Anne Parsons.
Quality is at the centre of priorities Australian CMOs are focused on when building enduring brands, according to research by digital outdoor media company QMS.
The study, aligned to research conducted by Ocean Outdoor UK, surveyed more than 25 Australian marketing leaders across 18 major advertising categories with a range of questions including what their greatest marketing challenges are and what are the most important factors when allocating marketing investment.
In comparison to their UK peers, the research found that Australian marketers placed greater emphasis on effectiveness over efficiency, balancing short term performance pressures versus longer term brand building.
Both markets highlighted the importance of audience attention and navigating the opportunity that AI presents.
QMS global adviser Anne Parsons said the marketing landscape had never been more complex, and the research focused on the universal challenges facing marketers while highlighting the unique strengths of the Australian market.
"What we're seeing is a mature understanding that sustainable brand building requires moving beyond simple reach metrics to encompass quality, attention and measurable effectiveness," she said.
"The insights will help shape how brands approach enduring success in today's rapidly evolving environment."
In a panel discussion on the results, industry figure Mat Baxter, founder and CEO of Skingraphica, said one of "the biggest fallacies" in marketing was the distinction between long-term brand building and short-term sales tactics.
"Long term is short term, and short term is long term," he said.
"A lot of the brands that got addicted to the performance drug are now having to swing very aggressively back into long term brand building. For me, I don't think it's one or the other. They're the same thing. Marketing is marketing."
Bianca Mundy, Head of Brand and Media at Coles, agreed that long-term and short-term strategies are “absolutely interlinked”.
“As a supermarket, we must get customers in the door to shop with us daily and weekly, but we’re also very focused on what do customers think about our brand," she said.
"When we think about the short term and the long term, we're really thinking about one thing – are we really clear what customers want to see from us?”
Georgia Bruton, CMO at Brown Brothers Family Wine Group said it is really important to be clear on what you’re measuring and why, and to do it regularly.
"The balance between long and short term only works when you know what success looks like for your brand," she said.
"If you’re measuring brand love, then metrics like awareness and emotional connection should be front and centre, things that tell you how people feel about you, not just what they buy.
"The key is that your metrics evolve as your brand and audience evolve. It’s not about measuring everything; it is about measuring what’s meaningful to your brand's purpose.”
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