Gartner’s 2024 CMO predictions: The double-edged sword of generative AI

Analyst firm Gartner has issued its forecast for what marketers need to watch out for in 2024 – and it will come as no surprise that generative AI features heavily. Yet a lack of consumer trust is the pervading theme.

By 2025, Gartner predicts that a ‘perceived decay’ in the quality of social media platforms will see 50% of consumers significantly limit – or abandon altogether – their interactions with social media. Generative AI is part of the reasons why; more than...

3 January 2024 | Automation

Accenture acquires Jixie’s intelligent digital marketing platform

Accenture has agreed to acquire the business of media and marketing technology company, Jixie.

Jixie’s intelligent digital marketing platform and team will be integrated into Accenture to strengthen its marketing transformation capabilities and resources through Accenture Song - the firm’s tech-powered creative group - helping Indonesian clients deliver more personalised experiences to enhance customer engagement for sustainable business growth.

Headquartered in...

3 January 2024 | Customer Experience

Digital marketing skills show positive growth but sector demands outpace professional development 

Core digital skills marketers rely on have improved but that the growing demands of new and evolving technologies are contributing to a skills gap across the majority of industries. 

This is according to research published by the training body Target Internet, in association with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

This year’s report analyses data from more than 10,000 marketing professionals, gathered between 2018 to 2023 and highlights key short and...

24 October 2023 | Advertising

Digital self-service now more popular than calling customer service

self service checkouts

Most consumers are ready to swap customer service calls for digital self-service in the wake of their experience during the pandemic, according to a survey released by Macro 4.

The research, which examines UK consumer attitudes to household energy and water suppliers, suggests that 61% of customers have become more comfortable interacting with companies digitally since the pandemic, on websites, apps and other online channels. And 60 per cent would now prefer not to call a live...

22 March 2022 | Customer Experience

97% of companies have moved at least part of their digital marketing in-house

A house lit up in the evening.

The past 12 months have completely altered the way brands approach their digital initiatives, according to a study by creative management platform Bannerflow, which surveyed senior European marketers to investigate how in-house marketing teams are evolving in 2022.

The report includes responses from businesses in a range of different industries, including entertainment & media, mobile & online gaming, retail & e-commerce, iGaming, consumer tech, financial services,...

7 March 2022 | Automation

BT launches digital advertising platform to help businesses grow online

The BT logo on a smartphone.

BT has launched a digital advertising platform to make it easier for businesses to run their own digital marketing campaigns, helping them to better promote their goods and services online.

BT’s Digital Marketing Hub gives businesses the tools and support to create, publish and track their digital advertising across Google, Facebook, and Instagram – all from a single platform.

With the majority of businesses moving online during the pandemic, a recent survey by Small...

28 October 2021 | Advertising

NordVPN Teams sees digital marketers increasingly at risk of cyberattack

NordVPN Cyber Crime

According to Expert Market Research, the global digital marketing industry is now valued at $305 billion (£220bn) and is expected to reach $807 billion (£581BN) in 2026, with an estimated CAGR of 17.6%.

In such a growing market, cybercriminals are always vying for a share of the cake. Hundreds of marketing firms are targeted by cyberattacks every day, and of these some will always succumb to attacks.

What’s more, it’s not just the big firms that are in danger....

10 September 2021 | Case Studies

Old School: The forgotten tech making a comeback with marketers

In the results-driven world of performance marketing, it can be tempting to jump from tool to tool, scrabbling at the latest must-have tech. 

Despite massive advances in the way that marketers work, at the core of many strategies lies some pretty reliable tech, which shows no sign of being dropped from the marketing mix. 

There is a reason why old tech works, there’s a layer of trust and acceptance that marketers can benefit from - big time.

Old tech,...

16 August 2021 | Automation

Two-thirds of UK consumers return to brands that treat them as individuals

A crowd of shoppers in a street.

As many as 62% of UK consumers are more likely to buy again from brands which treat them like an individual, rather than the same as any other customer.

This demand for brands to engage with customers as an individual is mirrored across Europe – in Italy (70%), Spain (63%), France (59%) and Germany (55%). 

These are the findings of a study by digital asset management firm, OpenText, which revealed the extent to which the pandemic has changed customers’...

29 July 2021 | Customer Experience

Digital marketers among most in demand freelancers

A for hire sign.

Technology, digital marketing and design workers have been the freelancers most in demand in the past 12 months.

This is according to a study by online jobs marketplace PeoplePerHour, which analysed data from 15,000 freelancers in the timeframe. Results showed that the most in demand freelancing jobs are in technology, digital marketing, and design with an increase in projects for freelancers with strong marketing, technical skills or programming...

1 June 2021 | Content Marketing