The Covid Effect Revealed: The Impacts on In-House Marketing
49% of European in-house teams are working remotely full time, 67% of brands have increased their digital marketing initiatives, 48% report that the demand for content has increased and 97% of respondents have moved at least part of their digital marketing in-house — and nearly half began within the past 12 months.
There is no denying Covid-19 has had a significant impact on us all. We have all had to adapt to a new way of living and working. Businesses across many sectors have had to totally change the way they operate, how they approach their digital initiatives and strategies and the role external agencies play. But to what extent?
Bannerflow, one of Europe's fastest growing tech companies, and Digiday have once again partnered to survey senior European marketers to investigate the impact Covid-19 has had on in-house marketing teams, and how they are evolving in 2022 due to the pandemic.
Key findings indicate a shift in the speed and volume of in-house marketing activities performed due to increased consumer demands during the past 12 months. Online behaviours are constantly changing, and businesses are thus having to become ever more agile and flexible to accommodate consumers – those organisations ahead in the digital transformation of their marketing proving the biggest beneficiaries.
The report includes responses from businesses in a range of different industries, including entertainment & media, mobile & online gaming, retail & ecommerce, iGaming, consumer tech, financial services, telecoms, travel and CPG/FMCG.
The report offers key insight on how brands are changing their approach, giving thought to other businesses who might be thinking the same thing.
For example:
- More than half of our respondents reported they increased in-house team headcount by one to two people (29%) or three to five people (28%)
- The financial services industry is leading the way in adopting full digital competency within in-house marketing teams – cutting external agencies
- 29% reported that agencies have become more flexible with their fees
- Respondents in travel (40%) reported that agencies have become more involved with marketing operations
- In the past 12 months, 46% of respondents have increased their speed of production
- As content demand increases, 67% of respondents reveal they have increased their in-house digital marketing initiatives
- Due to changing consumer behaviours over the past 12 months, 38% of brands have had to add new skillsets to their teams
- 42% have increased their volume of production due to changing consumer demands
- Influencers are going to play a key part of digital strategies in 2022, with 38% increasing their online influencer engagement
- Content creation is the key skill industries want to improve upon (26%)
- The main way in-housing has helped brands become more innovative is having a digital-first mindset, and in turn this has produced new types of campaign content (43%)
- Over half (53%) of brands no longer use external agencies for digital marketing, and are fully independent
The full report can be found here.
David Lundgren, CEO of Bannerflow, explains:
"This year’s report is our biggest and most comprehensive yet. Suffice to say, it is the most authoritative reading of European in-house marketing available."
"In-housing continues to play an important role in ensuring success and resilience during what have been testing times. Indeed, many external factors have once again helped to shape the state of in-house marketing in 2022. However, we all know Covid has had a significant impact on different markets and businesses have had to adapt to meet ever increasing consumer demands. And this is likely to continue to have an impact on us all. It is clear that what was once called the “new normal” is now very much “normal”."
"Now is the time to take stock and define how in-housing continues to evolve."
To find out more on the research, please click here.