Belgian marketers convinced of the power of Live Communication
The Oval Office assesses the importance of brand experiences within the marketing mix
One in two Belgian marketers uses Live Communication and expects strong future growth. This is just one conclusion from the survey carried out by Nele Meulemans, a student of Multilingual Business Communication at Ghent University, on behalf of Live Communication agency The Oval Office. She polled 943 marketing and communication specialists on the use of offline and online brand experiences as a communication medium in their company.
These are the main results of the survey:
- 1 in 2 marketers (51%) use Live Communication
- Automotive (74%), FMCG (66%) and IT & Telecom (52%) are the biggest believers
- Brand awareness (32%), brand engagement (27%) and sales (25%) are the main reasons for using Live Communication
- Digital and social marketing (32%), customer events (24%) and content marketing (28%) are the three most popular forms of Live Communication
- 8 in 10 (79%) communication professionals expect a continued growth in Live Communication
Belgian companies invest in Live Communication
From 11% in 2013 to 51% in 2016: in just three years’ time, the use of Live Communication within the marketing mix by Belgian companies has more than quadrupled. This is the main conclusion from the survey by The Oval Office, the agency that introduced Live Communication in Belgium some five years ago.
Managing partner and Creative Director Wouter Boits: “Live Communication aims to strengthen the bond that consumers, internal staff and B2B customers have with the brand, the product or the company through a combination of riveting live experiences and inspiring communication. The fact that nearly 8 in 10 respondents (79%) agree with the proposition “I expect Live Communication to gain importance in the future”, indicates that Belgian marketers are increasingly convinced of the potential of Live Communication to make people experience their brand.”
“Today, Live Communication is a full-fledged strategic marketing tool that covers all the bases: audiences and brand, content and emotion, online and offline,” Strategic Director Olivier Trop says.
The main reasons quoted by Belgian marketers to use Live Communication are: brand awareness (32%), brand engagement (30%), sales and lead generation (25%) and brand preference (24%).
Automotive (74%), FMCG (66%) and IT & Telecom (52%) are the biggest believers
The survey shows that all sectors integrate Live Communication in their marketing mix. Some have been true believers in the added value of combining live experiences with creative online and offline communication to engage customers, consumers or staff for quite a while.
At the top of the list are car brands (74%), who like to introduce and promote their latest models through events and brand activations. The runners-up (66%) are FMCG brands that often promote their products on the shop floor during public events such as festivals and shopping days or through social media. IT & telecom brands complete the top three.
The winning mix: LIVE + CONTENT + SOCIAL
When asked which aspects of Live Communication they devote the most resources and attention to, Belgian companies name digital and social media as the undisputed champions (32%), followed by customer events (24%) and content marketing (22%).
Olivier Trop: “We have noticed a shift in marketing objectives towards content, strategy and communication. Live experiences such as events and brand activations have become content generators in order to reach target groups through other relevant offline and online communication channels. They offer a brand experience that leads to brand engagement by liking and sharing content on social media.”
The growing importance of digital marketing is also illustrated by the respondents’ answer to the question which media they feel are key in strengthening brand engagement. 6 in 10 marketers (61%) replied online and social marketing. Events come in second place (41%), with TV and radio (39%) a close third. Content marketing and brand activation (both 38%) share 4th place.
About the survey
Survey carried out on behalf of The Oval Office by Nele Meulemans, a student of Multilingual Business Communication at Ghent University, among 943 marketing and communication managers in private and public companies. Online questionnaire. The survey was organised in May of 2016.
