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The challenges that marketers have faced over the past year offer up some lessons on how they can chart a successful course through 2022, according to a new report from IPG DXTRA, Interpublic's collective of 27 marketing services brands.
From negotiating the problems that underrepresented groups face in the hybrid workforce to handling the major changes that are transforming healthcare delivery, communicators have had a lot to cope with, and "Turning Interest Into Impact" takes a look at the opportunities that those hurdles can offer.
Perhaps not surprisingly, purpose plays a central role in several of them. On the DE&I front, United Minds executive vice president Tai Wingfield says that by centering inclusion and equity when managing the logistics of hybrid workforces, employers can move closer to the aim of making work fair "regardless of work style and location."
Current Global CEO Virginia Devlin broadens the definition of DE&I by stressing the need for disability inclusion. "Although 90 percent of companies claim to prioritize diversity," she says, "only four percent of businesses are making offerings inclusive of disability." She adds that by working to change this situation marketers can earn the loyalty of a billion-strong audience of disabled people who represent $13 trillion of buying power.
The importance of making a company's purpose a matter of public record also comes up for discussion. Weber Shandwick executive vice president of geopolitical strategy & risk Michelle Giuda notes that her agency's research indicates 87 percent of executives "believe their companies should be prepared to take a more public position on geopolitical issues over the next five years," and says that such preparation can make them more able to anticipate and handle any issues that arise.
Tech's many-faceted presence also accounts for many of the tips offered. ITB global growth and development director Crystal Malachias points out the need to "take advantage of all the tiles offered by the entire influencer system," while Kinesso SVP, global client solutions Liam Copeland says that the increase of concerns around data privacy should spur communicators "to use data in the service of humans, not just in service of our KPIs."
Successfully communicating in the midst of all these factors, according to FutureBrand chief strategy officer John Tipple, requires figuring out how a brand can make itself "fundamental to human life." Creating a brand that people can rely on, he says, "is likely to be the new standard by which people will judge the company with whom they decide to spend time and money."
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