I work in the Research team for Econsultancy. We publish reports covering best practice, user experience benchmarking, market data, supplier selection, template files, trends and innovation aimed at internet professionals who want practical advice on all aspects of e-business.
I manage Econsultancy's Innovation Report, which features short case studies on innovative marketing tactics in the digital world. If you are interested in submitting examples of work for this report, please email me at: aliya.zaidi@econsultancy.com
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New research: Cross-Channel Marketing Survey now live
In partnership with Responsys, Econsultancy has launched some new research for 2012, the Cross-Channel Marketing Survey, which looks at the cross-section of different online and offline channels, including integration with email, display advertising, mobile, plus much more.
The research aims to benchmark trends within the market, and the launch of this brand-new survey reflects the growing necessity for companies to take an integrated approach to marketing and remove the organisational barriers that are holding them back.
MENA case studies: Beat FM wins ArabNet's best digital campaign
At ArabNet's Digital Summit in Beirut last week, Jordanian agency, Prodigi Corp, took home the prize for Best Digital Campaign for its work for radio channel, Beat FM.
The Facebook campaign asked people to share their pictures if they are a celebrity look-alike.
More examples of innovative social media case studies are beginning to come to light in the Middle East, which is exciting for the digital industry in this region.
Sharing case studies and examples of best practice is hugely beneficial for digital as a whole, enabling companies to learn from their peers and better understand best practices and rules of engagement.
With that in mind, here we look at Beat FM's case study in more detail, as well as some of the other campaigns shortlisted in this category at ArabNet's summit.
Bras and cupcakes: changing perceptions in the daily deals industry
The daily deals market has rapidly grown in the last three years, with market leader, Groupon, now present in 48 countries with an estimated 33m customers.
In late 2011, Groupon's IPO valuation was an estimated $12 billion. Despite this immense growth, the industry suffers from perception problems, with some even claiming the bubble has already burst.
However, the market is still relatively immature, and the industry faces many challenges before it establishes itself as a credible component of the marketing mix.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Groupon was told to clean up its advertising practices by the OFT.
In particular, the industry needs to address its cases of failure head on and work with merchants to optimise the effectiveness of daily deals and prevent high-profile disasters (particularly those involving cupcakes).
Video: What happened at Digital Cream Dubai 2012?
At last week's Digital Cream Dubai, Econsultancy's CEO, Ashley Friedlein, presented the latest digital trends from the newly published State of Digital Marketing in the Middle East and North Africa report 2012.
In this post, we share a video blog from Paul de Bruin, Vice President of eZeliving.com, who talks about some of the main findings from the research.
What's holding back digital in the Middle East?
The latest research from the Middle East by Econsultancy indicates that the digital industry is experiencing rapid growth.
The State of Digital Marketing in the Middle East and North Africa report (supported by ArabianBusiness.com) shows that on average, 27% of of overall marketing budget is spent on digital, up from 22% since the last report was published 10 months ago in April 2011.
Overall, 58% of companies are planning to increase their digital marketing in 2012, and of these, 52% plan increases of at least 20%.
Despite the impressive growth rate, there's still a long way to go, as beyond restricted budgets, company culture, reliance on traditional marketing and the lack of skills are holding back marketers from making the most of the digital opportunities in the region.
In addition, the inability to measure return on investment is thought to be a barrier by 28% of marketers this year, up from 19% in the 2011 survey.
Multichannel boosts email: new report
It's an exciting time for the email marketing industry, and no matter what Mark Zuckerberg says, the end is certainly not nigh, according to new research published this week from Econsultancy.
According to Econsultancy's 2012 Email Marketing Platforms Buyer's Guide, the UK email marketing industry grew by an estimated 15.5% last year to a value of £388 million by the end of 2011.
The research highlights that the rise of cross-channel marketing is helping to fuel growth in the email marketing industry. Rather than operating in its own silo, email is now seen as an essential component of a wider campaign. Thanks to the rise of mobile, email is now everywhere, accessible anywhere, at any time and at any location.
Bridging the digital divide in the Middle East
The digital divide and the lack of knowledge in the Middle East is a major barrier to investing in online marketing, according to Econsultancy research published in April this year.
In Econsultancy's State of Digital in MENA Report, some 20% of client-side companies and 42% of agencies said that a lack of understanding about online is preventing their organisation from investing more money in digital.
As further evidence, last year, Shaik Umar, Middle East Head for IDA Singapore, reported that the digital divide and lack of skilled talent are the main problems plaguing the Gulf's IT industry. Part of the reason for the lack of skills is the smaller population of the Gulf compared to other regions.
So, what can companies do to plug the gap and make the most of online marketing?
2011 State of Social Media Survey goes live
Econsultancy and LBi / bigmouthmedia have launched the 2011 State of Social Media survey, which aims to benchmark trends and levels of spending within the market.
As with similar studies published in 2009 and 2010, the research is based on a survey of client-side marketers and in-house PR professionals, as well as agencies, consultants and other specialists working in the social media arena.
More than 600 companies have already completed the survey since Friday, a great response which shows that interest in this topic shows no sign of abating.
How do consumers feel about brands on Twitter?
M
any companies are under the impression that opinion about brands on Twitter is mostly negative, but a new survey conducted by Econsultancy (and supported by Toluna) shows evidence to the contrary.
The Twitter for Business Guide, published earlier this week, includes findings from consumer research, which indicates that a higher proportion of consumers have conveyed positive, rather than negative feedback on the social platform.
Twitter for business: the experts' view
Earlier this year, Twitter celebrated its 5th anniversary. The social platform now has 200m users, generates over 200m tweets and handles over 1.6bn search queries per day.
Twitter is now undoubtedly popular and many businesses use the site as a tool for marketing, PR, branding, engagement, customer service, and much more.
Despite this, companies still face barriers to getting the most value from the microblogging site, which is why Econsultancy has produced its first guide to Twitter for Business.
If your business isn't using Twitter yet, it's worth considering the value it offers for your organisation. I've been talking to a number of experts about best practice on the platform, including business benefits, tips and pitfalls, and how to measure success.
