The latest report by Internet Advertising Bureau and PriceWaterhouseCoopers does not make great reading for the wider advertising industry. Internet advertising is rising fast and grew by 41.2% to £2.01 billion over the last 12 months but that’s where the good news stops. The report states that the amount spent on advertising in Britain’s national newspapers grew by a miniscule 0.2% to 10.7% worth £1.9 billion, radio advertising remains deep in the doldrums and TV advertising continues its serious decline falling back a further 4.7% last year. So where are marketeers going?
Live event marketing alongside the internet is an upward trend identified by award winning Marketing & PR agency Wyndham-Leigh who in conjunction with Haymarket’s Event magazine recently commissioned JMA Research to survey UK marketeers. The survey, which measured the views of 200 marketeers with a combined events budget of around £90 million (average spend £447,000), shows that 46% of those polled expect events to play a greater role in their communication strategies in the future with just 10% saying their use of events will reduce. Additionally, 61% say they will allocate more budget to events in the next 12 months with only 13% likely to reduce their budget.
Integration of events into marketing programmes looks set to lead the growth with a rise interestingly of 30% predicted in the use of events to support web/viral driven activity. Additionally, Direct Marketing (+15%), Advertising (+6%) and PR (+4%) programmes all look set for greater integration with events.
“Marketeers are recognising the benefits of integrating events into their communication strategies. What is clear is that web is growing in importance and that events are the supplementary tool of choice – growing twice as quickly as any other MarComms vehicle. It will reshape our industry and that process is already underway.”
Andy Hill, Director: Events for Wyndham-Leigh
“Ironically, it is event marketing, the oldest kid on the block that is riding the digital wave. It’s not just that event marketing is complementary to digital, but that the two have so much in common, to the exclusion of the traditional mass-market media. The key characteristic of both is “pull” rather than “push” media.”
Trevor Foley, group chief executive, Events Industry Alliance
The survey also fires some other warning shots at the industry. Budgets are coming under increased pressure with 50% of respondents saying they are under quite a lot or a lot of pressure to justify the return on their investment (ROI) in contrast to just 10% who say they are not under any pressure. Additionally, only 6% say they are under less pressure to justify their ROI than 3 years ago while 65% claim to be under more or a lot more pressure. The survey also asked respondents to rank the marketing disciplines; Advertising, PR, Direct, Web/Viral and Events against the effectiveness measures of Impact, Measurability and Value. Events was voted overall most effective. It scored top in the Impact category and came second to Direct Marketing for Measurability and second to Web/Viral for Value.
“Every marketeer will have a slightly different reason for investing more resource into events but it is clear that the ability to inject high impact while retaining good measurement and ROI is helping make a compelling case for integrating events across the marketing spectrum.”
Andy Hill
“It’s great news that marketeers believe that live event marketing is effective and will make more use of this powerful medium. There is no doubt too that the unique full-on brand exposure that events offer can deliver huge ROI. At the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) we are addressing the wider ‘measurement’ issues raised, working on a ‘live event marketing effectiveness’ project that will quantify the added value that live event marketing brings to brands.”
Trevor Foley, group chief executive, Events Industry Alliance
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To view this press release in pdf format, please click here.
The EIA is supported by marketing partners Dubai World Trade Centre, IELA and getmemedia.com
Notes to Editors
About the EIA: www.eventsindustryalliance.com
The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) is the new marketing arm for the exhibitions and events industry, tasked with telling business leaders and media planners about the huge prospects for business growth through the medium of “Face to Face Marketing”, and increasing recognition in Government of the considerable value of the industry to the UK economy.
This new body has been formed by and is equally owned by members of three associations that have increasingly worked together to speak with one powerful voice for the industry:
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The Association of Exhibition Contractors (AEC)
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The Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO)
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The Association of Event Venues (AEV)
The EIA aims to:
1. Provide a single stronger voice for the industry
2. Better resource industry promotion activities
3. Enable greater sharing of information and intellect between existing association parties and new communities
4. Increase professionalism within and knowledge of the industry at all levels within member companies, In order that all members can run existing events more successfully and win more exhibition/event business.
For more information, visit the website at www.eventsindustryalliance.com
Contact
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
Declan Gane, EIA PR Manager
Email: declan@eventsindustryalliance.com
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
119 High Street
Berkhamsted
Hertfordshire
HP4 2DJ
Telephone: (01442) 873331
Facsimile: (01442) 875551
