Welcome to Issue 2 of BRAND CONNECTIONS
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 Welcome to our Spring edition of TNS Brand Connections. In this issue we have focused on a couple of key themes:
Media Spending;
How Does it Link to Trends in Brand Expression and Equity?
- TNS Media Intelligence reports that mainstream media – TV, radio, print, outdoor and banner advertising have grown a paltry 0.2 percent in 2007 versus 2008.
- On the other hand, alternative media is booming; marketers are increasingly using other means of “influencing” how they launch their product and services. For example, PR is being used more and more to “prepare the fields” so that when mass media does hit, the message is more likely to take root.
- Direct mail also reported an increase of 4.4%, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Digital and video media buying continue to show double digit growth.
- The Retail space is being recognized more and more as an essential platform for connecting and communicating with your core audience. TNS Sorenson estimated marketers will spend $25 billion by 2010 to advertise or receive special displays in-store.
Essentially we are seeing a paradigm shift; companies are not necessarily spending less on marketing (although some may be) but they are certainly shifting their spend across different platforms. Traditional media is still very important, however new marketing platforms such as word of mouth through social communities, and targeted online or mobile marketing are becoming more and more prevalent. If consistency was important before this proliferation of platforms, it is essential now. In addition, certain brand equity dimensions become even more critical in this changed media environment. For marketers this means that successful brand strategies must incorporate an understanding of a key element to brand building …namely Trust. See our article on Trust and how effective communication strategies must start looking at this dimension as a key KPI in today’s changing marketing environment of more choices and less control.
This edition of Brand Connections also offers insight into an important part of brand expression that many marketers have used with varying degrees of success – humor in their marketing communications. Click here to see examples of how to do humor right... because making people laugh doesn’t guarantee success.
Thought Leadership – Where we have been; what we had to say
In early April we presented results at the ARF that highlighted TNS funded research on Shopper Activation at retail... AdAge features an article on the TNS Shopper Activation Tool powered by MCA® that was presented at the ARF. While broader audits often lump all shopper marketing into a single bucket, TNS delved into more detail across 19 specific in-store media and tactics for its study, conducted with 552 consumers in February. Click here for the article in AdAge. If you would like a WebEx presentation of the results and findings, please contact us at tnsbcdinfo@tns-global.com.
Best Practices in Research
In this article we touch on best practice when it comes to doing segmentation research. The article focuses on advances that have been made to take segmentation from the descriptive to the prescriptive with a focus on action. Click here to read more.
We hope you enjoy this edition and look forward to your comments and feedback. Now I am off to do some marketing mixed in with a lot of research!
Best.
Jeni Chapman
Executive Vice President
TNS Brand & Communications
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