Only 48% of chief marketing officers feel fairly compensated, according to the CMO Council's first comprehensive compensation report.Not surprisingly, CMOs who make more money are more likely to feel fairly compensated. But the high overall degree of dissatisfaction with compensation calls for further research to determine whether CMOs are actually underpaid relative to key benchmarks for other C-level executives -- and if not, why CMOs believe they're underpaid, says Kimberly A. Whitler, assistant professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, who analyzed the data and authored the report. The finding also suggests that other questions need to be answered, including whether the perception of unfair pay (accurate or not) relates to the high turnover among CMOs, and whether this perception is affecting CMO performance. The report is based on an analysis of responses to compensation-related questions from 345 of 525 participants in the Council's “State of Marketing” survey among senior-level marketers at companies around the world. Best-paid CMOs report to CEOs The research also found that 69% of the highest-paid CMOs – those earning more than $500,00 in annual base pay -- report directly to CEOs, and that a majority of these CMOs have developed strong alliances with CIOs and CFOs. In addition, the highest-compensated CMOs tend to be focused on driving overall business performance (top-line growth, market share, efficiencies), and tend to cite their key accomplishments as being focused on restructuring marketing to drive results, improving the yield/accountability of marketing, and building digital capabilities. Other results highlights:
Despite declining traffic and spending, most Americans say traditional grocery stores are still their preferred brand. A new report from Harris Poll EquiTrend says that Midwesterners named Hy-Vee their favorite store, while Southerners went for Publix, and shoppers in the Northeast prefer Wegmans. Only one region—the West—named a non-traditional chain as the leading brand, in selecting warehouse club Costco as its top preference.The survey, based on nearly 42,000 respondents, measures the equity in 1,500 brands, across 170 categories, ranking consumers’ familiarity with the brand, as well as their assessment of quality and purchase consideration. “It’s not a popularity contest,” Michael Treboni, EVP of retail professional services at Nielsen, tells Marketing Daily. “The highest familiarity does not always result in the leading score. Leading with quality and driving purchase consideration often pays off with positive brand equity.” Hy-Vee won, for example, despite its lower scores in familiarity. The brand has made its mark by connecting with its shoppers: “They have strong feelings for the brand and believe it's a good fit for them," says the company in its report. Other brands scoring well in the Midwest include Meijer, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and Walmart. Wegmans rose to the top in the competitive Northeast, despite its small footprint of just 80 stores, because its shoppers give it such high marks for quality, “making them a regional David among national brand Goliaths,” it says. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, ShopRite, Hannaford Bros., and BJ's Wholesale Club also performed well. Southerners’ love for Publix, with stores from Florida to Texas to Maryland, seems fueled by conviction about its high-quality offerings, and a high level of brand advocacy. Other brands that outperformed in the region are Walmart, H-E-B, Trader Joe's, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods Market, and Kroger. Out West, Costco is the biggest favorite, and in this case, familiarity is the primary driver. Additional brands to rank above the category average in the West Region include Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Safeway and Stater Bros. Markets. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets are the only national brands to rank above average in all four regions.
The kinds of vehicles that car shoppers want, and the age and income of the shopper, influence the online content they gravitate toward when they are shopping online, according to the new J.D. Power 2014 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study. The semiannual study, now in its 15th year, rates automotive manufacturer Web sites for effectiveness at reaching and pleasing new-vehicle shoppers based on information/content, appearance, navigation and speed. New to the study, per J.D. Power, is its ability to capture content and tool usage. Thus, the study reports that shoppers with a reported household income of $175,000 and above are more likely to use a comparison tool than shoppers with household income of less than $60,000. And it finds that Gen Y shoppers use video 32% more often than Baby Boomers. Acura ranks highest for its consumer site for a third consecutive time, followed by Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar, Smart, Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Chrysler, Ram and Buick which round out the top ten. In last place is Volkswagen. The May survey of over 9,800 new-vehicle shoppers who said they would shop for a new vehicle in 24 months also found that car shoppers access 6.2 areas of content or tools on OEM sites when researching a vehicle's information. They access 5.6 areas when researching how a vehicle looks, and 3.7 areas when researching price. Eighty-four percent of shoppers use the sites' build and price tool, and those tools have a big influence on satisfaction for consumers researching price-related information, vehicle specs and appearances. They use those tools most often to research pricing. Unfortunately, per the study, pricing info is the least satisfying task. "Pricing information is the least satisfying because it is much more complex than simply providing a dollar figure," said Arianne Walker, senior director, automotive media and marketing solutions at J.D. Power, in a statement. "[Shoppers] want to understand payment options and amounts, available discounts, financing terms, along with content that isn't explicitly price related, such as vehicle features, to help them understand the value of the vehicle they are considering."
With Chevrolet having ordered yet another rounds of recalls this month, one might expect that the news would have a strong and immediately adverse effect on consumer consideration of the brand. According to new data from YouGov, however, Americans who are worried about Chevrolet product safety are in the minority.The firm's new Omnibus survey shows only 35% of Americans, incredibly, have even heard about Chevrolet safety issues over the past three months, and only 18% for Toyota, which recalled some 800,000 vehicles last month and 2 million in April. The online survey conducted this month does say only 28% of Chevrolet owners and 23% of Toyota owners give their cars a 10 out of 10 for safety. Owners of other brands which fare better aren't all that thrilled, either. For Honda and Nissan, it's 35% and 36%, respectively. For Ford, it's 30%. Safety, in general, has fallen down the list of consumers’ most important purchase factors, the YouGov survey indicates. That probably has to do with the fact that most brands have reached parity when it comes to safety technology such as airbags, warnings and crash ratings from the likes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Price now is the number one purchase consideration, according to the survey. The 1,196 adult respondents cited pocketbook factors including sticker price and fuel efficiency. Ninety-six percent of buyers and lessees surveyed said as much. Eighty-nine percent said safety is important, but only 59% said it's very important – 64% of women and 43% of men. After price and safety come luxury features (52%), brand loyalty (51%) and image (34%). The survey showed that more than half of millennials said image was important and about one-quarter said it was very important.
A campaign from InterContinental Hotels Group’s Holiday Inn celebrates the inspiring journeys of its many guests, by sharing their unique narratives through the brand’s first digitally led, multimedia marketing approach.The hotel chain is evolving its “Change Your View” platform, to “Journey to Extraordinary.” The brand aims to bring itself to life in a tangible way, while reintroducing the brand and its current offering to guests, whether they are checking in for the very first time or for their first stay in a while. The journeys of Holiday Inn brand guests are shared via unique narratives through various social media platforms. The brand has partnered with organizations including Tumblr, International New York Times, Mashable, Nonfiction Unlimited and MBAs Across America (MBAxAmerica) to leverage their photographic and storytelling capabilities to capture the extraordinary journeys of the brand’s many guests. New content will roll out throughout summer and fall 2014. For more than 62 years, the Holiday Inn brand has played a pivotal role in helping to enable the extraordinary journeys of millions of guests, said Maurice Cooper, vice president, Holiday Inn Brand, Americas. “While they may find themselves traveling different roads in life, there is always a Holiday Inn hotel to meet the needs of our guests and help them move forward on their journey,” Cooper says in a release. “Each of our guests has a unique connection to the brand and their own story to tell, which the Journey to Extraordinary campaign creatively celebrates, while hopefully inspiring fresh ones along the way.” The Holiday Inn brand kicked off the campaign by producing “Stories from Holiday Inn Hotels,” a series of short videos and social media posts highlighting the unique, stories of real guests at various Holiday Inn hotels. This content was shared on the Holiday Inn brand’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. The brand also teamed up with Tumblr by bringing together two professional photographers to capture the extraordinary journeys of guests through compelling photography at Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort brand properties across the United States. “Tumblr’s content-driven platform has helped brands tell stories and appeal to audiences in beautiful and moving ways,” said David Hayes, head of creative strategy at Tumblr. “The Holiday Inn brand was the first hotel advertiser on Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more inspired by their elevated work with our creators to celebrate the individuality and journeys of their guests, and the spirit of their brand in their new campaign.” Each year, more than seven million guests choose to stay at a Holiday Inn hotel in the Americas, making memories and connections along their diverse journeys. Over the past six months, the brand went in search of five real Holiday Inn brand guests to profile in a “Signature Stories” series, and met people from a social entrepreneur to an award-winning rodeo clown, all of whom were on the road for different occasions and are as diverse as the guests who walk through the doors of Holiday Inn hotels every day. Those selected will be shared in an unscripted documentary style via Tumblr. The first of these stories features Scott Rigsby, a double amputee who is a marathoner, triathlete, world record holder, author and motivational speaker. After years of multiple surgeries, Rigsby made his way down to the Holiday Inn Resort Panama City Beach in hopes of rehabilitating all while facing financial hardship. In Rigsby’s documentary short, he is reunited with the owner of the hotel, Julie Hilton, who helped make his incredible future a reality. The brand also will partner with MBAxAmerica for its ‘Signature Stories’ series, and will serve as the official hotel sponsor. The program that takes MBA students from some of America’s most prestigious universities and challenges them to take a journey across the U.S., learning from and working with visionary entrepreneurs. In addition, the Holiday Inn brand will document and share the extraordinary journeys of these MBA teams and their entrepreneur collaborators later on through the summer.
Surfing isn't easy. It looks easy but it isn't. I've tried it. The board always turns sideways and bitch slaps you when a wave rolls. Then you have to paddle out, which completely exhausts you, but then you have to climb on the board and sit there waiting for a wave while trying not to hum the theme from "Jaws." And when the wave actually comes you have to suddenly lie on the board and paddle again, but twice as hard this time. For what? You stand up and fall off the board. WHAT FUN. But I love to watch it. It's fluid, action-packed, balletic, there are no huddles, and the wipeouts take care of my "fail" jones. That makes me a great target for The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), which is moving to grow its global fan base. The company's CEO, Paul Speaker, says people like me (though younger) who don't live where the waves break are the major fan pie-slice. I don't buy it. My image of a surfing audience is still an updated version of beach-blanket bingo and a couple hundred hardcore surfers living in vans watching their brethren ride the waves. Speaker, who acquired the ASP a couple of years ago, would say that my perception of things is as old as "Endless Summer" — which is a great movie, by the way, and mandatory viewing for any surfing fan. "One of the first things we did was invest heavily in research by Repucom," he said of his post-purchase activity. "We learned there are some 120 million fans worldwide; they are incredibly sought after by advertisers; they engage in social 2.5 times more than any sports fan; are loyal to sponsors of the sports; and their average age is 34." He said the major markets are the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and Brazil. "Inside those markets [the fan base] is not just coastal, it's across the country or continent. Which means many of them are seeing surfing as spectator pro sport. And the average income is $75,000 plus." Mark Noonan, chief commercial officer of the enterprise, tells me that in general, we're talking about an affluent, educated audience that is digitally native — and a portion of them are very, very wealthy people who will fly anywhere for a good wave. "The takeaway on that is [just] because you live in Chicago or Paris, and a fan of surfing does not mean you are a surfer. There's competitive drama in the water, and it takes place in beautiful places and it is hugely aspirational." He also mentioned that you can actually surf in Nebraska because of the artificial wave pool phenomenon. I don't know if they have one of those in Nebraska but they should. Corn surfing hasn't been perfected. It's also easy for me to cognitively lump surfing competitions like this week's Vans U.S. Open of Surfing (which the ASP is involved in, though the event is owned by IMG Worldwide) with things like pro skateboarding and even BMX and motocross. The U.S. Open does, in fact, have skateboard and BMX components, but Speaker tells me there's one major difference. No, it's not the water. I mean, it's not ONLY the water. It's that surfing is a lifelong sport. And I would venture to say that it is becoming more so, not less, as Boomers refuse to give up the idea that they are 17-year-olds with receding hairlines. I know this professionally. So if you're riding a BMX bike at age 50 you've got Teflon knees and your lower back is a gift from God. Heck, Jimmy Buffett is on the board. He has even done a concert at one of the surfing competitions in SoCal. Millennials haven't even heard of him. The deal on the ASP is that it has been around in one form or another since 1976, according to Speaker. But only since he unified the organization with the acquisition two years ago, has it become a coordinated global league both in terms of events and marketing. It used to be a pro sport characterized by isolated, one-off competitions. Now the organization has nine offices around the world and owns the events, produces the content, and sells the sponsorships, media rights and distribution. He told me that right now there are 11 men's events and 10 women's events and 6 big wave competitions. The centralization of the sport means global sponsorship deals. Right now Samsung Galaxy is global title sponsor of the "Samsung Galaxy World Tour." And the sponsorships also include a deal with GoPro, which is doing a content program comprising 30-second to two minute interstitials with content grabbed from board-mounted GoPros. And there's Orbitz travel, a couple dozen regional partners like bank of Queensland in Australia and Pacifico beer. And there are also deals with a dozen or so endemic brands like Quicksilver, Roxy and Vans. An interesting point here is that while the events happen at the same places every year — places like Rio, Fiji, Tahiti, Australia, Portugal and France — Mother Nature's fickleness pretty much drives the "when" aspect of it. Speaker said that basically they don't officially nail down the program until three days before, when they have a handle on the wave conditions. A global relationship with Google and YouTube lets them stream the whole thing live, and international broadcast partners get a highlight reel that airs five to ten days after the event closes. And there is a lot in the way of at-event activation. Sponsors get that, plus enhancements during broadcasts — the Monster Energy "Monster Moment," for example. As for the numbers — well, at the events it's not just a couple hundred surfers and a truckload of kegs. Tens of thousands come to the surf off in Rio. And the fan base is growing, with a 52% increase on ASP's social network year-over-year and 1.2 million live-event viewing on YouTube. Noonan said the league has gotten a 420% in unique fan engagement online. Maybe I'll try it again. Speaker said you can hire someone to paddle the board out for you. But then I'd have to swim. Maybe another person can tow me, my sofa and my beer out, kind of like Hodor from "Game of Thrones," but in the water.