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Rather than suppliers of raw data, research agencies want to become long-term strategic advisors to brands. But, at the same time, they are under increasing pressure to supply insight that can be instantly injected into business plans. Our latest leagues show which agencies are best placed to succeed.
The traditional roles of field marketing agencies - product sampling and data-based merchandising - have evolved in recent times to embrace experiential and events activity. Now, some claim experiential agencies are moving into the territory occupied by sales promotion specialists.
As marketers feel the squeeze, digital agencies are bullish about their prospects, with advertising up 38% year on year to reach £2.8bn in 2007, according to the latest figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). But the industry is not without its critics, who claim online investment must be...
Procter & Gamble has upped its advertising spend nearly 13% to remain the UK's biggest spender on above-the-line advertising.
With growth of £234m in two years, the industry is in rude health, as brands release the opportunity to talk directly to consumers in a compelling editorial environment across various media.
The combination of an economic downturn, cheaper direct marketing channels and pressure from the green lobby has led to a 6% drop in direct mail spend, but while brands are getting better at targeting the right people, the industry still has a long way to go before it sheds its 'junk mail' tag.
Despite a difficult climate, digital marketing continues to record impressive growth as other media struggle, and agencies with broad skill bases and good ideas look set to prosper. By Becky Charles
The value of the top grocery brands has withstood the consumer shift toward bargain-hunting amid the gathering economic gloom.
Health, environmental and budget concerns have all driven shifts in consumer spending patterns.
LONDON - The need for activation in sponsorship and traditional field marketing led to the growth of experiential. Now agencies are moving into other areas to fit in with clients' demands for greater levels of involvement.
