2021-05-31-Bynder-The_State_of_Branding_Report_41页_1mb

2021 State of Branding Report Summary

Core Content

The 2021 State of Branding Report, co-authored by Bynder and OnBrand with Vanson Bourne, provides insights into the evolving landscape of branding, marketing, and creativity. It highlights the impact of the pandemic on digital transformation and content creation, and explores how automation is reshaping the role of marketers and creative teams.

Main Findings

1. Digital Transformation and Content Demand

• Content Demand Increased: Campaigns and content increased by 41% YoY due to the pandemic and the shift to a more digital world.
• Marketers Overestimate Their Capacity: 72% of marketers feel confident they can keep up with content demands, but 73% created significantly less content than planned in 2020.
• Digital Initiatives Impact: The top impacts of digital transformation on marketing departments include:
  • Generating more digital content and creative output (59%)
  • Implementing new digital experience technologies (58%)
  • Investing in customer data and analytics (55%)
• Not All Brands Are Digital: 8% of marketers have no digital transformation initiatives, and 18% have slowed or stopped them. 24% are already fully digital.

2. Creative Output and Automation

• Automation Gains Acceptance: In 2021, only 1% of marketers believe branding cannot be automated, down from 23% in 2020.
• Top Uses of Creative Automation:
  • Create content more efficiently (17%)
  • Maintain brand consistency (14%)
  • Enable agile marketing to drive experimentation (13%)
• Automation Helps Efficiency and Strategy: 55% of marketers believe automation will increase the efficiency of their efforts, and 50% think it will free up time for more strategic tasks.

3. Time-Wasters and Challenges

• Ad Hoc Requests and Customization: These are the top time-wasters for creative teams, with 74% of CMOs and 72% of creative professionals agreeing.
• Data and Tech Challenges: 45% of marketers reported that "making sense of inaccurate and inconsistent data" is a major time-waster, highlighting the need for better data infrastructure.

4. Marketers’ Concerns for 2021

• Top Concerns:
  • Reaching audiences on increasingly crowded digital channels (26%)
  • Keeping up with creative and content requests (25%)
  • Maintaining brand consistency (17%)

5. Agencies Lead in Adaptation

• Agencies Are More Nimble: 95% of agency respondents said it's easy to keep up with content demands, indicating their adaptability and early adoption of automation.
• Automation Benefits Agencies: Agencies are often the first to adopt new technologies, allowing brands to leverage their expertise in early, immature tech tools.

Key Insights

• Digital transformation has accelerated content creation and tech adoption, but not all brands are equally prepared.
• Marketers are increasingly embracing automation, viewing it as a tool to enhance efficiency and focus on strategic work.
• There is a growing disconnect between CMOs and creative teams regarding the feasibility of meeting content demands.
• Data quality and tech investment are critical for improving personalization efforts, despite challenges in data management.
• Agencies are leading the way in adapting to digital demands and leveraging automation, offering value in an increasingly automated marketing landscape.

Methodology and Demographics

• Sample Size: 1,600 marketing and creative professionals from various roles, industries, and regions.
• Geographic Representation: US (600), UK (400), Germany (225), France (225), Netherlands (150).
• Industry Breakdown:
  • 14% Technology
  • 14% Creative or marketing agency
  • 5% Consumer goods
  • 10% Healthcare
  • 11% Industrial goods and manufacturing
  • 14% Financial services
  • 11% Travel and hospitality
  • 8% Government and education
  • 12% Other
• Business Type:
  • 30% B2B
  • 19% B2C
  • 46% Both B2B and B2C
  • 5% Non-profit or government
• Job Roles:
  • 22% Marketing director/VP of marketing/CMO
  • 27% Marketing manager
  • 23% Other marketing roles
  • 11% Brand strategy manager/director
  • 4% Design, video, and creative services
  • 5% Digital marketing services
  • 6% Marketing operations
• Company Size:
  • 19% 250-499
  • 21% 500-999
  • 21% 1,000-2,999
  • 18% 3,000-4,999
  • 16% 5,000-10,000
  • 5% More than 10,000

Conclusion

The 2021 report underscores the rapid evolution of branding strategies in response to the digital shift. Marketers are under pressure to produce more content, but they are also turning to technology and automation to manage the workload and enhance creative output. While challenges remain, particularly around data quality and internal alignment, the overall trend points toward a more strategic, data-driven, and automated future for branding and marketing.