in Australia relied on two seminal methods—the rigorous Delphi recruitment method through which research queried creative experts worldwide, and the Four P’s model of creativity. These were applied to investigate “place” (the digital environment) and its impact on the remaining P's: process, person and product. What they found was that technology both enhances and represses creativity.
Member Only AccessData from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the total number of U.S. jobs isn't back to pre-pandemic levels — but some sectors are already bigger than in February 2020, Emily Peck writes for Axios Markets. Most ARF members are in sectors that are on the plus side, namely “Information” and “Professional and Business Services.”
Source: Peck, E. (2022, May 9). Pandemic jobs recovery, by industry. Axios.
Data: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios
Proving the value of marketing means showing that the investment is paying off in faster business growth. The only number a CEO cares to hear is the incremental growth rate attributable to marketing. The rest is mumbo jumbo. Today most marketing budgets are a fixed expense, typically about 11% of the overall budget, and regularly subjected to quarterly trimming depending on how sales are performing against target. The size of that budget is often dictated by what was spent in the previous fiscal period and approval above that figure always requires some fancy tap dancing in front of the CFO. To escape this financial straight jacket, marketers need to convincingly link corporate growth ambitions to the mandatory investments required to achieve them. In the end, that means emphatically answering the most burning question on the mind of the CEO: Is marketing worth the expense? Source: Shaw, S. (2022, April). The Only Number that Matters. Customer first thinking.
Member Only AccessA study tried to assess the impact of working from home and the use of videoconferencing on generating creative ideas. The researchers concluded that videoconferencing interferes with idea generation. The study was prompted by what the researchers call a “COVID-19 accelerated decade-long shift to remote work,” which normalized working from home on a large scale. They cite research showing that 75% of US employees in a 2021 survey reported a personal preference for working remotely at least one day per week, and studies estimate that 20% of US workdays will take place at home after the pandemic ends. The study examined how this shift away from in-person interaction affects innovation, which relies on collaborative idea generation as the foundation of commercial and scientific progress.
On April 7, the Women in Analytics Group held a mentoring meet-up about strategies for managing internal and external relationships. Ramla Jarrar, Founder & CEO of Mass Analytics and Therese Glennon, VP at Bristol Myers Squibb, shared best practices for building and maintaining relationships in-person and remotely. After the mini talks, each speaker met with half of the attendees and then switched groups to meet with the other half of the attendees.
Member Only AccessMorning Consult surveys indicate widespread dissatisfaction with political leaders. Does this affect consumer sentiment? “Global Leader Approval Ratings” from Morning Consult Political Intelligence are based on surveys about government leaders in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. They are updated weekly with the latest data for all 13 countries, offering real-time insights into the shifting political dynamics across the globe. The latest approval ratings are based on data collected March 9-15, 2022 and are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying by country. Editor’s Note: The data show that only three of 13 government leaders have approval ratings over 50%. Looking at the 10 who have been in office for more than 14 months, we find that eight are politically “underwater”, that is, their approval rating is at least minus 10%.
Bill Koenigsberg talks about the future of media, the crisis in Ukraine and how Horizon is getting staff back into the office. Horizon Media has just reopened its doors to staff after yet another COVID-19 shutdown and is ready to get people back into the office on a hybrid schedule. As Media CEO Bill Koenigsberg puts it, you can't compete with rolling out of bed in your pajamas, but people do miss being together. Koenigsberg is at the helm of Horizon as it navigates a complex and shifting media landscape for clients -- from the end of cookies to the rise of the metaverse, to all things shoppable commerce. These changes are informing the agency's strategy, from its data platform blu to upfront negotiations. Koenigsberg also talks about how Horizon is helping clients navigate the crisis in Ukraine and where he sees growth coming from in 2022. Source: Weissbrot, A. (2022, March 3). Campaign Chemistry: Horizon Media CEO Bill Koenigsberg. campaignUS.
Member Only Access“We are never returning to normal,” according to Joanna Piacenza and Samantha Elbouez, of Morning Consult.
You’ve likely read that sentence before. It’s possible you’ve thought it on a particularly bleak afternoon, or you heard a friend say it from behind a computer screen — or from behind a mask. But when you look at the data, there are signs of hope that at least some Americans can return to some semblance of normal.
We’ve been fielding our “Return to Normal” surveys for 109 weeks. The first survey gauging consumer attitudes on the coronavirus yielded results on Jan. 26, 2020. Analyzing the more than 239,000 U.S. responses we collected, tells us what consumer attitudes and habits didn’t change during the COVID-19 pandemic, which ones boomeranged, and which ones may be forever altered — essential insights for business leaders considering if and how they should be changing their consumer strategy as various ramifications of the pandemic continue indefinitely.
On the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, head of Industry Intelligence Joanna Piacenza unpacks consumer comfort insights from Morning Consult’s 109 weeks of survey research.
Background: Morning Consult’s “Return to Normal” project has primarily served to highlight consumer comfort levels throughout the pandemic by charting the share of Americans who feel safe doing certain activities. We’ve seen healthy majorities report high comfort levels for many activities, but we’re nowhere near pre-pandemic normal.
When looking at this consumer survey research, it’s important to understand the part that motivated reasoning plays in consumer comfort. While respondents are considering whether they’d feel comfortable re-engaging in certain leisure activities, there’s also an element of pent-up demand — activities that consumers miss doing or want to do often present differently in public opinion research.
What’s more, high consumer discomfort isn’t necessarily a death sentence for industries connected to these activities: As you’ll see with moviegoers, many report discomfort but still show up to the theater.
Source: Piacenza, J. and Elbouez, S. (2022, March 2). What Our Return to Normal Looks Like After Two Years of the Pandemic. Morning Consult.
Tags: Covid-19, work culture, consumer attitudes, consumer behavior