Deloitte report finds agile marketing, authenticity key as brands must meet “human needs.”
Trust and brand loyalty are becoming more intertwined, even as consumers expect brands to be able to pivot quickly in these uneasy times. Those are just a few takeaways of the new Global Marketing Trends 2021 report from Deloitte Insights. The report is based on two surveys: the first, of almost 2,500 adult consumers in selected countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia; the second, of over 400 C-suite executives, including CMOs, from U.S. global companies.
A loss of confidence. Particularly striking is the loss of confidence among executives in their ability to influence their peers and make a strategic impact. In the case of CMOs, the percentage of confident executives fell from an already very low 5% last year to 3% this year (for comparison, CEOs saw a fall from 55% to 35%).
Consumers, on the other hand, had a relatively positive perspective on how brands are responding to the current environment: “Almost four in five people could cite a time a brand responded positively to the pandemic and one in five strongly agreed it led to increased brand loyalty on their part.”
The 7 top trends. The specific top trends identified by the report shared in common, said Deloitte, “breaking out of our often defensive mindsets to more holistically — and authentically — meet human needs.”
- Purpose: Flourishing brands will be those that know why they exist and who they are built to serve. “(C)ompanies which know “why” they serve their stakeholders are uniquely positioned to navigate unprecedented change.”
- Agility: Successful marketers will
