Topics

Based on conversations with marketers we defined 17 challenges brands, companies and marketers are confronted with when entering the digital world.

Market Insights Challenges

• 1. Digital consumption profiling data
  The Internet is changing and so are the people that are part of the Internet. But who is the Internet user? What are the differences between several European countries? And does THE Internet user even exist?
• 2. The C2C online economy
  The Internet is offering more and more opportunities to consumers to make a little profit. A group of Internet users has taken the opportunity to build up a “side job”. This creates new dimensions in the economy. How many people are trading domain names, earning money via advertising on their personal website? Who is into peer-to-peer trading on auction and classified websites?
• 3. Interactive content on the move: the mobile future
  In the near future, Internauts will also expect brands and companies to be present on this mobile web with content and services that are tailored to their needs and their current location. This interactivity offers many opportunities for marketers e.g. interaction of consumers with out-of-home advertising, retrievable in-store digital information that could potentially enrich customer shopping behaviour...
  
  To what extent are people accessing the Internet via their mobile phone? And if they do, which kind of online activities and content are they using or looking for? To what extent is their behaviour different from using the Internet when they’re not on-the-go? And are Internet users open for mobile marketing and different location based services?
• 4. The medium is the message: consumers are communicating through different channels
  If we look at younger people they are not using e-mail on a regular basis anymore. Will e-mail as we know it today still exist in 10 years? How do people communicate with each other nowadays? Do they use social networks / instant messaging more than e-mail? And which kind of messages do people expect to receive via the different digital channels that are out there?
• 5. The digital world as seen by digital natives, silver surfers and worldwide women
  Many people from all life stages embraced the Internet in the past years. Due to differences in personal skills, social context and technological affinity each segment has its own perception and usage of the digital world. In this topic we’ll have a look at the differences in their online behaviour (functional purpose, communication purpose, entertainment purpose...), the content they’re looking for and their reasons to be online.

Branding & Communication Challenges

• 6. Emancipated consumers: from shouting to building
  More and more consumers are voicing their negative (and sometimes their positive) experiences with brands and products on the Internet. And such reported experiences have a large influence on the buying decision process of other people. How many Internet users are voicing their opinion on the Internet and how do they do it? How do people think a brand or company should react on negative word of mouth on the Internet?
• 7. Building future proof brands: social influence marketing
  Consumers are consciously and unconsciously me-branding themselves in the online world. They are creating an identity and are connecting with each other far more regularly than before. If you don’t have a social me-brand you will not longer exist as a person. But do they expect the same thing of brands? Should brands be present on social networks and how should they position themselves?
• 8. Building an online social identity
  Many surfers embraced the social web and have their online identity, but to what extent does this reflect who they are in real life? Is their online life a replacement or complement to the offline life? And why do they feel the need to exist online?
• 9. Digital utility seeking: the Internet and mobile as branding instruments / branded utility
  The Internet is becoming more and more a “useful instrument”. Internet users are looking for utility on the Internet. Goalless surfing and being lost in cyberspace is only applicable for a small part of the Internet users. In this chapter we will ask consumers how they use digital media and if the Internet and online applications have become more useful and meaningful over the years.
• 10. Avoid avoidance: advertising, targeting and media planning in the 21st century
  It is harder to target a specific target group because of the fact that media use is spread over different channels and websites. If you want to have effect, pull advertising will become more important than push advertising. But what are the key elements of good advertising according to Internet users? Do they really feel there’s an overload of advertising on the Internet and other media channels? Is targeted advertising the solutions? Are people more into branded applications?

Customer Experience Challenges

• 11. The role of the Internet in the purchase decision process: mixed-mode buying
  Marketers, brands and companies should be aware of the importance of the Internet in the purchase process and should proactively invest in their corporate website, mini-websites, social network fan pages...
  
  What is the number of people who search for information (online and offline)? Which sources do they trust and use and how does it affect their buying behaviour? Which product categories do people buy online or offline?
• 12. The role of search in brand building and lead generation
  It pays for brands and companies to invest in search engine optimization because Internet users mainly focus on the first results they see appearing. It’s also worthwhile to invest in sponsored links, since many surfers use these paid search results to select a product, brand or supplier.
  
  In this topic, we’ll track the number of surfers who are using search engines to find product information, to get more information on brands... But we will also have a look at how many search results people review before giving up and if people are familiar with sponsored links and if they use them.
• 13. E-commerce drivers: influence of the economical climate
  The global financial crisis has a profound impact on consumers and their spending behaviour. People are spending less on new products (online and offline) compared to a year ago, but in general e-commerce is still going strong.
  
  In this topic we’ll pose questions such as: How many Internet users have bought online? Why do people buy online? Did their shopping behaviour change (e.g. more promotion sensitive, more second-hand products...) due to the economical crisis? Are consumers shifting towards e-commerce as a direct result of the economical crisis?
• 14. Consumer trust and online confidence
  We believe that people are getting more and more acquainted with and knowledgeable about the Internet, resulting in a higher trust, self-confidence and openness towards this digital world in all of its aspects:
  
  

  • Transactional: do people trust e-commerce? What are possible barriers or drivers? Are people keen on managing their financials via the Internet?
  • Informational: what kind of information are people willing to share online? Do they mind that they can be found via search engines? Do they trust the information that is available on the Internet and what kind of sources do they trust the most (editorial, user-generated...)?
  • Technological: to what extent have people faith in the Internet in general? How many people delete their cookies, have a firewall and/or antivirus scanner? Are people afraid of being hacked by other Internet users? Are people willing to download software from doubtful websites?
  • Commercial: do people trust and accept online advertising and promotions on the Internet? Do they have a higher acceptance of ads and promotions online compared to more traditional media?
• 15. Return on information: providing personal data in return for personalized services and information
  We believe that Internet users are willing to provide personal information (be it via an online form, survey, behavioural data...) to brands and companies in order to make B2C-communication more personalized. This personalization is what we call ROI, the “Return On Information” from a consumer perspective.
  
  But what kind of information are people willing to share? What is their opinion on behavioural tracking and recommendations based on purchase and surfing behaviour?
• 16. Enforcing customer loyalty through digital media
  Companies who manage to build a powerful online after sales service online will increase sales and profit. Implementing the “virtual value chain” by offering information already present within the company via online tools to consumers can help to build out an online customer service experience.
  
  In this topic we’ll have a look at the importance of digital media in the after-sales process. What do your consumers think of your corporate website as support for after-sales? What could be improved to make your consumers more loyal?

Innovation Challenges

• 17. Co-created product innovations leading to better brand experiences
  Co-creation is one of the buzzwords among marketers today, but to what extent are people open to create new products/advertising together with a company and how to approach them? Do consumers have a more positive image of a company when it opens up its design process? What is the impact on branding and sales? And finally, who are the people that diffuse new products and services and how do they share their opinions/influence?