As marketing and advertising begin to rebound, brands need to be smart about their strategies and tactics to reach audiences whose habits and preferences have shifted. There is no more a one-size-fits-all approach for businesses looking to engage with consumers.

This year’s Nielsen Annual Marketing Report equips brands – big and small – across various sectors of the economy with smart marketing and advertising strategies to meet the escalating pressure to drive return on investment.

Key takeaways include:

  • Continue marketing and reallocate your mix: Make the most of marketing budgets and engage with new consumer groups.
  • Focus on the end-to-end journey: Rethink omnichannel strategies and capitalize on opportunities in CTV and Addressable.
  • Leverage both holistic and granular measurement: Incorporate first-party data supplemented by second- and third-party data.

No one was prepared for what the world has experienced over the past year. For businesses, the need for agility was clear, but uncertainty and disruption left most ill-equipped to know how and where to make adjustments.

COVID-19 HAS TESTED US ALL, BUT NOW WE ARE SHIFTING FROM “WHAT HAS BEEN” TO “WHAT WILL BE.” JAMIE MOLDAFSKY, CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AT NIELSEN

In this report, Nielsen discusses smart marketing and advertising strategies for brands of all sizes to meet the escalating pressure to drive return on investment. Learn more about:

  • Why there’s never a good time to stop marketing
  • How to reallocate marketing mix funds quickly amidst times of change
  • Ways to modify your omnichannel strategy for the future
  • What obstacles are hindering CTV advertising adoption
  • How marketing technology can provide a smarter path to ROI
  • Why advertisers need more than first-party data

The data used in this report comes from Nielsen’s Annual Marketing Survey. A
total of 260 marketing professionals were recruited and completed the survey
online between October and December 2020, while 485 other respondents
screened out or led to incomplete responses.
In terms of seniority level, 75% of all respondents were at the manager
position or above, and 72% worked directly in marketing or analytics
departments, with the balance in executive or operations roles with direct
visibility into marketing decisions.