The Reactive Marketing Reset

As we close the first quarter of 2022, having hit the ground running through the unexpected haze of the Omicron outbreak, we as marketers are faced with numerous challenges.

Firstly, for many businesses, things were meant to be getting back on track this year. Whether it’s the talk of the retail reset or the re-boarding of aviation and travel, many industries were planning on seeing some form of the ‘new normal’…or so we thought. Global crises, not limited to the pandemic, continue to arise and cause significant strain on the clarity and delivery of brand plans. Marketers will need the support of their research agency partners to navigate the year ahead and beyond. So, GreenBook’s APAC Editor Colin Wong asked me to share a marketers’ perspective on how the market research world can meet these needs.

 

Adopting the new

Luckily marketing, through necessity, has become well-equipped with quick, smart thinking. The last few years have seen a rapid increase in digital platforms and communications, keeping connected to customers who can’t interact in person, a shift that’s been paramount to brand survival. There have been winners and losers in the pandemic, with Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) seeing great gains and new entrants realising the new opportunities in market. But for some, whose offers simply don’t provide value in lockdown, diversification to stay relevant and adaptation have been especially important and huge undertakings. Arming yourself with an understanding of some of this evolution and how it’s changed your client’s strategy will alleviate some of the stress of your client having to explain what it may not be able to even remember itself due to the rate of change!

 

Maximising resources

Asia Pacific’s advertising spend is expected to grow by 5.9% in 2022, driven by a rise in digital taking a 61.1% share to reach an increasingly online audience. But whilst new technologies are seeing investment, day-to-day marketing activity is increasingly constrained. Add to this the pullback into long-term strategy and a people shortage in many markets, marketing is under the pump in terms of expectation vs bandwidth. And I’m sure this is something you feel or have felt yourself. Approaching clients with renewed thinking about the investment and the resources they have available to them is critical. Help them identify ways to focus on the research initiatives that offer the most bang for their buck and you will create a trusted, valued partnership for the long term.

 

Understanding ever-evolving consumer needs

The reactive approach marketers have had to adopt has made the role of consumer insight an imperative. With ever-changing realities, new customer needs are evolving at a faster rate than new variants have spread. Add to this the immediate need for long-term action in areas like Sustainability, what people care about is clearly in flux. Being able to understand what consumers need from your brand today has been on repeat and has kept the Market Research industry busy. But will this continue in the year ahead? You would hope that increased connection to audience data is one of the upturns that accompanies the agile and smart shifts we’ve seen – but only if they truly get to the heart of what current and future needs are through savvy insights strategies.

 

Identifying key nuances

Asia-Pacific is a vast and varying region. And as such, it creates challenges for brands trying to tap into the market to recognise the nuances and speak to them in a compelling way. Insights are precious, both for global and local players to really get to the heart of what consumers want from them. A ‘one size fits all’ approach simply won’t work, so helping marketers work towards more localised research and planning is a key role of a truly valued partner.

What’s more, the very nature of these differences in region make for exciting opportunities. Asia-Pacific is ripe for new technology and new ways of doing things, from both the consumer and the business perspective. ECommerce is already expanding to Social Commerce, and with a 102% rise in orders in 2021. Marketers are constantly adapting to a new environment. Asia welcomes new tech and new approaches so can be the perfect ground for innovation.

 

Simplifying innovative tools and complex data

With this proliferation of new tech as part of daily discourse, innovative research tools seem to be more openly welcomed across Asia-Pacific. Three out of four are adopting mobile-first surveys and a similar amount are opting for social-media analytics (68%) as part of their research programmes, the highest of any region. More and more automated tools are arising both in MarTech and ResTech, and many marketers are joining the related conversations.

But remember, marketers are busy with a balancing act of resetting and delivering on tight budgets and resourcing. The value of research agencies and suppliers is to make their lives easier. Whilst the data you can deliver may be increasingly sophisticated and complex, try to keep the delivery simple and easy to act on. Many marketers, granted not all, will not want to know the intricacies of how the tool was built and what goes on behind the scenes. Compliance, quality, and output are where to focus your communications on these new tools to really support marketers.

 

Preparing to pivot

Reactive marketing is often seen as a negative, lacking strategy and defined direction. Yet through the many twists and turns of the pandemic, the ability to quickly react and adapt has served brands well. But it means a constant need to tear up or abandon plans and move on the fly, never truly being able to prepare for next month, let alone next week. Keep close to your client through these times, without haranguing them into signing off a project that may have moved down or even off the priorities list, and you will be able to work in true partnership for the long term.