1. PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012
Mission Impossible: 8

2. Refreshing crisis thoughts:
The marketing agenda of 2012
Marketing =
Building Sustainable Business
Strategy and Implementation
Market Dynamics Personal and
Experiences 8" Strategic Ambition
Identity
1" 7"
Information
Inspiration
Technology
Technology as 2" 6"" Data, Metrics
a Lifestyle Integration Investment Magic Wand
3" 5"
Intelligence Integrity
4
Actionable Internationalisation Transparency
Synthesis Me, You, Us
WW Net Neutrality
Market Power Equality Gebaseerd op Moenaert, Robben, Bray and Gouw,
november 2011
2

3. Preface Hans Molenaar
Never waste a good crisis… how-to’ manual. It is, however, indicative, case-based and contains a lot
of valuable statistics. The report looks at today’s trends - trends that are
My apologies… Last year I quoted in the PIM Trend Report that we are
observable and tangible - and discusses what is going on now and what
ascending out of the crisis that started in 2008. I couldn’t foresee the
will be important in the short term.
Euro-crisis and it’s impact on the world. Actually we can affirm that we
have a crisis upon a crisis, the double dip... So, I was wrong… but also a The still growing Platform Innovatie in Marketing’s vision and mission is to
tad right by saying that we aren’t there yet. This crisis may last a few recognise and monitor the most important and distinctive marketing
years, perhaps. Afterwards, the world will never be the same, so… time to trends and share our knowledge with you. Just looking and debating not
create or own new world then! How? Be creative, work hard and be enough: action is needed. At PIM there is a continuous, healthy
smart, and most of all, get engaged with both your customer and supply examination about developments in the marketing field, a reflexion which
chain. Social is the word, relationship is the key… So, turn the world we want to share with you! One of the accomplishments we share is the
around is not a Mission Impossible => Mission Impossible: 8. PIM Marketing Trend Report.
What you have in front of you is the PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012. It As always, the report will be distributed to PIM members and others
is the eighth time Platform Innovatie in Marketing (PIM) has published a involved in innovation in marketing. Peter Gouw is the report’s editor. A
report like this. The third time from Peter Gouw’s hand, the first five times record number of other marketers have also contributed to the report!
the Trend Report was written by Egbert Jan van Bel. The assignment for Thank you all for the hard work!
Peter Gouw, as editor of the Marketing Trend Report 2012, was to
I hope this report will guide you to improve your marketing results and
describe what your company needs to do to use the present situation to
realise your goal in customer value for 2012. We as "Platform Innovatie in
maximise your interests, using statistics, global research and best
Marketing” wish you loads of inspiration with this new Marketing Trend
practice.
Report 2012. Enjoy reading it!
With the title Mission Impossible the report will walk you through eight
subjects: Information Technology, Integration, Intelligence,
Internationalization, Integrity, Investment, Inspiration and Identity. The key
purpose of the PIM Marketing Trend Report is to be food for thought,
discussion and reflection. The aim of this report is not to give a complete
overview of all the trends in marketing, but to shed light on the most
relevant marketing trends that will impact our work throughout 2012.
Extremely necessary in times like this. Its purpose is to help marketers Drs. Hans Molenaar
make better decisions and provide guidelines for their work. It is not a ‘ Chairman Platform Innovatie in Marketing
3

4. PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012
Focus Trend Rapport
PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012 Colophon
January 31st, 2012
In this trend report you will not find short lists of trends and hypes.
Publisher: Platform Innovatie in Marketing
Nor warnings or intimidating facts. And this report is also not about
an insightful description of what the trend will be in 5 to 10 years Translation by Euro-Script Utrecht
from now. Video : Dimitris Krisilis
Price per copy 95 Euro incl. VAT
The assignment of the board of PIM is clear. Where do we stand as Free copy PDF download for PIM members
marketers today, why should we step up the plate and what should
we do in 2012? We focus on the missions marketers / managers
have this year. We have distinguished 8 special missions.
Impossible missions, let’s see and discuss, but for sure we have to Editors
work off-the-grid (again). That’s what this trend report is all about. Rudy Moenaert (TiasNimbas)
Real marketing focus, facts, tips and opinions of our PIM Marketing
trend watchers’ network in order to help improve performance in Henry Robben (Nyenrode)
2012. Providing marketers / managers insights and explanations Egbert-Jan van Bel (Beeckestijn)
they can use immediately within their Business to Business (B2B) Jan Havermans (GfK)
or Business to Consumer (B2C) activities and of course to inspire.
Pim van Geest (van Geest)
Michel van den Bosch (StratEx)
Peter Gouw
4

5. PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012
Table of Contents
Visual Mission Impossible: 8 2 8
Identity
Foreword 3 1 7
Information
Focus Trend Report 4 Technology Inspiration
Content 5
Trend 1 Information Technology 12
2 6
Trend 2 Integration 17 Investment
Trend 3 Intelligence 22
Integration
Trend 4 Internationalization 27
Trend 5 Integrity 29
Trend 6 Investment 33
Trend 7 Inspiration 38
3 5
Intelligence Integrity
Trend 8 Identity 43
PIM Marketing Trend Watchers 2011 51 4
Internationalisation
Our Sponsors 52
5

6. PIM Marketing Trend Report 2012
Focus
What key trends are on the commercial radar in the years to Business Model Innovation no longer relates to the challenges that await
come? the skillful marketer of today and tomorrow. MI:8 is nothing more or
nothing less than a Business Model Turnaround.
Tom Cruise is starring yet again in the recently released movie Mission
Impossible 4, and we sincerely hope this will be his last MI appearance!
But he should perhaps rise to this challenge because the marketing The reason behind this report
world is already a few sequels ahead of the Tom Cruise bunch. Today, we
Change in the world is gaining momentum. Late 2010, the Western world
are looking at MI:8. We will use alliteration, a century-old technique
was geared for new growth hoping that the crisis would subside. There
widely used in poetry and music, to convey our thoughts on the
was an air of hopefulness, but the fundamentals were still in a shambles.
marketing agenda for the coming years. We have been accustomed to
And from a marketing perspective, we would have to rethink our position
this particular literary device ever since McCarthy propelled the 4 Ps into
in the business environment. Eight professionals from their own particular
marketing stardom.
fields of expertise have written this report to impart their knowledge and
The challenge for today’s marketing managers is all about boosting the reveal the trends for the coming year or two. We are not striving for a
customer experience; it is about deploying the interactive aspects of
information technology to appeal to demanding target groups both old
and new. You want to develop activities that fully integrate into your
customers’ lives in a seamless manner, using intelligent solutions, is fact-
based and focused on actual behavior. In the meantime, economic
growth is shifting towards the Far East. Growth in European markets is
stagnating, and even a decline is on the cards. The Far East, with its
rapidly growing population and economies, is now more interesting and
relevant than ever. Doing good business requires transparency to keep
the house clean. No business is immune, although perhaps a few may
attempt to prolong the current blur for as long as possible. The Return on
Marketing concept is rendering marketers accountable in the true sense
of the word. We need strong marketers, not funny marketers. They must
put emotion into their products and services to give customers a reason
to buy and employees a reason to be proud. This is what will bring an
end to the discussion about the added value of marketers and their
identity crisis. To coin a phrase, make marketing cool again. The epithet
6

7. long-term vision, but simply focus on a pragmatic understanding of the Michael Cusumano rightly argues that we must no longer think product
current environment. but rather product and services (“Staying Power”, 2010.)
The information in this report combines empirical insight, personal views, Cusumano is actually behind the times. We're now moving way beyond
and extensive discussion and debate among marketing trend watchers in thinking about 'products and services' as we should be thinking
the Netherlands who are associated with PIM (Platform Innovatie in ‘experiences.’ Apple's explosive growth is not about products or services:
Marketing). it's about creating a seamless, yet open experience with every interaction.
It's about a commitment to the elegance of simplicity. It's about building
an emotional connection with every customer. It's their ethos. And it
Structure pervades every touch point, every product - throughout their eco-system.
The distinct fields of interest for the coming year, our Mission Impossible:8 Organizations that evolve and get this right will be the ultimate winners.
are:
• Information Technology
• Integration
• Intelligence
• Internationalization
• Integrity
• Investment
• Inspiration
• Identity
This teaser is a holistic view of the 8 subjects covered in this report. The
following chapters give more detailed information about these areas.
1. Information Technology: Facebook, SAP, Tripadvisor, FourSquare,
Siebel, Groupon, Booking.com, iTunes, Twitter… The list of IT-enabled
businesses that have converted formerly fragmented markets into winner-
takes-all or winner-takes-most markets is nearly endless. Innovation guru
7

8. textbooks that are currently used in top-notch American business
schools. It is simply frightening to see how disconnected marketing
research methodology is from the connected world it is probing. Folks,
there’s a lot more to focus on than the methodological principles
underlying ad hoc marketing surveys.
However, the next big trend in intelligence is how to synthesize all the
collected data and present them in a condensed and digestible format.
2. Integration: Generation Y has made its first inroads into the
Take, for example, a company like CIRadar. They deliver a daily briefing
organizational pyramid. Also known as Echo Boomers, they are true
covering several metrics about you, your customers, and your
digital natives. The sequel to the 1990 classic ‘Home Alone’, starring
competition. The briefing covers a significant amount of data that would
Macaulay Culkin, would today be called ‘Never Alone’. Generation Y
take a team of 10 to 15 people to collect manually. This dashboard of
expects nothing less than transparency and authenticity of the people
meaningful, insightful and actionable information is available for a very
around them, and their employers. The forty-somethings who currently
reasonable $12K per year.
head up the marketing departments in many organizations may find
themselves not only outmoded, but most likely also outwitted by their
younger colleagues. Just watch a toddler used to the iPad interface try to
swipe its way to the next screen on your PC. Well… that toddler is your
next customer!
Again, it's about the experience. For digital natives, it’s more about
absorbing a technology that IS their lifestyle rather than a technology that
meets their specific needs. For digital natives, the best technology for
them is a technology they want to use 24/7/365 simply because it's
about their lifestyle - their everyday experience. It's not something they
turn off when they leave work.
3. Intelligence: We continue to be profoundly amazed at how
inadequately the academic community reacts to the opportunities
afforded by the new scenery. The Internet provides huge opportunities to
study customers, competitors and other stakeholders in real time, and as
a business ecosystem. As a test, we screened a few of the leading
8

9. 5. Integrity: Any relationship between two people actually involves three
entities: the first person (‘me’), the other person (‘you’), and the
relationship between both of them (‘us’). In the age of one-way
communication, the company (me) was
able to define the relationship at its
discretion. Personally, we do not think
for a moment that the presidential
ambitions of DSK, the brand label
generally used for Dominique Strauss-
Kahn, would have been dented at all by
4. Internationalization: In the past, the Western world viewed his escapades if they had occurred
developing countries as low-cost production centers and avenues for some 50 years ago. We have, however,
channeling Barbie, beer and cosmetics. However, the business’ center of entered the age of transparency.
gravity is rapidly shifting towards the Far East. The 7th billion person on Morons, however high in the
this planet was born recently in Manila. Citizens in the Far East no longer organizational chart, are today
consider themselves as passive outposts, slavishly implementing the confronted with a ‘you’ who wants a greater say in ‘us’. This is something
agenda of Western headquarters. No, driven by pride, people and the that is very much needed. We do not want idiots like Bob Diamond, CEO
power of money, they are now building their own global corporations and of Barclays Bank, saying in a parliamentary committee in January 2011:
brands. A voiceover in a new edition of “How the West was Won” might “There was a period of remorse and apology; that period needs to be
just suggest it all started in the Far East. Chris Burggraeve, the over. We need our banks willing to take risks,
Chief Marketing Officer of AB Inbev, put it quite simply: “The to be confident and to work with the private
Belgian marketer of the future will be international, or he won’t be sector in the UK to create jobs and improve
a marketer”. A very valid observation. economic growth”. Vineet Nayar, author of
However, there is a wildcard in the equation. The concept of “Employees First, Customers Second”, is
worldwide net neutrality has been a catalyst to breaking down right: transparency keeps the house clean.
borders and isolated cultures. Some geographies are doing their And if we may be so bold, it keeps idiots like
utmost to gain control and limit Web access. This could change Bob Diamond under scrutiny. Even Michael
things or at least slow down the openness of information. Porter himself calls for shared value rather
than shareholder value.
9

10. 6. Investment: The book ‘Marketing Strategy & Organization’ (4th 7. Inspiration: Are you inspired to lead the change and manage the
Edition, LannooCampus, 2011), quotes Sir George Bull, a long-time journey through the commodity game, through financial market
veteran of the British beverage industry. He observed: “The marketing disruption, through the battle for energy and the environmental
function bears all the hallmarks of abstract art – it costs an arm and a leg, challenge? As marketing leaders we should and need to be inspired by
it bears only a passing resemblance to real life, and you’re never quite these fundamental trends. It is inevitable - you will have to demonstrate
vision and leadership more than ever before, and lead your company by
building a sustainable business roadmap with a competitive edge. By
embracing the new reality, look differently, look forward, ask yourself
WHY and use the full potential of your company strengths, resources,
opportunities, and commit fully to all this. Involve your entire organization
and bring emotion to
the people and
customers. Giving
them a reason to buy,
work your ‘you’. The
question might be:
“Does your inspiration
come from the crowd
or from yourself?” As
life is becoming more
individualistic and
sure what you’ve got at the end of it all”. Return on Marketing is still a self-reliant, are we
gypsy metric. It need not be. Marketing activities are an investment in a seeking collaboration
firm’s business model. We need marketers who not only understand the to get the right
ins and outs of an advertising campaign, but who can also calculate and proposition out there?
sell the net present value of search engine optimization, international Life is a journey -
brand expansion, new product development and sales force recruitment. enjoy the ride!
We need strong marketers, not funny marketers.
10

11. 8. Identity: The questions currently being asked by marketers and heard
in marketing discussions reveal that marketing is undergoing an identity
crisis. When asked which marketer we admire the most, Steve Jobs is
more often than not our unanimous answer. We do not believe that Steve
Jobs’ business card read: “Chief Marketing Officer”. He wouldn’t have
accepted that. What Steve Jobs did was real marketing; he impressively
transcended the two disciplines that are generally used to illustrate the
field: marketing research and marketing communications. In reality,
marketing is building sustainable business. The marketer is the architect
and manager of the core commercial processes of an organization. Well,
it’s high time to rethink these core marketing processes and organizational
structures. “What ultimately constrains the performance of your
organization is not its operating model, nor its business model, but its
management model” (Gary Hamel in The Future of Management).
Business model turnaround has always been the #1 decision screen for
good marketers. The mediocre marketer operates effectively as a
caretaker and guardian of the status quo. True marketers attempt to peel
back the layers of perceived truth, they are driven towards insight rather
than data, they are motivated to perform and use creative problem-
solving to identify new opportunities and cater for a real customer need.
To put it simply, the business model innovation label no longer captures
the challenges that await the skillful marketer.
There is no choice: MI:8 means Business Model Turnaround.
11

12. Trend 1 Information Technology
The year of the natural user interface
Natural user interface: from Search Engine to Answering Siri, ask a question and Siri will give you the answer and provide it in text.
Machine Apple makes a search more relevant – ask for information and get the
answer.
In 2012, Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri,
will pose serious competition to Google on the other hand seems to be sticking to finding web pages.
Google. Users of Apple’s Siri platform Google+ is a step towards the next search levels, and predicts what you
for the iPhone and iPad do not have and I want to find.
to search through thousands of
websites for what they’re looking for.
Siri provides answers to questions,
makes a reservation in a restaurant,
sends messages, or orders a taxi.
You can strike up a conversation with
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13. Natural user interface: Near Field Communication (NFC)
With the introduction of Near Field Communication (NFC), banks stopped
investing in the ChipKnip. NFC technology means paying is simple – just
swipe your smart phone across a reader at the cash desk, or touch
another phone with your phone to transfer money from your account to
the owner of the other phone. Google Wallet is currently the market
leader, but banks are also experimenting.
NFC makes paying more user friendly. You no longer have to find a Natural user interface: MultiTouch
charge point. You will
Interactive Glass: Imagine a shop window where we can pick and choose
be able to charge
from the complete range, examine your choice to your heart’s content,
your wallet on the go,
and then drag it to a shopping basket - all without even entering a shop.
even fully
automatically, so you
can be sure you
always have funds
available.
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14. Multitouch glass will start to appear in the home and office and in public and 3D face recognition, this bank will provide fully digital banking
spaces. There will be Multitouch glass where interactivity and information services. You can now open a bank account, or order a new credit card.
coincide, providing people with yet another way to interact with an Clients must still answer a few questions verbally, and lie detector
organization. software will detect whether they are telling the truth. If this is the case,
your verbal characteristics will be stored on your card whereby the
system learns and improves itself.
The next step: Hand Gesture Recognition (2012: Innovators)
Natural user interface: Robotics in customer service
2012 will see companies investing in robotics for service processes. So
far we’ve seen this mostly in production processes. At some point in
2012 it will reach the tipping point for customer services.
Sberbank in Moscow is probably the first bank where technology has
won out over the employee. Using scanners for passports, fingerprints
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15. Social impact: The end of hierarchy
Natural user interfaces will make technology and its intelligence available
to all. Individuals will have more influence, and be less dependent on
others. This, in turn, will free them from hierarchical systems based on
control and inequality. They will look for equal relationships as citizens,
employees or customers. If they’re not satisfied with the service provided,
they will join up with others in the crowd to be heard.
Social impact: Social judgment
Bringing a case before court will be increasingly difficult and more
expensive in 2012. In fact this is no longer a viable option for many
people. It’s either too expensive or time consuming, and consequently its
popularity as an option is on the wane. No worries, crowd-based
solutions are at hand. Technology currently available makes connecting
with others in the crowd easy. It is highly effective and easy to use. So, for
example, if you have a problem with a company, and you shared this
problem with others and with employees in that company, the latter will
swiftly attempt to remedy whatever was wrong. Everybody wins, and it’s
light years faster than going to court.
15

16. Social impact: The Boardroom sandwich Nano world
To date, politicians and young people have been active on numerous Although still in its infancy, nanotechnology will evolve rapidly and in the
different social platforms, but the board members of big multinationals next year or two we will be seeing its first practical applications in
didn’t seem to care. Today this attitude is no longer viable and may even everyday life. By the late 2010s, ubiquitous, unseen nano devices will
be destructive because communication with all stakeholders in a provide seamless communication and surveillance among all people
company has become crucial. They have to prepare for an openness and everywhere. Humans will have nano implants, facilitating interaction in an
transparency that was not previously required of companies - the all-pervading network. Everyone will have a unique Internet Protocol (IP)
boardroom must step up to the plate or be phased out. address. Since nano storage capacity is almost limitless, all conversation
and activity will be recorded and recoverable. -- Gene Stephens,
"Cybercrime in the Year 2025," July-Aug 2008
Social impact: Digi crime
A word of warning: the frantic
pace of digital development and
dwindling financial funds will lead
to an increase in cyber crime. The
greatest threat is identity theft, so
protect it!
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17. Trend 2 Integration
Integration is constant evolution
Have you ever met somebody from Generation Y? Well, they are now products. There are no secrets. Companies can no longer hide behind
entering your organizational pyramid or taking over your own household if happytalk websites. Generation Y expects nothing less than transparency
you have teenagers or older children. These Echo Boomers, Youngsters, – of the people around them, and of their employers.
Generation Why, Millennials, Generation Next, Net Generation, Einstein
and .com Gen were born between 1980 and 1996 and are true digital
natives. They have grown up in Authenticity
a world resounding with Brand authenticity drives consumer
commercial messages. They choice. But perceptions of authenticity
are adept at filtering out change. The young generation considers
messages that are irrelevant. the old interpretation of authenticity i.e.
They are skeptical about origin, brand history and heritage, to be
product novelty or brand less relevant or important. In their eyes
uniqueness. They take heed of authenticity means being unique, honest
their friends, of shop staff and and ethical. If marketing managers have
family rather than websites and to tell people that their brands are
brand brochures. And key to authentic then they are not - Generation Y
brand building are consumers will decide for themselves
transparency, authenticity and what’s authentic and what’s not.
connectivity. The needs,
behavior and habits of this
generation is the angle for Connectivity
explaining some of the Generation Y demands connectivity. They
integration challenges don’t just buy brands, they join them. And
marketers will face in the so they want to be connected to them
coming years. just like they want to be connected to
their friends. They use social networks,
microblogs and blogs in order be part of a
Transparency conversation, part of a community. This is why many successful brands
Society is currently moving towards total transparency and there will be use social platforms and behave like friends by providing involvement and
no room for corporate rhetoric about adding value to commoditized control over the brand.
17

18. How do you compete to gain their trust and give them a reason to buy The Values of Generation Y employees:
from you or work for you? They are also perceptively called Generation • Meritocracy. Only the talented survive and people with talent should be
Why because they don’t take things for granted. Generation Y able to succeed.
“demands” flexibility and telecommuting choices, and is generally • Camaraderie. Working with others, in teams or just collaboratively;
optimistic, highly social and rather moralistic. They have a complex and group accomplishment is sweeter than solo success. A sense of
strongly tribal social structure built on their social networks. Work and mentoring, or mentors, in the workplace.
social life are blurred (global • Non-traditionalism. Doing things differently from in the past while
making the point that “this is
workplace study, Johnson different”.
Controls Inc.'s). Generation Y •Integration of work and personal
brings new energy with their life in a number of ways: co-
virtual collaboration & workers are “family”, work and
communication, networking, social life blend, and personal and
knowledge sharing and their social activities are merged into the
working day or night.
second-nature use of online
•Fierce independence: in choice of
tools. This comes as a big company to work for, when to
challenge if you happen to be leave, how to get the work done,
a traditional marketing (offline) and how the work should be done
manager. The Johnson are all individual decisions, with
Controls study showed that input from social and professional
networks. The result is that there is
over 70% of respondents say
little loyalty to employers.
they want recycling programs
in the office, and 47% would
like to see solar panels on site
at work. And 79% prefer
working in an urban
environment. Are we ready for
this? Or will they “come round”
once they have experienced
the financial and economic crisis and act “normally”?
18

19. Generation Y employees see themselves as: expect that their
• Unique. They consider themselves to be a breed apart, talented, skilled organization will
and in demand. They strongly believe in the value of their work and provide learning and
expect “the rest of the world” to appreciate it. growth opportunities:
• Proud. They are confident of their skills and enjoy being looked to for the chance to do
advice and guidance and admired for their special talents. creative, challenging
• Confident. They show little fear of the future, believing that their skills will work, with career
always be in demand, and they have a strong support network in place
through family and friends. prospects.
• Realistic. They are, however, realistic about financial compensation in Collaboration. Young
turbulent economic times. workers seek a work
• Are they too arrogant and without the right experience and knowledge
culture that is
for them to have power?
organized around
teamwork and
Implications for Business collaboration.
Financial compensation. Social Responsibility.
Young knowledge workers Business should
may be realistic about espouse a social
variations in compensation cause that goes beyond the traditional bottom line.
because of economic
Is this a generation of “cherry pickers” with company devaluation as the
fluctuations, but the
result? Well as Don Tapscott stated in his book: Grown up digital (2009),
underlying expectation of
“this newest generation of workers entering the workforce is changing the
high compensation
way that we live and work”.
remains.
In the years to come, marketing managers will face a shift in their tasks. In
Caring. The sense of being
an era of digital technologies and empowered customers, it is more
nurtured and indulged by
important to become a “content supply chain” manager by managing
the organization is central.
content through coordinating messages in the media rather than just
Career opportunities. publishing simple content. Marketing managers will have to become
Generation Y workers marketplace intelligence leaders by taking a lead in distributing customer
19

20. insights gathered through the digital touch points across the organization. A study by Junco and Mastrodicasa: “Research on ‘The
Online marketing and social media are not just new channels that can be Net.Generation,’” found that 97% of students owned a computer, 94%
used for the same commercial message – they are much more. owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player (iPod, Zune, Sansa,
etc.). The same study also found that 69% of students polled had a
Just watch a toddler used to the iPad interface try to swipe its way to the
Facebook account, 28% owned a blog and 44% read blogs. At home,
next screen on your PC. Well… that toddler is your latest customer!
Gen Y influence 81% of their families' apparel purchases and 52% of car
Generation Y was raised in the world of digital information technologies. choices.
They can’t imagine a life where consumers are not able to connect with
Nike found out the hard way that Generation Y is different. Although still
hugely popular among teens, the brand actually lost its hold on the
market at the turn of the century, according to Teenage Research
Paul Polman Unlimited, a Northbrook market researcher. Nike's slick national ad
CEO Unilever campaigns, with the emphasis on image and celebrity, helped build the
brand among boomers. Yet these ad campaigns backfired with Gen Y
who said: ''It doesn't matter to me that Michael Jordan has endorsed
“If they can bring Egypt government down in
six weeks they can bring us down in
Nikes''. Bad moves such as Nike's disastrous attempt to sponsor
nanoseconds.” Olympic snowboarders and allegations of inhumane overseas labor
practices only fuelled Gen Y's scorn. As Nike has discovered, success
with this generation requires a new kind of advertising and a new kind of
product. The huge image-building campaigns that led to boomer crazes
in everything from designer vodka to sport-utility vehicles are less
effective with Gen Y. ''The old-style advertising that works very well with
boomers, ads that push a slogan and an image and a feeling, the
each other, talk about products and services, share opinions and assess younger consumer is not going to go for,'' says James R. Palczynski,
what other consumers have to say. They are active producers of media retail analyst for Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. and author of YouthQuake, a
information and are constantly looking for interaction. Companies are study of youth consumer trends. Instead, Gen Y respond to humor, irony,
starting to acknowledge this “power to the people” movement. and the seemingly untainted truth. Sprite has scored with ads that parody
celebrity endorsers and
20

21. carry the tagline ''Image is nothing. Obey your thirst.'' J.C. Penney & world they grew up in. The best technology for them is one that they want
Co.'s (JCP) hugely successful Arizona Jeans brand has launched a new to use 24/7/365 since it's about their lifestyle - their daily experience, it's
campaign showing teens mocking ads that attempt to speak their not something that’s turned off when they leave work.
language. The tagline? ''Just show me the jeans.''
You gain Gen Y’s attention by being available 24/7, listening to them, by
Nike has learned from its mistakes. When the company wanted to being creative,
contract Rihanna and Chris Brown to promote their skating products, green and
they first asked their fans, who, in turn, didn’t think it was a good idea. responsible. Be
Gen Y consumers said that both stars had nothing to do with skating; competitive by
they don’t even know how to skate! These celebrities would not lend staying true to
credibility to the campaign. And so Nike did not contract them. But they your brand DNA
did sign a contract with a young Paul Rodriguez, also known as P-Rod, a and connect to
young street skateboarder turned professional at the age of 17. They shot the spirit of the
a video in the most beautiful places in New York popular for skating, with new generation -
P-Rod demonstrating his most spectacular and difficult skateboard tricks. this is the secret
Nike’s commercial with P-Rod got hundreds of thousands clicks on to becoming part
YouTube. of their choices.
Just as Darwin
The sequel to the 1990 classic
once said, it’s
‘Home Alone’, starring Macaulay
not the strongest
Culkin, would today be called
of the species, in
‘Never Alone’. Generation Y was
this case
raised in a world in which total
companies, that
connectivity is normal.
survive nor the
Technology is not just a device,
most intelligent.
it’s a part of their lives. The way
But the one most
they make purchasing decisions,
responsive to
start friendships, communicate
change.
and make career choices is
affected by their use of online
technologies. Because this is the
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22. Trend 3 Intelligence
Power shifts to the User, Information becomes focused
GfK must reevaluate their position in the current marketplace if they are
to provide viable and up-to-date tools and insights for specific groups to
use. And even if they do this well in the coming years, Google will be by
far the largest market research institute in 5 years’ time because they
created a total new market research playing field – a new business
model.
The networked company, the real relations within the
company
If we go beyond the hierarchy, and see the company as a network, we
gain new insights into how organizations truly work. This also means that
information flows are no longer top-down or run by just a handful of
people. Getting everybody involved in a company’s strategic goals means
Marketing intelligence
There is a distinct difference between market intelligence and marketing
intelligence, or can we combine them as business intelligence? In these
economically challenging times, companies and individuals are
increasingly looking for pragmatic ways to conduct research and make
sure it is relevant to their business. It will become easier to communicate
with the market via online questionnaires, portals and other user groups.
It is no longer the domain of the big research companies, although they
still play a major role. But the individual is now empowered through
various apps to get the right information that is essential for them and
their division or company. Since most relevant information is now in the
public domain, companies like Google, Facebook and LinkedIn provide a
wealth of information to targeted users through groups and specialized
apps. The big research companies like Nielsen, Kantar, Synovate and
22

23. getting the very best out of people and not just having them perform their to attract the right employee. Another great innovation in providing value
designated tasks. Using the best that networks can offer, both inside and to the customer as well as the company is KLM’s Social Seating. The idea
outside the company, fluid project teams are better equipped to focus on is to allow passengers to select seat-mates on the basis of what their
specific goals. And once the target is reached, the team dissolves to Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ profiles say about them.
make way for new projects. In 2005 Bill Gates drafted a memo headed:
“the new way of working” to encourage his company, Microsoft, to shift
towards this new norm. Even though the memos are already seven years
old, it was only the Dutch division that managed to fully implement his
views successfully. However, increasing pressure to create a viable work-
life balance will mean that this new way of working will be implemented in
many more companies across the board. Failing to provide this flexibility
will put your team or company at a distinct disadvantage when attempting
Apps
in business, getting things done
ERP systems used to be the norm in larger companies. Even though
they’re very useful, more and more startups provide applications to
present data in a more useful manner. So look beyond the big systems to
get the right applications for your team or company. Faster time-to-
market and implementation can be guaranteed if you’re able to define
your specific requirements for the goals at hand. Integration of specific
marketing information can be extracted from proprietary systems as well
as public domain information from dashboards instead of bulky reports.
23

24. Information becomes has its limitations. Ask yourself what information is essential for achieving
actionable, clutter is the company or team goals and what seems to be unnecessary detailing.
reduced, and there is Provide the team with meaningful aggregated data instead of
no unnecessary focus bombarding them with yet another list. It also means that intuition, based
on too many KPIs. on experience and input from multiple sources, places increasing
importance on decision-making. A project and result focus will diminish
Finding the right
the need for bulky reports and increase actionable data presented in
applications for your
dashboards and scorecards.
business is a challenge
simply because new Look for proprietary systems provided by ERP vendors like Business
apps are cropping up Objects, Cognos, SAS enterprise BI server, Oracle enterprise BI server
every day. Analyzing large amounts of data, finding meaningful patterns and of course Microsoft products. And don’t forget nonproprietary
and aggregating them to useful data does not have to take place within systems from vendors like QlikView, WebFocus or even open-source
the company. New services will provide you with the necessary insights
to propel your company towards achieving its goals. Online surveys will
become more sophisticated and easier to implement as will interaction
with the customer through gamification to monitor behavior and conduct
interactive research.
A wealth of new programs is available from numerous app stores. iPhone
users’ cell phone addiction is not only the result of its design - every new
app means they are more locked in. They can’t stop using their iPhone
and tend not to switch to the competition. They can no longer live
without the integration and intelligence afforded by Apple. More on
developments in the App-World in the recently released book “The App
Effect” by VINT.
Beyond Excel, be the guru or provide actionable information
People sometimes talk as though Excel were better than sex! What on
earth has happened to our lives! Yes, Excel is an excellent tool but it also
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25. software like Actuate and Pentaho. Share your vision with us, tell us what prospective partners is readily available through Internet technology, and
you think is excellent, challenge us and give feedback. should be used accordingly.
One of the best examples of a company that shifted from the traditional
Redefining your business model for true focus and business model towards a completely new one is Springer. Springer, the
collaboration second largest academic publisher in the world, fully embraced
digitalization and it has become very profitable in today’s market.
Our economy is a networked economy. More and more companies will
focus on a specific role within the supply chain and they will become
experts as a result. This will mean they can be more efficient and therefore
profitable. It also means that relations with other members of the supply
chain become increasingly important. It is no longer possible to ignore this
trend (it’s one of the winning business trends, Moenaert, Robben and
Gouw), as the geographical boundaries no longer exist. Information on
Cloud-based computing
All the previously mentioned tools can be provided in the cloud. This
poses a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. Where previously
the IT department dictated what software people would use, now they will
look for the tools that best suit their needs without consulting or even
25

26. To warp up
In the coming year marketing intelligence will provide accurate and
actionable data for project teams and the company as a whole. In order
to get the right information at the right time, take a good look at your
business model and for more focus redefine it if necessary, and involve
the whole company and all its stakeholders to get things done. The
availability of public domain data and tools to access specific information
will shift power from the vendor to (expert) user. Give the employees the
freedom to explore these avenues and learn to adapt quickly. In the
coming years mobile applications will develop quickly and give users
more self-reliance. This means they will have to learn new skills and
adapt rapidly to a changing environment that places increasingly more
importance on social media.
informing the IT department. The result: loss of control, a raft of security
issues and more influence on what tools to use. On the other hand it
provides the user with targeted solutions on their smart phone or mobile
devices. iOS, Android and Windows mobile where HTML 5 will become
the new standards. It also makes the tools independent of their
workspace and blurs the boundaries between time and place.
Using currently available computing power, interactive data visualization is
becoming a requirement and even a necessity in order to keep up with
current demand.
The US elections, which are always very much data driven, will provide a
wealth of new applications and insight into what is currently possible.
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27. Trend 4: Internationalization
Center of Gravity Shift
What is a Shift in the Center of Gravity? Surat, Ghaziabad), Bangladesh (Chittagong), Afghanistan (Kabul), Yemen
(Sanaa), Mali (Bamako), Nigeria (Lagos), Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam).
In the past, the Western World was the center of gravity when it came to
setting standards for trends and creating a need for new products and With the rapid population growth in these emerging regions, bolstered by
the Net and social media, these markets are expanding rapidly. New
global companies are emerging at a rapid pace, led by pride, people and
the power of money. This is generating new international top competitors.
New rich appear; new markets open up for trade creating opportunities
for alliances, partnerships and acquisitions.
The growth in wealth and prosperity is guaranteed to accelerate fast in
these emerging regions and with increasing connectivity, it creates
enormous commercial opportunities. However, growth has a downside,
and resources such as water, energy and food will come under serious
pressure. Socially aware societies are emerging and stepping up to
address the resources issue, asking businesses, governments and NGOs
to take responsibility. As this next group of people will be a tremendous
commercial opportunity, they will also need to operate responsibly and
contribute to a world pervaded by ‘healthy societies’.
innovations. The global population is growing rapidly, the 7th billionth
person was recently born and we are moving towards a global population
of 8 billion. Today, the pace of population growth in the Western world is
diminishing, whereas populations in other parts of the world are growing
significantly faster, creating a shift of people and economic power.
Emerging regions - Africa, the Middle East and Far East – are home to the
10 fastest growing cities in the world: China (Beihai), India (Faridabad,
27

28. • One in ten firms in the Netherlands is active in international trade. The
top 1 percent of traders generated 74 percent of Dutch imports and 71
percent of exports in 2008.
• In 2009, 1 percent of companies in the Netherlands were foreign-
owned. They generated over a quarter of the added value, one-sixth of
employment and nearly a third of turnover in the private sector.
(Source: www.cbs.nl)
Beware of the unknown and unexpected, create flexibility, and make sure
to choose your business path wisely, select your partners with great care,
take responsibility and pro-actively translate the shift of gravity to
commercial opportunities.
The Statistics Netherlands internationalization Monitor for 2011 states;
“Economic globalization is characterized by increasing international trade,
foreign investment and international sourcing. For the Netherlands, this
concerns activities by Dutch multinational companies abroad as well as
foreign enterprises in the Netherlands.” Important findings in this Monitor
are:
• The share of imports from BRIC countries quadrupled since 1996 from
4 to 16 percent in 2010, making China the third most important source
of Dutch imports.
28

29. Creating Sustainability Co-leadership is an essential ingredient for creating co-operation among
the different stakeholders needed for setting the new rules of the
‘Sustainability’ is part of the mission of many companies. In the past
sustainability game. An inspiring and visionary view by Tex Gunning, board
sustainability was about creating a way for your company to keep your
member at AkzoNobel on co-leadership can be viewed on YouTube.
shareholders, customers, consumers and employees satisfied. Today it is
Next,
AkzoNobel is
trying to set the
new standard
with support
from social
societies. They
really
understand the
need to build
trust and gain
the support of
social societies
only a ticket to ride. In order to create sustainability, leading companies
that is needed
are now focusing on all stakeholders, also involving governments, NGOs,
to achieve
institutions and social societies.
sustainability. An excellent example of how AkzoNobel is creating this
With a global increase in the consumption of resources, there is a trust is the Let’s Color Project (www.letscolourproject.com).
significant trend among international companies towards increasing
awareness of sustainable, durable and green business needs. This has
led to a shift from governments and NGOs establishing legislation to
companies and social societies creating legislation. The shift will probably
not be endless, but it will get to a point where governments, NGOs,
companies and social societies will work together to introduce
improvements to our world and society, setting new standards and
creating ‘green, durable and sustainable’ international legislation.
29

30. Philips is a company that According to Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, there is a commitment gap
continues to innovate to stay between what governments say and what they deliver on sustainability,
ahead of the competition. which provides an opportunity for business, NGOs and society to take up
Within this innovation the challenge. This challenge shows that Unilever already has all
process, besides customers stakeholders in its sites. Unilever Press Releases on sustainable change.
also opinion leaders and
Next, he expresses the urgency to think about how to better shape your
government officials are
business models and a new future. Watch on YouTube
already involved in the
innovation process. Philips It is also definitely worth watching the following Youtube movie entitled
has clearly taken the direction of focusing on all stakeholders by working “One Young World Global CEO Panel”, with 5 speakers. Watch on
with governments and NGOs. See also: YouTube) YouTube.
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31. Trend 5: Integrity
Consistency – Unity in relation
Integrity is often associated with In the Netherlands, integrity is often used as in the second concept: act
good-evil conflicts, mostly in the from a just understanding of a relationship. With a marketing approach it
sense of personal characteristics. is more about productivity and an emphasis on consistency, on top of the
If we follow this association for necessary emphasis on unity in relationship.
marketing, it is easy to get lost in a
race to be the ‘most respectable
person in the class’. Integrity marketing is a
consistent mix
We would say that reducing
In short we believe integrity
integrity to a ‘good-evil problem’
marketing is about the absence
will lead to too narrow a
of internal contrast combined
perspective, and the marketing
with customer insight, product
capabilities from the integrity trend
characteristics, services,
will be much greater if we
packaging, brand, price,
approach it with a broad
advertisement, promotion,
perspective.
sales promotion, personal
sales, publicity and distribution
Integrity – consistency – relation channels. No matter what the
marketing strategy of a
The word integrity comes from the
company might be: as soon as
Latin word integer, which means
there are inconsistencies (and if
‘untouched’, ‘flawless’ or ‘whole’. A
they are there, they will emerge
‘flawless whole’ implies something
sooner or later) it will have a negative impact on sales.
made from parts, and that all its parts
are interdependent and interact. Take a practical example from the B2C market: the claim that a product
or ingredient is ‘natural’ is obviously vague. The consumer will have an
When we talk about integrity we want
idea of the product, but the consumer’s image and the real product mix
to emphasize two core concepts:
can be quite diverse because of this vagueness. These kinds of
• Consistency inconsistencies between the product mix and the experience will cease to
• Unity in relation
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32. exist according to market researcher Mintel. Producers will emphasize The compliance officer attempts to
the usability of the product, instead of what the product is made of. enforce ‘rule-based’ integrity. Using
what is referred to as a ‘tick box
culture’ the marketer can use his
Background: Everything is visible imagination to contribute on a
The driving force behind this trend towards integrity and consistency is ‘principle-based’ solution that meets
the recent increase in transparency in the B2C market. This penalizes the wishes of the customer. Where the
knowledge arbitration, and has led to a transparency spillover from the compliance officer uses integrity as a
B2C to the B2B market. The brake, the marketer uses it as an
visibility of the value chain in accelerator.
consumer markets has led to an
increase in the availability of
information and a subsequent Marketers do this by
strengthening of consumer implementing a consistent
activism. marketing strategy that covers
all the parts of the value chain
As a result, consistency in the
and is true to the spirit of the
marketing strategy will
relationship that the consumer
increasingly become more
has with the product. The
important. Transparency attracts criticism of the inconsistencies, whether
consumer receives positive
intentional or not, with all the subsequent consequences. Companies
confirmation of his moral
must therefore take a close look at their own value chain, and replace the
contract with the producer
parts that don’t fit their marketing strategy.
when consuming the product
or service. The consumer
New marketing: consistency & moral contracts becomes a fan. Integrity
doesn’t lead to new
This is a big opportunity for both consumers and marketers: B2B paternalism but to new
represents the largest part of economic activity and adding consistency marketing!
could lead to a new branch of marketing. In this type of market the
marketer will be a positive alternative to the compliance officer.
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33. Trend 6 Investment
Choosing the Investment to make
The banking crises of 2008, and the world economic crises of 2011 have to act in this way by countless marketing campaigns. Large companies
resulted in turbulent times. And something even worse may possibly be in are waging war with consumers and other competitors in an attempt to
store if we consider the political and financial issues that must be solved preserve their own market.
in 2012. In the meantime, customers throughout the world continue to
We have forgotten how to re-pair,
connect with each other,
re-use, produce and to re-
developing global trading habits,
produce.
getting closer and closer to one
another, leaving very little room A good example is guerilla
for distribution companies gardening in cities. It is
because these customers are flourishing because it is not only
doing business more cheaply a financial issue, it is about
and quickly directly with the human nature and the need to
producers. create and re-produce. Give
seeds to children, and they
Our planet is not only too small
want to put them in the ground
to maintain the pace of our
and watch them grow.
growing population; it is also too
small to contend with significant Give seeds to adults and they
number of large businesses first look on the Internet to find
operating on the world market. out about the ideal soil,
temperature, and moisture
Be more pragmatic about the
levels… and by the time the
choices you deal with because:
seeds should be in the ground,
We have no choice other than our children will be harvesting
to think about the right way we their produce.
should be doing things.
It is essential to learn again how
We must start to listen again to to re-connect with our planet,
others and ourselves in order to understand what we both need. and re-connect with our neighbors, family and friends. Our digital lives
have changed the way we interact with the world, but our needs as
We are returning to a sense of reality. We have become consumers on a
human beings have not changed at all.
global scale, with almost no goods being made locally. We are triggered
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34. So what should we be doing in 2012?
Look at the momentum surrounding social media, use the energy that is
being brought by individuals into those digital worlds and connect to
people. Think about re-connecting with Mother Nature and think about
the urge to create.
Re-think how you conduct business and ask yourself: Am I going to
continue to be a producer?
If survival is your aim then it is time for a huge paradigm shift. You will
have to come up with something new and worthwhile for individuals if
you are in B2C, or worthwhile for companies, both new and old, if you
are in B2B.
If you truly want to survive and you are seriously motivated, then it is time This is not childish, it is very serious, unless of course you want to spend
to re-organize your business. time looking on the internet for solutions instead of planting seeds to
harvest this year.
Be practical, follow this Just draw, it is only for you and no one else will see it unless you want to
recipe: show it off. Be honest, don’t draw just to satisfy your brain, use your
heart for the best effect.
Ingredients:
Follow these instructions:
• A large piece of white paper
(as large as you can find) 1. Draw your customer in the center of the paper.
• Color pencils 2. Choose bright colors and draw something you expect your customer
• A quiet place to think to be happy about.
3. Choose a dark color and draw something your customer would be
disappointed about.
4. Don’t touch the drawing for at least 24 hours.
5. Then add some new features: one bright, and one dark.
6. Repeat the drawing-rest session at least 5 times.
7. Look at your drawing again.
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35. Be honest - did you repeat the process at least 5 times? If you did; The significance of the drawing.
congratulations.
If asked to do this exercise, children throughout the world would make a
drawing straightaway, but adults feel they need to practice because they
have been trained to converge, whereas creativity requires divergence.
If everything is ok, you will have a drawing in your hands that depicts your
customer’s needs. You have
put your brain and heart into
action, and this is where
your success is going to
come from. This time keep it
stupid and simple.
We could talk to you about
facial coding and the use of
webcams, or send you
some linking points about
neuromarketing. But save
your money for 2012: it’s
going to be a tough year for
everyone and you might
If you didn’t, you are not going to make it through the difficult times
need a lot of cash to stay
ahead. It’s all about you. We are simply trying to help here, but you are not
alive and grow the right
willing to re-think what you have been doing all the time. You are just
team around the real needs
hoping that things will keep on being the same, and with luck even be
better than in the past. But this isn’t real! Too bad. Too late, Too old. of your customers. Stay
focused. (If you really have
guts, let your customers see
your drawing and let them
add their own features and
colors.)
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