Communications
Connecting with consumers around the globe has been made easier through a proliferation of new media. But the message must be finely honed to stand out from the crowd.
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Communications
- November 2011
Brands and the celebrity effect
Brands frequently turn to celebrities for endorsements to help connect consumers with their products and services. But celebrity reputations can change like the wind. So who does America trust?
- November 2011
Social Media Helps Keep Marketing Promises
Social media allows people to share more about the brands they love, or hate. Opinions expressed in social media can build or break a brand, especially if they don’t take the opinions seriously.
- November 2011
Love, honour and obey
A brand’s life cycle can be like a rollercoaster ride. But don’t fret. Here’s the lowdown on what brands should be asking to pull themselves out of the rut and sustain their relationship with consumers.
- October 2011
The customer is always right
IT in the business world is looking to harness the intuitive user-friendliness driven by the digital consumer. How can businesses adapt their IT systems to align with today’s digital expectations?
- September 2011
Juicy gossip served fresh…
Nothing escapes the digital world, especially the latest gossip. What are the differences between going right to the source and browsing through editorialised content?
- August 2011
Getting it just right
After Twitter and Facebook got all your friends and family hooked, it wasn’t long before brands decided to share this space too. But are all social media strategies good for brands? And can social media backfire when brands go over the top with it?
- August 2011
The Revolution will not be televised…
The call for changes in the Middle East reached a breaking point earlier this year as the public – both young and old – took to the streets and demanded rulers step down. This could not have been achieved without the help of social media.
- August 2011
Heads in the Cloud
Cloud computing looms over the digital world, and looks set to become a big part of our lives, both in business and pleasure. So how does it work, and does it offer a silver lining?
- June 2011
Social networking Russia
Global social networks may be leading the way in developed countries, but they are still coming to terms with how to enlarge their user base in emerging markets.
- February 2011
Cosmetic changes
As environmental concerns become more and more mainstream, the cosmetics market is showing some interesting new trends. Now, some of the fashion industry’s biggest names are taking the initiative by going green.
- November 2010
Rise of the Kidults
It's no secret that the gaming industry has been incorporating adults into their target market for a while now, but marketing strategies have had to change and adapt for the new growing market of "casual gamers" that Nintendo so effectively opened up with their introduction of the Wii console. With these largely adult consumers on the rise, enter the PlayStation Move and the Xbox Kinect.
- November 2010
Collect and go
Prior to the boom of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, group online shopping in Asia was never that popular. But with internet evolution and consumer sentiment rebounding collective buying is gaining full force to offer consumers more value for their money.
- November 2010
Who’s the boss?
It's widely accepted that the strength of the relationship between a person and a brand or business is influenced by many factors, including planned communications such as advertising. Other factors such as consumption experience, incidental communication and competitor activity also play their part. Within this mix of influences, some believe that the role of the CEO or other leaders can be pivotal. Synovate conducted a quantitative study with 100 adults in the US looking at this very issue.
- September 2010
Get mobile
The theory of evolution is a simple one: adapt to your environment, or die. Right back when the world was nothing more than a glorified ice-cube, man was able to adapt to his surroundings and survive. We now try to make it in a global business network, and to do this we need to be adaptable and innovative. And this is where a new iPhone webpage for Toyota executives comes in.
- September 2010
Social Media Blues
There appears to be a growing dissatisfaction, and a rather public one at that, among users of social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Ironically, people are using these very networks to voice their opinions, which range from issues about poor security to being bombarded with too many ads; and not to mention the stress of coping with a high maintenance digital lifestyle.
- September 2010
The evolution of loyalty
Ensuring loyalty to a brand has become increasingly complex as new approaches and online technological platforms change the dynamics of company-customer interaction, and businesses explore various new ways of communicating with consumers.
- September 2010
Women on Top
Cue 2010 and a paradigm shift. Call it Girl Power, call it Women on Top, call it whatever you want, but there is a distinct trend for blokes to be the homemaker – more concerned with bargain blackberries than bargaining via their BlackBerrys – and leaving it to their spouse to bring home the metaphoric bacon.
- August 2010
The style spies
Monitoring the markets and working in the office all day leaves little time for a professional working man to stay in style. Yes, nipping off to a newsstand and buying a fashion magazine to read is an option. However, male fashion fans are finding it's much easier to visit their favourite websites, and get instant help from a willing army of fashion bloggers, who act as style spies.
- August 2010
Desktop destroyers
It’s clearly the age of mobile technology in which laptops, notebooks and the recent advent of hybrid tablet devices like the iPad, of which 3 million were sold within the first 80 days of its US launch, appear to be ruling the IT roost. With tablets estimated to account for 23% of all US PC sales by 2015, and sales of mobile PCs estimated to account for over 68% of all PCs sold worldwide by 2014, the writing seems to be on the wall. Are the days of the desktop, the predecessor of these new fangled devices, literally numbered?
- July 2010
A brand new day
After the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by countries around the world as a standard accounting language, companies were required to value brands that they own, and to disclose this in their annual financial statements. Now another sea change is here as a new ISO standard (ISO 10668) provides guidance on how companies measure the monetary value of their brands.
- July 2010
Wheels on fire
That the Tour de France rivals the football World Cup for Europeans' affections reflects the Tour’s status as the world's greatest example of events-based marketing and one that will truly astonish any marketer unfamiliar with the history of the race.
- June 2010
Ready for kick-off
The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June, signalling the first African hosting of a major football tournament. According to a study by Synovate, South Africans are more than ready to show the world their enthusiasm. Here are the some of the key findings from the study.
- June 2010
The right chemistry
After decades of bad press for their attitudes concerning profits over social responsibility, the pharmaceutical industry faces a challenge from within. Is this the change we’ve been waiting for?
- June 2010
Green Lean Machines
Hybrid cars that run on a combination of petrol, electricity and/or bio-fuels are no longer novel. Discover more about this, and other innovations to hit the motor industry this year. The developments may have the power to make the auto industry greener and cleaner.
- May 2010
Building the hits of tomorrow
New music artists are achieving their dreams of stardom, including great sales, fans, hitting the charts and critical success, all without the marketing support of a major record label. How are they doing it?
- May 2010
The new experience of luxury
‘Luxury’ is perhaps the most overused term in the marketing industry’s vocabulary, selling everything from hotels to toilet paper. However, because the globe’s richest are today able to afford most things material, their focus has moved towards using their money to discover otherwise unobtainable experiences and adventures.
- April 2010
Leave it to the experts
Unique products that reflect one’s taste, personality, and lifestyle are the ultimate sign of sophistication and identity. In the past, only the wealthy could afford custom-made products but nowadays, everything can be customised. Mass customisation is something companies can and should adopt to gain a competitive advantage over rivals.
- April 2010
Beware the eruption of wrath
The explosion of an Icelandic volcano has shed light on the power of the consumer to foment revolt against brands. As social media becomes part of the arsenal of customer complaint, companies better watch out.
- March 2010
Striking a balance
As people’s time online has increased, so too has their time watching television - an important lesson that despite people's love for all things interactive, they still need the downtime where they aren't asked to click, forward or comment.
- February 2010
Beyond the numb3rs
Corporate reporting is an invaluable opportunity to create connections between senior management and investors. The best reports don’t just tick regulatory boxes, they articulate strategy, make use of technology and can even be entertaining.
- January 2010
Krafty marketing got a lot right
What most pundits, real or self-proclaimed, overlooked is that the Kraft's Vegemite team actually came up with a solid new product, well received by consumers (ok, other than the name), selling well – and arguably a surplus of brand engagement.
- January 2010
Marketing in Society 2.0
Accepting the longevity of social media is just the first baby-step. Follow many of the discussions on social media occurring within the marketing space and it quickly becomes apparent that many still fail to grasp the major mind-shift that is now required.
- January 2010
Plugging the leaks
When internet buzz turns against your brand, it takes more than a press release to bounce back – you need channels, honest engagement across social media, blogs and more.
- December 2009
Trial by fire
In the Middle Ages, a common method for judging the guilt of those accused of crimes would be to force them to retrieve a stone from a pot of boiling water. For brands using shock tactics in advertising, the process is akin to this trial.
- December 2009
Virtual opportunities present real dangers
By now it is clear that in order to survive, let alone thrive, in business it is imperative for brands to have a clear, strong and synchronised presence in online channels, such as social media and websites.
- November 2009
The ‘social’ in social media cannot be ignored
Social media is clearly dominating the marketing zeitgeist. But scratch beneath the surface and it’s not uncommon to find a degree of perplexed disenchantment and scepticism. Jonathan Dodd looks at the human factor that makes social media important.
- October 2009
Happy with home-grown
In booming middle class India, brands don't get ahead by being "foreign" or from the "West" – home-grown, or at least adapted, brands are far more likely to appeal to India’s proud professional classes.
- October 2009
Sponsorships on the cheap
While your brand may not have the financial resources to grab yourself a spot on next season’s Manchester United jersey or sign up Kim Clijsters, there is great value to be found in up-and-coming stars and sports that reach your target audience.
- September 2009
Five things brands could do better on Twitter
In:fact correspondent Linda Collard gives her take on first impressions and the power of mobile tweeting - and reveals how in just eight weeks she went from zero to dependent on the power of Twitter.
- March 2009
Here comes the silver market
The silver market is generally considered to be consumers over the age of 50 – a huge market that is growing rapidly due to simple demographics: people all over the world are living longer.
- March 2009
Collective minds
How do you give the people what they want? It’s a simple question that businesses and manufacturers struggle with daily, but there may be a simple answer: let the people do it for you.
- March 2009
TV: Outside the box
First came the big terrestrial television broadcasters. Then there were the cable networks. Now, high-speed internet makes high-quality, online video available to anyone - erasing some of the old rules for making a TV network.
- August 2008
Social networking myths and facts
Synovate spoke with over 13,000 respondents in 17 markets around the world to find out who's connected and who's not, as well as attitudes and online behaviours. Some of what we found surprised us...
- July 2008
Is ‘green’ the new black?
The second annual Synovate and BBC World News climate change study showed that more and more people are concerned about climate change (72% across the globe and as high as 88% in Spain).
- June 2008
Owning the media channel
If the medium is the message, which medium do today's hottest brands and companies choose to get their messages out? Is simply buying an ad on a website or a 30-second spot on TV the best use of today's advertising dollars?
- June 2008
What people say, what people do
Social scientists have struggled for generations with the issue of what people say versus what people do. If we as researchers cannot trust what people tell us, how can we predict what will happen with the products and services we research?
- September 2007
China’s pre-Olympics pulse
Brands have spent mega-millions on legitimate sponsorship deals to secure their connection to the Olympic Games. How is all this affecting the grass roots population of China? To be brutally honest, very little!
- September 2007
The Olympic ringmasters
Exciting the public should be a breeze, but that's not always the case with the greatest show on earth. It's not easy to keep the public happy, but in every host city there's a team of people geared up to do just that.
- September 2007
The marketing marathon
Massive marketing campaigns for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing have been in place for several years, but it's only recently that companies have begun splashing their logos on billboards and products across China.
- September 2007
Capturing the world’s attention
Seven years in the making and billions of dollars spent in preparation, the 17-day Summer Olympic Games draws millions of overseas fans to the host city and is televised to billions.
- September 2007
Olympic sponsors vie for China’s passion
Big name sponsors are spending heavily on the 2008 Olympic Games. But are the Chinese paying attention?
- September 2007
To love or loathe a logo
The logo for the London 2012 Olympics has been the subject of much heated debate. Two experts weigh in on why they feel so strongly about one little graphic.
- June 2006
World Cup 2006
Brazil are the overwhelming favourite to win the 2006 World Cup, a recent Synovate survey has found.
- March 2006
Marketing on mobile phones
Mobile phone users are receptive to mobile marketing, but only when the messaging is personalized, exclusive and uses interactive elements like discounts, coupons and special offers, a Synovate study of Korea and Australia found.
- June 2005
Are surveys reliable?
Synovate tested the honesty of 2,640 survey panellists in the US, Germany and Thailand and found that the reliability of survey data varies significantly depending on the perceived "safety" of the survey topic.
- November 2004
We study students
Just ten years ago, poverty was a rite of passage and a badge of honour for Britain's students, who were often defined by their political activism. But a study by Project Edge found that today's undergraduates eschew activism in favor of an aspirational lifestyle. The marketers who make students feel special and who tailor innovative campaigns to the habits, routines and nuances of their lives, will reap the rewards.
- November 2004
The mideast challenge
When conducting market research in the middle east, it is critical to have a good understanding of the social structure and religious beliefs of a country or region— and to adapt market research techniques to fit local norms.
- September 2004
The Athens Olympics
A Synovate survey found wide interest in the Athens Olympics, with 82% of respondents saying they watched the event.
- April 2004
Hollywood ending
Test screening a movie can provide important information as to who will like a movie and why, but, directors can be hesitant to cede creative control and piracy is costing the movie industry about US $3 billion a year in revenue.
- February 2004
Cell phones and number portability
Number portability potentially offers a considerable business opportunity for the US cell phone network operator who is best able to attract their competitors' deserters, a Synovate study found.