Trends

The Social Factors Forcing Companies To Innovate

June 1, 2018

Two of the major trends of the past decade that have contributed to the rise in the demand for eco-friendly and health conscious products have been sustainability and health & wellness.

What Consumers Want

A survey published by Nielson a few years ago revealed that 66% of consumers are willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable brand. With millennials, the percentage was even higher at 73%.

Another report by Unilever last year indicated that 88% of the shoppers surveyed in India “feel better when they buy products that are sustainably produced.”

The Nielson Global Health & Wellness Survey of 2015, which polled 30,000 respondents from 60 countries revealed that 65% were cutting down on fats, 62% were cutting down on chocolates and sugar and 57% were opting to eat more natural and fresh foods, in an attempt to become more healthy.

What do all these statistics tell us? In a nutshell, that most consumers today want the companies they buy from to incorporate:
a) sustainable, ethical and responsible practices and,
b) practices that help the consumer stay healthy.

This article examines how these two prevailing trends have pushed some companies – including giants in their respective industries – to alter their strategies to fall in line with the demand for sustainable and health conscious practices and/or products.

SUSTAINABILILTY

High street fashion brands like H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencer have begun to offer recycling opportunities in their stores globally, where customers can trade in their discarded clothes for in-store discount vouchers. Some companies recycle some or all of the clothes to actually make new items of clothing out of them, while others hand over the clothes to charitable organisations that distribute them to people in need. In India, consumers can now recycle clothes at H&M and Marks & Spencer stores across the country.

In this example, large global brands have been pushed to come up with ideas that tie in with their consumers’ desire to contribute to sustainability and/or the ‘feel good’ factor that accompanies it.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

When you think of health conscious brands, McDonald’s is not the first name that comes to mind. But earlier this year, the fast food chain announced that its Indian menu would now offer healthier options, with the company tweeting “We’re listening to all health-conscious people out there.”

Some of the changes the company has made to its Indian menu include:
– Whole grain, instead of refined flour wraps
– 25% more dietary fibre in its patties
– 40% less oil in its mayonnaise
– A reduction in the fat content of its Soft Serve cone, which is now 96% fat free.

This is another example of a global giant engaging in activities quite far removed from their regular practices, in an attempt to retain market share and offer new products that are in tune with the changing times.

Globally, many other fast food chains such as KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell also offer healthier menu options in addition to their regular menus.

Is It Enough?

Admittedly, many companies, including some of the ones mentioned in this article, have come under the scanner for merely ‘greenwashing’ and not ensuring that their overall strategy is truly in line with greener (or healthier) practices. Some companies have also been accused of using such strategies to merely charge higher prices and/or to encourage consumerism.

But the moves made by these companies do at least indicate a step in the right direction.

Any company that wishes to survive in the market must sit up and take notice of what its consumer wants – which is exactly what these examples indicate has happened.

One hopes then that the moves highlighted above are just the beginning and that it is only a matter of time before such companies begin to innovate and incorporate long term strategies that are truly sustainable and healthier.

The examples also highlight the power that lies with the consumer to bring about innovation. If enough consumers demand products and practices that are sustainable, ethical and responsible, companies who wish to survive will have no choice but to figure out a way to supply them…a win-win situation for the consumer, the company and our planet at large.

Is it time to change things at your company? Zeitgeist uses the platform of design thinking to develop innovative, long-term solutions that are relevant today as well as in the future. Reach out to us for all your Design Strategy and Design Management requirements.

Gitanjali Singh Cherian
Marketing Manager

Business Tips & How To's

A Small Business Marketing Manager’s Most Valuable Tool

By admin on

May 18, 2018

- Business Tips & How To's

WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT A MARKETING MANAGER’S ROLE IN A SMALL BUSINESS?

In large organisations one is likely to find a plethora of people dedicated to various marketing roles, such as a Market Research Director, Social Media Manager, Content Strategist, Marketing Analyst and so on.

In a small business however, as Marketing Manager, you might find yourself having to don several of these hats simultaneously, while also working in tandem with your Sales team.

The great part about this is that your job is NEVER ‘boring’; there’s always something new to learn and experiment with and you begin to see the marketing function from a more holistic angle, as well as understand the intricacies of each function – something that’s good for you, as well as for the business.

As interesting as the role is, it requires you to:

1. Be very good at planning ahead.

2. Focus not only on the marketing strategy, but the actual management, execution and measurement of it as well.

3. Continuously coordinate with a variety of people both internally, as well as outside the company.

4. Be on top of a lot of schedules, metrics and timelines ALL the time.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO SIMPLIFY YOUR ROLE

So what do you do when you have all these wheels spinning at the same time, each with their own momentum, while you are required to steer your marketing plan through the uncharted waters that are a startup’s market?

You employ the assistance of smart productivity tools and for me this tool is the G Suite by Google – one of the most user friendly productivity and collaboration products out there – perfect for any job that requires teamwork.

Now, many (or most) of you probably already use, or at least know about, G Suite; it is vastly popular. This article is intended for those of you who don’t use it yet.
I’d like to specifically share my experience with how it has helped me in my role as the marketing manager of a small sized startup.

I’m not here to tell you about the features and benefits of the G Suite – that’s been done many times over, which a simple Google search will reveal to you. I’m here to tell you about how it can help you, specifically, if you are the Marketing Manager, CMO or Marketing Director of a small startup. Maybe as the owner of the startup you are the CMO, Sales Executive and Social Media Manager all rolled into one! If so, you are just the kind of audience this article seeks.

WHAT’S IN G SUITE?

G Suite consists of several tools such as Gmail, Calendar, Google+ and Hangouts for communication and Drive for cloud storage.

Docs is a word processor, Sheets is a spreadsheet, Slides is a presentation programme, Forms is for surveys and questionnaires and Sites is a wiki and web page creation tool.

Granted, you may not use all that the G Suite has to offer (and there are a few more tools that I haven’t even mentioned) but there are some tools that can really help simplify your everyday work life.

THE VALUE THAT G SUITE BRINGS WHEN JUGGLING SEVERAL ROLES

G Suite allows you to:

Collaborate Easily

Internally, I do a lot of work with our Graphic Designer and 3D Visualiser to create content, and to showcase our work. With our Sales team I need to create or edit marketing material like ppt sales presentations, vet emails etc. Externally, I work closely with our Web Developers to regularly update our dynamic website to showcase our latest work. This means a LOT of files need to go back and forth! I simply create a folder for a particular task on G Suite’s Drive and share it with all the people who are party to the project – they can upload their bit when it’s ready.

With the Comments function one can add a comment / suggestion and assign a person to resolve it. The person automatically receives an update that lets them know they have something pending.

Share And Locate Files Effortlessly

Like me, I’m sure you’ve often been stuck sifting through a bizillion emails to find a file someone sent you a month ago. With G Suite, files can easily be shared on the Drive, and the person creating the file or folder can also set editing rights – so you can allow others to either edit or just view the files.

It saves a LOT of time as everyone knows exactly where to find something when they need it. Your Sales Manager urgently needs to show a client he’s with a brochure or a cost benefit analysis? All he needs is the online link to the Drive where it’s stored!

The cloud storage allows you to also easily upload large sized files, without clogging up someone’s inbox – great for sending those high resolution print files!

Create, Monitor and Share Schedules

If you’re managing the marketing of more than one brand within your company it means you need to be on top of a lot of schedules – content calendars, advertising campaigns, sales targets etc. I find Sheets very useful for this. While some people prefer preset schedule management software, I like the flexibility Sheets offers to customise a schedule exactly the way you want it – so you can develop and modify a system to create one that works best for you and for the task at hand.

Again, with functions like different levels of authorisation, role assignment and all the other features a spreadsheet offers, down to the simple things like colour coding options, it helps you stay on track and know where you’re at, at a glance.

Work On-The-Go

I travel a lot and thus a fair bit of my work needs to get done when I’m on the move. I use the G Suite app, which means I can work on a lot of things from my phone. This saves me time and I don’t necessarily need to have my laptop in front of me all the time.

Make Reporting A Breeze

It’s easy for top management, such as my Board of Directors to always knows where we’re at on a particular project, without necessarily having to get in touch with me, as long as they have access to the reports via the Drive, which I can update at any time to let them know where we’re at.

NOT SURE ABOUT MAKING THE SWITCH?

In case you’re thinking – but I’m so used to working on Word, Excel and PowerPoint, how will I make the switch? – that was my thought exactly when I was first introduced to G Suite.

But guess what, you CAN upload compatible files like Word and Excel onto the Drive and then edit and share them from there! The operational features are also very similar to what you’re familiar with in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. So the transition really is a breeze – so let that not be factor that stops you from trying it out.

G SUITE – HELPING YOU DO MORE

I haven’t managed to list out all the plus points I’ve come across while using G Suite and I know the functions that I use of G Suite are not even the tip of the iceberg! I’ve only scratched the surface – there’s so much more it has to offer; I learn something new everyday about how it can enhance my productivity at work.

But I’ve truly come to look at it as my online buddy that helps me get things done quickly and easily. Most importantly, it helps me keep those clubs (or knives, balls or fire torches – depending on how you view your work!) in the air all the time, and prevents them from coming crashing down around me.

If you’re finding managing more than one role at work overwhelming, try the Google Suite – it could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Gitanjali Singh Cherian
Marketing Manager

Business Tips & How To's, Trends

Three Marketing Terms B2B Startups Need To Know NOW!

By admin on

May 11, 2018

- Business Tips & How To's, Trends

We’re about a month into a new financial year and as the year’s new targets, budgets and strategies come into play, perhaps this is a good time to explore some of the big trends that are likely to impact B2B marketing this year.

1. Account Based Marketing

B2B marketing campaigns often tend to be expansive in scope – aiming to cast a wide net across numerous channels, with the aim of drawing as many potential clients as possible into the marketing funnel.

This strategy however isn’t viable for companies with small marketing budgets, such as the small start up – a type of business entity that is extremely popular today, and whose growth is only expected to grow.

Focusing all your marketing efforts on very specific target accounts, which in essence is what Account Based Marketing (ABM) is, is a more feasible and lucrative option in such cases, with a higher ROI.

In a large market place, this strategy allows you to focus on creating campaigns that are tailor made for your high value prospective clients. It’s more like having blinkers on and less like trying to hit many birds with one stone.

Almost 85% of marketers who measure ROI describe account-based marketing as delivering higher returns than any other marketing approach, with half of those marketers citing significantly higher returns.

ITSMA

Key factors of an effective ABM strategy are accurate identification of the target market, focused coordination between sales and marketing teams, as well as the development of personalised campaigns that truly appeal to the identified potential customers.

Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.

Seth Godin

2. SMarketing

Smarketing (derived from Sales + Marketing) is the alignment of the Sales and Marketing departments – critical to the successful implementation of an ABM strategy.
Why is it imperative that these teams work in tandem? The following statistic sheds some light:

74% of business buyers conduct more than half their research online, yet 89.5% of purchases are still completed by a salesperson.

Forrester

ABM could be viewed unfavourably by a sales team, as in essence it is being asked to work with fewer leads to generate sales. But in reality, with a well executed ABM strategy, the leads generated at the beginning of the process are all sales qualified leads (SQLs), and hence that much further in to the sales funnel.

The key is for both teams to understand that they have a role to play at various points in the process. For example, the sales team has ‘hands on’ experience that can help identify the target accounts as well as a better understanding of these clients that can help develop an accurate client persona. The marketing team can bring its expertise in to develop suitable and appealing content for this client persona. Finally, each team can execute the multi channel strategy across various marketing channels, using the method each is most skilled at.

Marketers doing ABM are about 40% more likely to report alignment with their sales team compared to marketers not doing ABM.

Bizible

3. Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing is here to stay and has a key role to play in developing a successful ABM strategy. Content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimisation and branding present a business with the opportunity to offer real value to potential clients, not just a promise or a showcase of the company’s achievements.

Just how important is content in bringing SQLs to you? Here are some statistics that pretty much say it all:

…supplier websites are the most popular channels for conducting research online, according to 83 percent of respondents…

Accenture

Individual customer stakeholders who perceived supplier content to be tailored to their specific needs were 40% more willing to buy from that supplier than stakeholders who didn’t.

CEB in Harvard Business Review

At The Intersection Of ABM, SMarketing and Inbound Marketing

To truly realise the potential of an Account Based Marketing strategy, content creators need to focus on developing highly directed material that demonstrates thought leadership. Any content creator worth their salt today knows that video is the way forward – but how creative can you get? How quickly can you adapt to incorporate the latest technology and trends, to deliver your message in an appealing way that stands out amongst all the content that exists in cyberspace?

The key lies in accurately understanding the end user and developing content that addresses their needs, solves their problems and adds value to their lives, as opposed to tooting your own brand’s horn. The idea is to develop a relationship built on empathy. This can only be successfully achieved if the people at the front line (Sales) and the people who develop strategy (Marketing) work closely towards a common purpose.

The effective integration of these 3 ideas could help forge a strong, focused and measurable B2B marketing strategy that yields desired results.

Gitanjali Singh Cherian
Marketing Manager

Business Development

Back In The Game – Returning to the World of Marketing After 5 Years

By admin on

April 19, 2018

- Business Development

Swimming In An Ocean of Change

Returning to a full time job after a gap of 5 years can be a daunting task for anyone, more so if you’re in the Marketing game.

When I joined Zeitgeist a year ago after my “baby-hiatus” I didn’t realise just how much the Marketing game had changed.
The last time I checked, Facebook was being used to reconnect with my school friends who I hadn’t met in 15 years, not as one of the biggest marketing tools the 21st century has seen yet. And just who were these “millennials”? And how was I ever going to understand what made them tick?
How did I ever get any work done before, without being part of an office WhatsApp group?

It’s not that Facebook was alien to me; and of course I knew all about WhatsApp, but I hadn’t realised just how much a part of work culture and business communications these tools had become. Not one who was particularly fond of social media, I soon realised that I definitely had to join ‘em and not beat ‘em if I were to survive as a Marketing professional.

A New Way of Thinking

A year on, I’ve survived, but I do learn something new every single day. And that’s been my biggest takeaway – that today changes in the field of Marketing happen so rapidly, you have to be on the ball all the time.

It hit me the most when the guru of Marketing, Philip Kotler – whose books I devoured in college and referred to regularly in the earlier part of my career – released his Marketing 4.0 in 2017, in which he openly refutes many of his own ‘rules’ of Marketing from just a couple of decades ago. Incidentally, that book is a great place to start, to understand what you’re up against as far as Marketing in the 21st Century (or at least the next few years!) goes.

What’s the Most Important Skill Marketing Professionals Need Today?

I would say it’s adaptability. Technology is going to lead to new tools and new ways of working, with unprecedented changes bombarding you at a pace that is hard to keep up with. (In the few weeks since I’ve started writing this piece itself, the world’s view on Facebook has altered a fair bit! And that’s big!)

But the good news is that learning how a new technology works is not that hard; the resources to do so are easily accessible – usually at the click of a button. The real test will be how well you will be able to adapt new technology to your job as a Marketer. Choosing which aspects of emerging trends and practices are the best for your particular role and rapidly making it work for you, is where the cleverness lies.

If you’re up for a challenge – and every marketer I know usually is – the not-so-distant future is going to be an exciting time for sure!

Gitanjali Singh Cherian
Marketing Manager