Swiss Marketing Leadership Study 2018: Speed versus consistency
Swiss companies want to follow digital trends in marketing. However, most companies do not have the data available to put their intentions into practice. The ZHAW study "Swiss Marketing Leadership 2018" shows this and more.
Consistent brand management in the sense of clear differentiation from the competition is eminently important for the success of a company. Even in dynamic times, when digitalization and agility are in vogue, branding relies on the consistency and constancy of a brand. This is shown by the Swiss Marketing Leadership Study 2018, which was conducted by the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. Companies attribute an important role to their employees, not least because they have a strong influence on brand identity. Sustainability in brand management was also identified as a relevant trend by the companies surveyed, right after continuity.
Tension between speed and consistency in CRM
This year's trend topic "speed vs. consistency" is the subject of particularly controversial discussion in CRM. A slight majority of companies place a stronger focus on consistency than on speed. The development of channel usage and the importance of specific CRM trends show a bipolar picture: digitalization continues to advance, while personal contact with customers is becoming increasingly important for companies. The authors of the study cite the desire to emotionalize customers and customer relationships as the reason for this.
Digitalization continues to advance, while personal contact with customers is becoming increasingly important for companies.
Speed through digitalization in product management
Digitalization has a strong impact on product management. The majority of Swiss companies surveyed agree that digitalization is making the market environment and product requirements more complex. However, thanks to data from all phases of the product life cycle, there are also opportunities to improve their own performance. According to the study, most Swiss companies have recognized this. In terms of implementation, however, companies are still a long way from where they would like to be. This is evident from the fact that only 22% of companies have smart connected products that collect analyzable data from the various phases of their life cycle.
Background and details
The "Swiss Marketing Leadership Study" will be published for the fourth time in 2018. The Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law randomly selected 1968 medium-sized and large companies, 295 of which completed the questionnaire. The detailed results of the study are available free of charge at Download ready
