AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, March 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OnBrand Magazine, a leading publication that features news, insights and opinions on the latest in branding and marketing, today announced the release of the 2018 State of Branding Report. The report, developed annually with Bynder, a global leader in digital asset management (DAM), aims to uncover marketers’ attitudes about current and emerging technology, industry trends and goals for the future.
The data, representing 504 marketing decision-makers at organizations based in the United States and the United Kingdom, shows that the customer experience is the top priority for marketers in 2018. In order to deliver personalized and targeted experiences, brands must have a seamless tech ecosystem in place, a challenge that marketers must face head-on in a market full of emerging intelligent tools and platforms.
The top four additional key findings include:
- Voice assistants dominate tech investments: 40% of marketing decision-makers will invest in voice assistants in 2018. 39% are developing integrations that run through platforms such as Facebook, Alexa, and Siri, as well as standalone solutions that run on company websites or apps.
- Marketing teams are hiring more tech talent: With customer experience being a top marketing priority in 2018, 53% of marketing managers will be hiring technical talent such as experienced designers and developers. 34% will bring on data scientists to their teams, while 55% will hire more creative talent.
- Influencer marketing is still hot: The jury may still be out on the effectiveness of influencer marketing, but 79% of marketing decision-makers will invest in influencer marketing this year, with 43% planning to invest more than last year, and 22% venturing into the market for the first time.
- Brand activism is on the rise: 79% of respondents say that social and cultural issues will play a significant role in their branding and marketing strategy in 2018, while 36% are excited about exploring the trend of brand activism and cause advocacy.
“It’s becoming increasingly important for brands to keep up with rapidly evolving audience expectations, as the assumption is for them to contribute to, and even influence, the cultural and social issues in society,” said Lidia Luttin, CMO of Bynder. “Many brands are paying close attention to these shifting expectations and our findings unveil the exciting opportunity and role that new technology can play in bringing them closer than ever before to their customers.”
OnBrand Magazine is sponsored and developed by Bynder. The full report is now available for download here.
About Bynder
Bynder is the fastest way to professionally manage digital files. Its award-winning digital asset management (DAM) platform offers marketers a smart way to find and share creative files such as graphics, videos and documents. More than 250,000 brand managers, marketers and creatives from 450+ organizations like PUMA, innocent drinks and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines use Bynder to organize company files; edit and approve projects in real time; auto-format and resize files; and make the right content available to others at the click of a button.
Founded in 2013 by CEO Chris Hall, Bynder is headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in Boston, London, Barcelona, Rotterdam and Dubai. For more information, visit www.bynder.com or follow Bynder on Twitter @Bynder.
Media Contact:
Josh Tammaro
(617) 945-1915
bynder@launchsquad.com