The only sector of marketing in the UK that has not gone into reverse in terms of spend has been digital, all other sectors have suffered to one degree or more. It’s clear that marketer’s consider digital to be an essential part of the marketing spend. Numerous brands are now thinking more carefully about how they develop their creative assets to work best in alternative video platforms such as mobile, podcasts and YouTube and less likely to jump straight into TV production without these elements being considered up-front.

The big story this year is the up-coming general election and how each political party conducts itself with digital and social media. The digital marketers here have really been wowed by the Obama campaign’s use of digital and in particular social networking to connect with voters. Everyone seems to be watching how the main political parties will conduct themselves. We are seeing a serious take up of smart phones and clients are very interested in what can be done through apps. Clients are seeing the benefits of mobile; they still rightly want to make sure it’s having a positive impact on both brand measures and sales.

John Kinder, Digital Managing Director

More than ever, social media sites have opened the door for the general public to become columnists in their own right.  The internet has given your target audience a much bigger platform from which they can voice their opinions, share information and experiences and post recommendations. 

The breadth of conversations taking place on the internet on any given subject is immense and yes, in case you’re wondering, your brand, business and service is a topic of conversation too. 

The fact is you can’t choose not to be involved in social media.  You may not have allocated any of your marketing spend to it, but internet users are having these conversations about you whether you like it or not.  

If you have been marketing your brand or service, especially using the discipline of PR, then it doesn’t have to be a daunting prospect.  It’s a case of adapting your skills and messages to suit the medium.  Like all PR it can’t be fully controlled but it can drive trust and credibility in your brand or service. 

According to a Nielson online survey, 78 per cent of people trust the recommendation of other consumers before any other form of marketing while 68 per cent trust opinions posted online.  These are persuasive statistics that re-enforce the need for a strategically robust PR and social media campaign to be part of your overall marketing plan. 

You need to engage your consumer, help shape the dialogue and be a part of the conversation.  After all, it is about you.

Claire Rushton, Head Of Office (Leeds & Newcastle)

We thought this was an interesting marketing concept, aside from the fact they have delicious products!