25 Mar 2008
Eurocom Worldwide Survey Highlights Changing Face of Marketing as Search Moves Centre Stage
Survey also shows that the jury is still out on merits of corporate blogging
Search - through services such as Google or Yahoo! - is the most important development in marketing in the last ten years according to the overwhelming majority of 350 senior technology executives surveyed by Eurocom Worldwide, the Global PR Network, in association with its member agencies.
Eurocom Worldwide’s Annual IT Confidence Survey shows that 4 out of 5 executives (79%) highlight the importance of search engines and their impact on corporate communications and marketing. This reflects the growing importance of web search engine technologies in sorting and presenting increasing amounts of information to web users, regardless of whether they are professional users or consumers.
The survey also finds that 3 out of 5 executives (59%) expect the company they work for to increase expenditure on Internet advertising in 2008. Internet marketing is rated as the best value for money in the marketing communications mix (43% of respondents) just ahead of Public Relations (42%) and well ahead of traditional technology industry marketing methods such as trade shows and exhibitions (13%).
“The Eurocom Worldwide survey shows that corporations and businesses around the world are going through a fundamental shift towards embracing the Internet as an engine for marketing,” said Network Director Mads Christensen, Eurorocom Worldwide. “This applies across all sectors from business-to-consumer (B2C) to business-to-business (B2B).”
The Eurocom Worldwide IT Confidence Survey also explored attitudes to blogging with roughly 1 in 3 (28%) of respondents saying they or their company have a blog. 16% expect to adopt one in the next year.
However, the survey findings highlight that nearly half of all respondents (47%) do not blog. Respondents’ main reasons for this are that they don’t see the value (42%) or it is too time consuming (32%). “The jury seems to be still out on the merits of corporate blogging as a tool,” Christensen commented.
The Eurocom Worldwide Survey finds that of those who blog, 50% do so to improve interaction with the public or with customers. 21% blog to participate in industry debate and issues. 19% blog to raise profile and 10% do so to boost Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
“Corporate blogging requires a major time dedication and resource as well as a commitment to transparency which may not sit well with many traditional corporates,” said Mads Christensen, Network Director. “However, its value in terms of search engine optimisation and interaction with the public is potentially enormous.”
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About Eurocom Worldwide
Eurocom Worldwide is a global alliance of independent, privately owned communications agencies offering unrivalled expertise in international communications campaigns executed by local people. Eurocom Worldwide has 29 member agencies comprising over 1,400 communications specialists and consultants in 64 national capitals and centres of commerce around the globe. For more information, visit www.eurocompr.com
Survey Methodology
Each year Eurocom Worldwide collects answers from hundreds of IT business leaders and senior industry executives around the globe, including Ireland, measuring the sentiments and confidence levels of professionals in the technology sector. This year over 350 respondents participated. The study was conducted via the Internet and fieldwork was completed in December 2007.