Insights

When the first millennials were born in 1980, the census bureau reported that about a fourth of all census tracts in the US. were nearly exclusively white. Fast forward to 2045 when the Brookings Institute forecasts that minority groups will collectively make up more than half the U.S. population. And if others like the LGBT community, handicapped, learning disabled, etc. were included, that date could move up even earlier. This revelation, as well as diversity and inclusion (D&I) movements and heightened consciousness among millennials and Gen Z, gained much momentum among many companies in 2020. There are no signs of... Read More >

When American fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson said, “What was the point of a little voice? Weren’t voices for being heard?,” he may not have had voice technology like Google Assistant in mind, which this year has already been installed in over a billion devices and climbing. But his quote sure sounds fitting. Voicebot.ai made that startling revelation earlier this year at the Voice Global Conference, held virtually because of the pandemic. The firm also ranked the numerous other voice assistants. Apple’s Siri came in second.  Why the popularity?  Blame COVID-19, but also credit improvements in voice recognition accuracy. A Pew... Read More >

With the advent of social media and online marketing, new and unique challenges have appeared in the marketing industry. When a brand is building a marketing plan, several things must be addressed to make the campaign successful.  Some things to consider include brand purpose and message, marketing in the middle of a global pandemic, budget, and marketing medium. Is the brand best marketed online, in paper, tv or radio? Some brands or products are extremely demonstrable and must be seen to be appreciated, other brands (services perhaps) may benefit most from a 2 page spread in a magazine. Message and... Read More >

Crisis situations are inevitable, both for bigger and smaller companies, but the main thing that can change a company’s outlook during such a situation is how it will handle the crisis itself and communicate with its customers.  For example, a few years ago, when Samsung released its newest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, people on social media started talking about how some of the devices caught on fire, which led to Samsung recalling over 2 million of the smartphones and citing faulty batteries as the cause of the entire situation. Unfortunately, the company’s explanation behind the issue arrived three months... Read More >

When 20th-Century writer Isaac Asimov uttered those words several decades ago, had he already foreseen a future of AI, chatbots, and AR? When he passed away in 1992, the book, “Reengineering the Corporation” hadn’t even been written. Since then, middle managers, the critical link between executive management and workers, has been diminishing and even under assault in certain quarters as some companies strived to flatten and streamline their companies. The pandemic may have reopened serious consideration about the future of middle managers. With many employees relegated to working remotely, middle managers were a critical connection between senior staff and the... Read More >

The knowledge that COVID-19 vaccines would soon be reaching Americans hasn’t changed concerns about income equality. In fact, a November poll by research firm CivicScience revealed that worries about equality were a concern of 78% of those surveyed, its highest levels of the year to date. That finding, along with earlier research results reported in previous articles, raised awareness among brands and some large companies and led to the introduction of new programs promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. However, a December article by the Washington Post on how 21 large companies furloughed thousands of employees while making sizable... Read More >

Just how important are D&I (diversity and inclusiveness) initiatives today? Gen Z, those born between the mid-1990s and 2010 number about 2.4 billion worldwide and will comprise about 25% of the workforce within four years, according to consumer study firm, McCrindle. Not only have they been ardent advocates of D&I, but earlier surveys indicated that many will not work for employers unless they support the same values. A September 2019 survey by McKinsey and Company reported 38% of respondents saying they would take a company’s inclusiveness into account in making career decisions. Events of 2020 have only served to heighten... Read More >

While launching a business is a difficult feat, identifying and optimizing its growth potential is an even more difficult matter that many business owners have trouble navigating. Especially when the business starts growing, and the environment starts changing. Fortunately, there are several different ways that business owners can find the best opportunities for their business to grow and turn their startup into a bigger company. A great way to find out the direction a business can grow is to research any potential unmet needs of the customers. Consumers have plenty of problems that haven't been solved to date. If a... Read More >

Marketers know personalization ranks high among today’s strategies to reach and keep customers. Personalized portals have been among the latest used in achieving success. An earlier article cited a 2020 Capgemini survey in which respondents identified personalized portals as one of the top five ways brands could retain their loyalty. A 2018 survey by Statista also reported 88% of U.S. respondents expected brands to have online self-service portals. And contrary to what some believe, the success of these portals bridge nearly all industries and not just a few. In wealth management and insurance, for example, Allianz offers a site that’s... Read More >

A lot of marketers sometimes overlook the potential of marketing on YouTube. While some consider it to be a video platform, others see it as a social media platform, but either way, there are plenty of marketing opportunities there for brands and corporations. The platform can become an even more powerful tool of a company's target audience already on YouTube, considering that there are over two billion users and it's one of the most used platforms in the US and globally. In that regard, it doesn't really matter what digital marketers think the platform is, as long as they take... Read More >