Deloitte Uk Global Marketing Trends 2021

2021 Global Marketing Trends
Find your focus

About the Deloitte CMO Programme
Deloitte’s CMO Programme supports CMOs as they navigate the complexities of the role, anticipate
upcoming market trends, and respond to challenges with agile marketing.
Read more on the latest marketing trends and insights.
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Contents
Introduction 2
Purpose: Built to flourish 6
Agility: Changing the playbook 16
Human Experience: Know thyself 24
Trust: The promises we keep – or don’t 34
Participation: A two-way street 44
Fusion: The new ecosystem 54
Talent: Marketing disrupted 64

2021 Global Marketing Trends: Find your focus
Introduction
T
HROUGHOUT HISTORY, MOMENTS of crisis had to be redesigned so people could do their jobs
and uncertainty have galvanised new safely and productively; grocery shopping,
innovations and shifted views on what dining out, education, and medical treatment
matters most to people. The 1918 pandemic fundamentally changed. And, almost in parallel, as
popularised the use of the telephone so much that a reckoning of systemic racism came to a head, we
the people-powered switch operators couldn’t keep were forced to reassess and reflect on our values
up.1 In the Cold War era, the rise of televisions in and what it means to be human.
households directly influenced how people
perceived conflict at a time when the Vietnam War From people and businesses to governments,
became the world’s “First Televised War”. And,
2
everyone needed to find new ways to navigate this
more recently, as issues of climate change and new world – and this trends report was no different.
gender equality took centre stage, people began to How do you uncover and discuss the implications of
demand more from businesses.3 global marketing trends at a time when the world
has seemingly turned on its axis and still continues
Now, we are confronted with an amalgamation of to change in unpredictable ways?
uncertainty – and the world is collectively looking
for answers. With an omnipresent pandemic, we To seek an answer to this question, we set out on
had to find new ways to socialise in a world where an all-encompassing journey to better understand
social distancing quickly became the norm; work how people and brands responded to the pandemic
THE 2021 GLOBAL MARKETING TRENDS STUDY

As our world went through rapid changes, we recognised a need to dig deeper into the evolving
milieu to better understand how consumers and executives are responding to their new
environments. With this in mind, we conducted two surveys to inform each of the 2021 Global
Marketing Trends chapters.
The Global Marketing Trends Consumer Pulse Survey polled 2,447 global consumers, ages 18
and above, in April 2020. This survey was launched in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico,
China, South Africa, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Global Marketing Trends C-suite Survey polled 405 US C-suite executives from global
companies in May 2020. This survey asked CMOs, CFOs, COOs, and CHROs their thoughts on
a variety of topics related to their response to COVID-19. Additionally, in Great Britain we conducted
research in May 2020 to analyse the impact of the pandemic on customer experience, surveying
2,140 adults on their attitudes towards brand actions and communications during lockdown.
2
Introduction
– and, most importantly, why some brands were outcomes they hoped to achieve in responding to
able to flourish even during these turbulent times. the pandemic, the majority prioritised improving
In our second annual report, we combine subject efficiency and productivity over more human-
matter expertise, voices from the field, and two centric initiatives such as strengthening customer
overarching surveys – one consumer-based and engagement, retaining talent, and increasing the
the other targeted toward executives – to separate company’s impact on society. And in these
the signals from the noise of change (see the moments of high stress and low certainty, almost
sidebar, “The 2021 Global Marketing Trends study” no one was thinking about growing revenues or
to learn more). disrupting their industry.
Even among executives, our research found they’re Answering the call for help
feeling the pressure of an uncertain future. For
instance, 18 months ago, we polled executives on Of course, this isn’t unprecedented or unexpected
their ability to influence their peers and make a behaviour, but when we polled consumers, they
strategic impact.4 When we asked 405 executives showed us that as times get tougher, they expect
the same questions in May of 2020, we saw more from the brands they frequent. Consider the
C-suite confidence has plummeted across the following findings from our consumer survey:
board (figure 1).
• Almost four in five people could cite a time a
As often is the case when we are unsure of how to brand responded positively to the pandemic
respond, our most basic instincts kick in and we and one in five strongly agreed it led to
prioritise survival over human connection and increased brand loyalty on their part.
growth. When we asked these executives what
FIGURE 1
C-suite executives have all seen a significant drop in confidence

Percentage of confident executives
2019 2020 (post COVID-19)
55%
41%
35%
17% 17%
10%
8% 3%
2% 5%
CEO CIO CFO COO CMO
Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends C-suite Survey.
Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights
3
• In Britain, one in five stopped using a business organisations should be deeply attuned to why they
due to their response to COVID-19, while 19% exist and who they are built to serve.
started using a brand as a result of the actions it
took in response to the pandemic. Our second chapter, Agility, explores how
organisations can best structure themselves to not
• More than 70% agreed they valued digital only live out this purpose, but also to do so as
solutions that deepened their connection with stakeholder needs unfold.
other people, and 63% believe they will rely on
digital technologies more than they did prior to The Human Experience chapter explores how
the pandemic even well after it subsides. In organisations can break out of their efficiency-first
Britain 20% of consumers said that once mindsets to elevate the experiences of their
lockdown restrictions lifted, they would spend customers, workforces, and business partners. In
more money at online-only stores. our fourth chapter, Trust, we provide a means to
holding brands accountable and ensuring that the
• 58% of respondents could recall at least one messages they convey are congruent with the
brand that quickly pivoted to better respond to experiences they deliver.
their needs, and 82% said this led to them
doing more business with the brand. Our fifth trend chapter, Participation, makes use
of an in-depth consumer study to highlight how
When we analyse these findings in tandem, we some of the leading companies in the world are
see a very clear message: In these wild times of harnessing customer passion to bolster their
uncertainty, people are looking to brands for help engagement strategies through customer-led
– and rewarding those that can meet their most innovation and advocacy.
pressing needs in the moment.
Our Fusion trend sheds light on how some of the
In this spirit, we developed seven trends to help most creative companies in the world were able to
executives break through this wall of uncertainty overcome their defensive mindsets to create
and take action. These trends can enable leaders to entirely new solutions through the fusing of
respond to customer needs as they unfold, pivot new partnerships, customer ideas, and digital
business models to better align to evolving needs, ecosystems.
and foster the human connection we all crave.
The final chapter, Talent, provides a line of sight
into how marketing can elevate its talent model
Breaking through into a competitive differentiator – even in the
with seven trends toughest of times.
Each of our 2021 global marketing trends shares These trends do not purport to predict what the
the common theme of breaking out of our often- future holds, but they may offer something more
defensive mindsets to more holistically – and pressing: a path forward to help your customers,
authentically – meet human needs. workforces, and society when, collectively, we
need it the most.
In our opening trend chapter on Purpose, we
establish the foundation required to flourish in
even the most turbulent of times. To do this,
4
Introduction
Endnotes
1. David Cassel, “How technology helped us through the 1918 flu pandemic,” New Stack, April 12, 2020.
2. Jessie Kratz, “Vietnam: The first television war,” U.S. National Archives, January 25, 2018.
3. Dimple Agarwal et al., The rise of the social enterprise: 2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte
Insights, 2018.
4. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, The makings of a more confident CMO: Three ways to
increase C-suite impact, Deloitte Insights, September 18, 2020.
About the authors

Jennifer Veenstra is the managing director of Deloitte’s Global CMO Program.
She focuses on CMO leadership, especially around the client experience, driving
strategy, and digital transformation. She works across multiple industry areas to
help CMOs in delivering enterprise growth and connecting with customers around
purpose. She has led the transformation of the Deloitte Client Experience.
Timothy Murphy is the director of research and insights for Deloitte’s CMO
Program. As a researcher and analytical scientist with Deloitte Services LP, he
focuses on emerging marketing trends and CMO dynamics within the C-suite.
Global Marketing Trends UK Leads

Andy Jolly Becky Skiles
UK Partner Sponsor | Deloitte Deloitte Digital CMO | Deloitte
Global Marketing Trends Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7007 8285 +44 (0) 20 7007 0922
[email protected] [email protected]
William Grobel
UK Director | Deloitte Global
Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7303 4882
[email protected]
5
Purpose
Organisations that know why
they exist and who they’re
built to serve are uniquely
positioned to navigate
unprecedented change.
6
Purpose: Built to flourish
Built to flourish
Navigating an ever-changing world
through the purpose-driven enterprise
T
HE WORLD HAS been through one of the stakeholders, some are positioned to remain
worst crises of this century – the coronavirus steadfast in one key dimension – their purpose.
pandemic – and is just beginning to pick up These companies inherently understand why they
the pieces and rebuild itself socially and exist and who they are best built to serve – from
economically. As COVID-19 took its economic and their customers and workforces to the community
emotional toll on the world, businesses were – and – regardless of what they sell today.
still are – faced with myriad uncertainties. How do
organisations navigate a reality where their Promisingly, people are taking note of these brands.
products and services may no longer have the same In Deloitte’s survey of 2,447 global consumers, 79%
standing as they did prior to the outbreak? For of respondents recalled instances of brands
some, it may be a question of how to connect with positively responding to COVID-19 to help their
their communities when storefronts are shuttered, customers, workforces, and communities (figure 1).
or, in terms of talent, how to support workforces We saw this manifest in countless ways: financial
on the frontlines as well as those confined to institutions pausing overdraft fees and deferring
their homes. loan payments; shoe companies donating
thousands of pairs of shoes to nurses healing
their communities; and many companies
Purpose-driven companies shifting their long-standing corporate

policies to better support the workforces that
inherently understand why drive their business.
they exist and who they are When an organisation’s crisis responses are
best built to serve regardless driven by a holistic purpose – connecting a

business’s role in society to its long-term
of what they sell today. value – there is a clear alignment between its
brand identity and a sustained commitment
to all stakeholders – including customers,
While most brands are mulling over how to employees, suppliers, and communities, in
reposition themselves and best serve their addition to shareholders.
7
FIGURE 1
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, are you aware of any brands that redirected
profits in any of the following ways?
79%
Overall positive
awareness
Awareness of brands positively responding to COVID-19

Increased measures to protect the health Provided free access to their products
and wellness of its employees and services
44% 22%
Donated products or services to a COVID-19 Partnered with other organisations to better

community support initiative support consumer needs during the pandemic
40% 21%
Provided financial assistance to a COVID-19 Adjusted contract terms or pricing to better

community support initiative accommodate consumers during the pandemic
29% 20%
Provided financial support to its employees Increased compensation to employees

during furloughs required to work during the pandemic
26% 20%
Significantly decreased or suspended Positive awareness – other

executive salaries 2%
23%
Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Consumer Pulse Survey.
8
We call these purpose-driven enterprises. Guided trust can quickly erode (see our trend on Trust to
by an authentic, enterprise-wide purpose, these learn more).
organisations turn tough decisions into simple
choices – following the path that best embodies What does it take for an organisation to operate as
their purpose. Purpose-driven enterprises are not a purpose-driven enterprise? It typically requires a
only garnering more attention but also spurring deep understanding of why the organisation exists,
consumer action. Nearly one out of four widening the aperture on who it is built to serve,
respondents strongly agreed that these actions and ensuring it follows through on its promises
positively shifted brand perceptions and one in five with purpose-driven KPIs. In this article, we look
strongly agreed that it shifted their buying to demystify what being a purpose-driven
preferences in favour of the brand (figure 2). enterprise really means and how marketers can
Meanwhile in Britain, 62% of consumers said that elevate their purpose to encompass all their
once the majority of lockdown restrictions lifted, stakeholders – in good times and bad.
they would be more likely to spend money at a
business that takes extra steps to ensure the safety
and well-being of their employees . Conversely, we Demystifying purpose
saw that sustained commitment matters as
consumers were also well aware of negative brand The ever-evolving dialogue around purpose has led
actions (66%) that led to one in four consumers to multiple interpretations of the term, coalescing
walking away from the brand. The takeaway: the definition of purpose into a moving target.
Organisations can’t pick and choose when they Purpose can represent the underlying motive
lean on their purpose. Rather, it’s a long-term behind why a brand sells its products and services,
commitment that guides how an organisation or it can be the platform that articulates why the
exists. In the absence of this commitment, public organisation exists in the world. In an effort to
FIGURE 2
The customer funnel from awareness to purchase behaviour
Positive action Negative action

by brands by brands
AWARENESS
79% 66%
STRONGLY AGREE THAT PERCEPTION OF BRAND CHANGED
23% 31%
STRONGLY AGREE THAT ACTIONS WILL IMPACT BRAND PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR
19% 26%
9
demystify purpose, we refer to the former as brand its “why” at the centre of its operations, purpose
purpose, as it is anchored in the consumer; while can be amplified and extended both within and
the latter refers to a purpose-driven enterprise, outside the enterprise.
intended to address the needs of all its
stakeholders. Regardless of the endeavour, most Consider one such purpose-driven enterprise –
purpose-led brands and organisations require Ella’s Kitchen. The maker of organic baby and
clarity in motive and a means of holding toddler food wants to “create healthy eating
themselves accountable to the promises they make. habits that will last a lifetime.”1 Ella’s Kitchen’s
intent is to live out this purpose by going beyond
HOW A BIGGER “WHY” EXTENDS simply selling food. In line with this, it applies
THE REACH OF THE ENTERPRISE its “good to each other” standards and works
Brand purpose and the purpose-driven enterprise with myriad stakeholders to ensure an ethically
don’t have to be mutually exclusive endeavours. In sourced supply chain. Besides using healthy
fact, a purpose-driven enterprise aligns its brand ingredients in its products, it also provides
purpose to a bigger enterprise-wide purpose. parents and caregivers resources to help them
However, in many cases, the “why” behind an develop healthy eating habits in their children.2
organisation’s products and services is siloed from
other important facets, such as talent and business Ella’s Kitchen also galvanises its corporate social
partnership strategy. responsibility (CSR) initiatives by donating more
than 300,000 food pouches to underserved children
When purpose is managed in siloes, its meaning across the world.3 For clarity, CSR initiatives are not
can be confused or, at worst, it can appear synonymous with a purpose-driven enterprise.
disingenuous. But when an enterprise clearly puts Rather, organisations with an enterprise-wide
purpose work to ensure that their CSR
activities reinforce their purpose and
their ability to positively impact the
world (see sidebar, “Elevating the
social enterprise”).
When an enterprise
clearly puts its “why” at
the centre of its operations,
purpose is amplified and
extended within and outside
the enterprise.
10
ELEVATING THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Countless brands have existed for decades – and financially flourished as well – even without a
purpose that ties directly to societal good. However, two global trends suggest organisations can do
better than “well” by ensuring their enterprise purpose and ensuing CSR initiatives are focused on
making the world a better place. These trends are:
• The world is shifting to the social enterprise: The social enterprise’s mission combines profit
with societal impact. We see businesses trending in this direction as CEOs most often cite “impact
on society, including income inequality, diversity, and the environment” as their most important
success measure.4 It’s not just CEOs either – millennials and Generation Z are most likely to
support companies that share their values and walk away from those that don’t hold themselves
accountable to these values.5
• The world is looking to businesses for solutions: According to the Edelman Trust Barometer,
which surveyed 34,000 individuals in 28 global markets, people see businesses as the most
competent group to solve global issues, even more so than nonprofits and governments.6 Notably,
respondents suggested that stakeholders including communities, consumers, and talent are
most important to an organisation’s long-term success (only 13% noted shareholders as the most
important stakeholder).
Increasingly, “brand” represents how people perceive the organisation, and consumers are
gravitating toward enterprises that support socially important endeavours. Keeping this in mind,
organisations should infuse a societal dimension to purpose throughout the enterprise to effectively
answer the call of stakeholders.
Measurement: Staying business decisions with purpose.7 In line with this,

true to promises made BlackRock requests “robust” disclosures from
companies regarding how they are adhering to the
Our news feeds are peppered with examples of industry-specific guidelines provided by the
businesses falling short of their grandiose promises. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).8
It’s easy to put something on paper but takes For those who fall short in these disclosures,
considerably more effort to authentically live out BlackRock will “increasingly conclude that
those words. Whether it’s a brand upholding its companies are not adequately managing risk”.9
promises to its customers or an enterprise Following these standards, BlackRock “voted
demonstrating its purpose across the value chain, against or withheld votes from 4,800 directors at
organisations can benefit from promoting KPIs 2,700 different companies” where there was a lack
that ensure they are living out their purpose across of sustainability disclosures.10
three key dimensions:
KPIs for teams: To truly live out a purpose, the
Engraining measurement in policies: workforce needs to live and breathe its values and
Organisations can establish measurable policies mission. For instance, Alaska Airlines employs
across the enterprise that bolster their purpose annual engagement surveys to better understand
through key practices. Take United States–based how its employees perceive the company and
investment management company BlackRock, for engage in living out its purpose.11 In 2020, its goal
instance. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink once notably is to ensure engagement scores are 80% or higher
said that purpose and profits are closely linked and, across company divisions. Organisations can build
as such, require policies that align fundamental on this method by reporting to boards how these
11
engagement scores are trending over time while their consumers and, in time, all enterprise
simultaneously ensuring that purpose-related stakeholders. They are:
conversations are a foundational part of
performance reviews. 1. Own brand purpose: As marketers are
traditionally regarded as customer experts,14
Linking profit to purpose: If profit and purpose they are uniquely positioned to understand and
are linked, organisations should measure purpose- articulate the higher order “why” behind the
driven outputs to demonstrate the value of adhering brand’s products and services. Bringing
to a purpose. Further, success helps secure buy-in the “why” to brand purpose can unlock creativity,
and provides a line of sight into what’s working for inspire employees, and create differentiation by
the organisation. For example, Unilever’s enterprise building an emotional connection with
purpose is “to make sustainable living consumers. Marvin, a window and door
commonplace.”12 Living this purpose, Unilever company, shows how marketers can turn their
measures the performance of its sustainable living products into a higher-level purpose. Their
products versus the rest of its product portfolio. purpose: “To imagine and create better ways
The results: “Sustainable Living Brands are growing of living.”15 Through its brand purpose, Marvin
69% faster than the rest of the business and articulates how it can take a seemingly
delivering 75% of the company’s growth”. 13
straightforward product, like a window or door,
and help people see this purchase as a way to
live a happier and healthier life in their homes.
How marketers can bring This can be through innovative technology, such
purpose to the forefront of the as hidden lock sensors and smart skylights, or
the ability to fine tune every design detail to
enterprise – for the long run
help customers build spaces that best reflect
A purpose-driven enterprise can require multiple their individual personalities, wants, and needs.
facets of the organisation to work in concert.
However, we recognise that not all businesses
start from the same place as far as purpose is
concerned. Start-ups can integrate purpose How marketers can weave
into their operations from the ground up,
whereas large, legacy companies have a purpose throughout the
steeper hill to climb as they pivot to more
purpose-driven endeavours. How marketers
enterprise varies depending
can weave purpose throughout the enterprise on the organisation’s
varies depending on the organisation’s
maturity and industry.
maturity and industry.
Regardless of organisational maturity and the
industry, CMOs and their marketing organisations 2. Catalyse the enterprise purpose: If the
can take three steps to bring purpose to life for organisation is not currently thinking about
enterprise purpose, marketers can catalyse the
12
conversation by bringing an “outside-in” 3. Fuse brand and enterprise purpose

perspective to C-suite conversations. This may where appropriate: Are an organisation’s
mean speaking to corporate reputation or CSR initiatives a major reason its consumers
bringing data to the table that sheds light on are loyal to its brand? If yes, marketers can work
current perceptions of the company relative to directly with public relations to help ensure that
the competition. the messaging for the brand and enterprise
purposes is congruent. If not, marketers can
As noted in our consumer pulsing research work with the CSR team to strengthen the
(figure 1), consumers are most aware of brands enterprise’s voice in the marketplace.
that responded to COVID-19 by protecting
employees (44%) and donating products to Consider Expensify, a corporate credit card and
support a COVID-19 community support expense reporting company. Expensify started
initiative (40%). Ethias, a large insurer in with the strong brand purpose of giving busy
Belgium, did exactly this when the pandemic professionals some time back by making
first hit. Wilfried Neven, the chief digital expense reporting fast and easy.17 As the
transformation officer of Ethias, said they company grew in popularity, it was able to
quickly developed three phases of response: “First, build a larger enterprise-wide purpose.
protect the employees; second protect the Expensify now donates 10% of its card revenue
clients; and third, overall, protect the company.”16 to societal initiatives addressing homelessness,
Beyond moving employees to remote work, child hunger, and climate change. When
Ethias stood up digital messaging campaigns to someone books a hotel on its platform,
check in on employee well-being. And to assist Expensify donates to causes addressing
the community, Ethias employees combined homelessness, and when someone buys a plane
their digital expertise with their insurance ticket, it helps plant trees to reduce carbon
ecosystem to develop a COVID-19 volunteer emissions. Expensify has a strong brand
network through their App4You platform. This purpose that directs its CSR initiatives.
platform matched volunteers with community
needs – while providing free insurance to the The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that
volunteers providing service. In doing so, companies which know “why” they serve their
Ethias was able to expand its core mission and stakeholders are uniquely positioned to navigate
purpose across the enterprise – and beyond the unprecedented change. When purpose is
traditional customer base. embedded across the entire enterprise,
organisations can live it out across the value chain
to fulfil the hopes of their stakeholders, and
possibly, change the world.
13
Endnotes
1. Ella’s Kitchen, “Our mission + values,” accessed August 6, 2020.
2. Ella’s Kitchen “Our dream,” accessed August 6, 2020.
3. Ella’s Kitchen, The good stuff we do, 2019.
4. Erica Volini et al., Introduction: Leading the social enterprise – Reinvent with a human focus: 2019 Global Human
Capital Trends, Deloitte Insights, April 11, 2019.
5. Michele Parmelee, The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020: Highlights – In the midst of crisis, younger generations
show resilience, Deloitte Insights, June 25, 2020.
6. “Edelman Trust Barometer 2020,” presented at the Points of Light: Corporate Services Council,
February 5, 2020.
7. BlackRock, “Larry Fink’s 2019 letter to CEOs,” 2019.
8. BlackRock, “A fundamental reshaping of finance,” accessed April 29, 2020.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Alaska Airlines, 2016 sustainability report: Focusing on people, 2016.
12. Unilever, Our sustainable living report, accessed April 29, 2020.
13. Unilever, “Unilever, purpose-led brands outperform,” accessed April 29, 2020.
14. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, The making of a more confident CMO: Three ways to
15. Marvin, “Our story: Advancing with purpose,” accessed June 2, 2020.
16. Wilfried Neven (chief digital transformation officer, marketing function), interview with the author.
17. First reported by Amanda Gregory, “Three great examples of brand purpose,” Catalyst Marketing, April 16, 2019
and elaborated on Expensify’s “Who we are: How we got here,” accessed March 26, 2020.
14
About the authors

Suzanne Kounkel is the chief marketing officer of Deloitte and Deloitte
Consulting LLP. She pushes the bounds of creativity and collaboration in
pursuit of two intertwined goals: happy clients and healthy business growth.
A principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP, Kounkel is a frequent speaker and
published author on purpose-driven brand, elevating the human experience
within B2B marketing, and the ethical use of data within marketing.
Amy Silverstein leads Deloitte’s Purpose Strategy offering, a unique collaboration

across the Monitor Institute and Monitor Deloitte Strategy. A leader within
the Monitor Institute by Deloitte LLP, she advises organisations to develop,
operationalise, measure, and communicate their purpose including Environmental,
Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies and linking purpose to core enterprise
strategy to accelerate commercial growth, manage risk, and advance societal
impact. Silverstein is a frequent speaker and author on the topic of social purpose
for value creation, the role of business in society, and the future of CSR.
Kathleen Peeters leads the Marketing and Commerce Practice in Belgium, where
her professional motivation involves helping companies leverage the full potential
of their business by making meaningful connections with their customers and
transforming their marketing. A director with Deloitte Consulting LLP, she has led
multiple transformation projects focused on maximising the value of marketing
technology and data to help the clients’ business grow. Peeters is a marketing
and communication executive with broad experience in digital marketing, Data
& BI, CRM, CDP, strategy, marketing automation and marketing operations.
15
Agility
The time is just right for
marketers to leverage
relevant digital tools and
design an organisational
road map to make agile
marketing a reality.
16
Agility: Changing the playbook
Changing the playbook

Agile marketing for our increasingly digital world
F
OR DECADES, THE recession playbook induced by COVID-19. Of this set of respondents,
remained mostly unchanged: Either retrench, 82% said such new, relevant offerings had
focus on costs, and ride out the downturn, or increased their desire to do more business with
spend ahead of demand with a view to capturing these brands. COVID-19 has also heightened
market share. However, the current pandemic- customers’ appreciation and adoption of digital
triggered recession is unique in that it has forced channels, with 66% agreeing that the pandemic has
massive, rapid changes in consumer behaviour – increased their appreciation for well-designed
away from brick-and-mortar stores and toward technologies; 63% agreed they would continue to
digital channels. Consequently, navigating the use digital technologies more often well after the
downturn requires a new playbook: Pivot to an pandemic subsides (figure 1). Despite this, in
agile digital channel strategy that meets customer Britain 41% of respondents said they found it
needs as they unfold or risk losing relevance in an difficult to access goods or services online during
already tight marketplace. lockdown, while 48% said that following lockdown
they would be more likely to spend money with a
In our survey of 2,447 global consumers, 58% were brand that makes it easy for them to shop and
able to name a brand that was able to quickly pivot interact with them online.
its offerings to better react to the “new normal”
FIGURE 1
Consumer sentiment change toward digital technologies due to COVID-19

Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
66% 33%
63%
36%
After the COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic pandemic, I believe
has increased my I will use digital
appreciation for technologies more
well-designed technology than I did prior to the
outbreak
30% 30%
17
Many marketers are aware that they should Three trends that help make
possess the ability to swiftly navigate an agile marketing a reality
increasingly digital world (see sidebar, “Be the
signal, not the noise”). In another study we Organisations can position themselves to meet
conducted, where we surveyed 405 C-suite customer needs better by applying insights derived
executives, 41% said the top outcome they hoped to from these three trends:
achieve by implementing more digital technologies
and platforms was to react more quickly to HAVING A CLEAR PICTURE
customer needs (the highest of all responses). For OF THE MARKET
marketing leadership, this represents a watershed The foundation for agile marketing often requires a
moment. Given the rapid changes in customer single, unified organisational view of the customer.
engagement expectations, coupled with This necessitates designing a data system that
customers’ increased appreciation of and integrates once disparate, cross-organisational
dependence on digital technology, it is now more datasets into a single customer data platform (CDP).
important than ever to accelerate – rather than
throttle back on – investments that empower What does this entail? At the baseline, organisations
organisations to quickly respond with the most should develop or adopt a platform that connects
relevant customer messaging and offers. data from a variety of channels such as e-commerce
and social media; devices such as laptops, mobile
In this article, we lean on a mix of examples from phones, and tablets; and platforms such as
the field and primary research to help leaders customer relationship management (CRM) systems
design their own organisational road map toward to map out customer journeys. This can help them
relevant, agile marketing. create a more holistic customer experience.1
BE THE SIGNAL, NOT THE NOISE

In a market flooded with content, consumers are exposed to anything between 400 and 10,000
advertisements per day, each vying for their attention.2
Because of this, most content goes unnoticed and those charged with designing and deploying
advertising messages face the unenviable task of rising above the clutter. So, how can marketers
effectively break through the noise?
Relevance is what captures audience attention and their ensuing interest. Relevant content connects
a brand to what is top of the mind for consumers when they receive the content. At its core, it can
be as sophisticated as engaging in cultural moments when they happen or as simple as selling snow
tires when it’s snowing.
The art and science of delivering relevant content relies partly on the creative direction of marketers,
and largely on data-driven insights – understanding your customer, keeping track of what’s trending,
and having the real-time delivery capability to craft relevant customer messaging.
18
Agile marketing requires a

single, unified organisational
view of the customer, which
can be gained through a
customer data platform.
Take for example a global consumer goods

manufacturer that underwent an initiative
to establish its own CDP to provide more
relevant and personalised customer
offerings. Previously, the marketing database had a artificial intelligence) makes this possible for many
difficult time keeping up with the changing needs organisations.
of the customer as it consisted of 1,700 tables that
were updated on a weekly cadence. By mapping For instance, Deloitte Digital’s social sensing
out the customer journey across the various capabilities forecast where conversations are
information sources, the manufacturer was able to headed over the next 72 hours, helping enable
consolidate these sources into eight tables that organisations to scan conversations in the
reflected key customer interactions across their marketplace, measure consumer sentiment, and
website, mobile apps, text messages, call centres, predict where those conversations may trend over
and instore transactions. By doing so, it was able to the coming days. This can be as specific as
effectively deliver relevant marketing solutions measuring and predicting sentiment on advertising
across the customer journey to more than 50 million messages or determining where people who have
customers – as their needs unfolded in real time. 3
recovered from COVID-19 may be most open to
donating plasma containing antibodies.4
ANTICIPATING THE CONVERSATION
To truly answer the call of the customer, an EMBRACING SOCIAL CRM
organisation should be able to sense – and Once they have a sense of where the conversation
understand – the needs of the customer. Thankfully, is heading, marketers have myriad channels at
a holistic CDP combined with “predictive sensing” their disposal to engage with their audiences.
technologies (powered by machine learning and Beyond traditional channels such as email, print
19
media, TV, and social media, there is a burgeoning So, what is social CRM? Brands are leveraging
set of social channels that some of the savviest their social platforms as an avenue to provide “one-
marketers – both in B2C and B2B markets – are on-one service” at scale.5 Take B2B company Sany
developing into entire social CRM ecosystems. Heavy Industry, for instance. The heavy machinery
Simultaneously, to better engage with customers manufacturing company uses social messaging
during the pandemic, 67% of the C-suite platforms to not only highlight the machinery in its
respondents said they increased their presence on catalog but also to provide interested parties a
social media (highest of all engagement strategies; simple way of scheduling a meeting with a sales
figure 2). Now, as more companies – especially in representative.6
China – leverage their social channels to more
broadly and dynamically interact with customers, Although marketers have long been using social
a new set of use cases are emerging through platforms to message content through influencers
social CRM. or key opinion leaders (KOLs), some are now doing
it at a more microlevel by creating virtual KOLs.7
FIGURE 2
Through the pandemic, how has your organisation interacted with customers?
Top three responses

67% 57% 49%
Increased presence Significantly altered digital Increased the

on social media platforms to better meet number of virtual
customer needs events and
workshops
Leveraged customer feedback to rapidly prototype new offers

35%
Stood up virtual competitions to generate new ideas

27%
Served new customers outside the organisation’s industry

20%
Served new geographic markets

19%
None of the above

2%

20
For example, China-based cosmetics company 1. Lead through the customer. With CDPs
Perfect Diary developed a virtual KOL, Xiao Wanzi, becoming more commonplace (and better
to offer her followers advice on its products and supported by major technology vendors),
share tutorials on using them in the best way. Part marketers can be bold in their aspirations. This
of what makes her so good at her job is that she starts with understanding the customer and
isn’t real! Perfect Diary developed the virtual
8
their needs – a position the CMO is uniquely
persona of Xiao Wanzi to interact with consumers qualified to navigate (see our trend on Fusion to
and help set trends in the marketplace. learn more).9 Our research shows that CMOs
have a significant impact on customer
Both Perfect Diary and Sany Heavy Industry are experience conversations within the C-suite
examples of companies pioneering the use of social (81%). They can use this position of knowledge
media for large enterprise digital marketing and to help map out a unified vision for
commerce. For many companies based in the the organisation.
western hemisphere, this trend is just beginning to
take form, with many refining their social 2. Collaborate on channel strategy design.
strategies within their Chinese markets. When we asked members of the C-suite which
functional areas will be most critical over the
next year, digital technology and sales and
Starting your journey to agile marketing were cited the most (68% and 63%,
respectively). Naturally, these two areas will be
For organisations to be able to implement
these tools and capabilities effectively and
make agile marketing a reality, the C-suite
needs to operate from a foundation of a
clear, enterprise-wide vision. Based on our
research, here are three steps marketers
can take to create and execute on their
vision of agile marketing:
It’s upon the CMO to help the

C-suite articulate a vision that
brings these tools to life to engage
with and respond to customer
needs as they develop.
21
incredibly relevant while designing a channel leveraging customer feedback to rapidly

strategy that works in concert across the prototype new offers. Considering the
customer journey. In this context, the CMO and importance of relevant messaging – coupled
chief information officer (CIO) can better with a clear understanding of the customer
position their agile strategy by bringing key journey – there may be no better time to lean
members of the C-suite – such as the chief sales on sensing technology and social CRM to
officer (CSO) – into the fold early and embrace rapid execution.
incorporate their needs and insights into the
channel strategy design. For the first time, the tools to successfully execute
agile marketing are readily available to organisations.
3. Rapidly prototype – and launch – new Now, it’s upon the CMO to help the C-suite articulate
offers. For agile marketing to be successful, a vision that brings these tools to life to engage
speed is of paramount importance. Yet, figure 2 with and respond to customer needs as
shows that only 35% of organisations are they develop.
Endnotes
1. Chitra Iyer, “What is a Customer Data Platform (CDP)? With top 10 CDP software for 2020,” MarTech Advisor,
November 4, 2019.
2. Jon Simpson, “Finding brand success in the digital world,” Forbes, August 25, 2017.
3. From Deloitte client work.
4. Ibid.
5. Ruonan Zheng, “The hidden power of WeChat Social CRM: what you need to know,” Jing Daily, May 22, 2019.
6. Jourdan Ma, “A beginner’s guide to China’s biggest social media platforms,” New Narrative, June 12, 2019.
7. Diana O’Brien et al., Diffusing agility across the organisation, Deloitte Insights, October 15, 2019.
8. Lauren Hallanan, “Fictional influencer ‘Xiao Wanzi’ is perfect diary’s secret to success,” Jing Daily,
September 29, 2019.
9. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, The makings of a more confident CMO, Deloitte Insights,
September 18, 2019.
22
About the authors

Peter Sedivy is the leader of Deloitte Digital Asia-Pacific. He is an experienced
implementation leader and digital strategist with 22 years of experience in
customer strategy, e-commerce, digital marketing, and large-scale digital
transformation. Sedivy has led substantial initiatives in the United States, Mexico,
Germany, China, and Japan for several of the world’s leading companies. He is
presently based in Hong Kong as part of Deloitte Advisory (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Michael Barrett is president at Heat, working with companies to drive growth

by developing new offerings, expanding relationships with existing clients
and bringing in new business. A principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, he has
more than 20 years of advertising experience, in a wide variety of roles in the
industry. Barrett has partnered with clients including Electronic Arts, Hotwire,
Dolby, The NFL Network, and Bank of the West to build effective creative,
powerfully engage with an audience, and craft award-winning campaigns.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Yohan Gaumont (Canada), Ed Greig (United Kingdom), and Kathleen
Peeters (Belgium) for their contributions to the development of this trend.
23
Human Experience
Pivot your thinking from
speed-to-market and
efficiency plays to fostering
the human connection.
24
Human Experience: Know thyself
Know thyself
How enterprise values drive the human experience
W
HAT’S MORE IMPORTANT – efficiency innovations that deepened their connection with
or the human experience? It’s the choice others during COVID-19. In Britain, 12% of
between taking a cheaper flight or a consumers said they increased the number of
safer one; buying clothing with the fastest delivery brands they followed on social media during
or from the supplier with the most ethically lockdown, rising to 34% of those aged under 40,
designed supply chain; relying on a “robo adviser” while 12% grew the number of influencers they
for your investments or taking out time to ensure followed during this time.
your money is directed toward investments that
align with your values. We then dug deeper and asked more than 400
executives in May the top outcomes they hoped to
In our inaugural Global Marketing Trends achieve while responding to the pandemic.
report, we discussed in the Human Experience Interestingly, three intuitive outcomes topped the
chapter how organisations need to pay down list: Improving productivity and efficiency,
their “experience debt.” That is, when
1
improving risk management, and accelerating
organisations design their digital future for organisational moves to digital platforms and
efficiency, rather than human connection, a debt technologies (figure 1). Of course, with many
accrues, and this debt can manifest in biased organisations scrambling to find any possible
results, lack of inclusivity, and feelings of
social isolation.
Then COVID-19 swept the globe. For some

Organisations should
organisations, these more efficient but less view themselves as human
human-centric solutions proved
insufficient at a time when technology entities that mirror – and
became the primary conduit to human
support – the values of
connection. As people looked to digital
solutions that deepened this connection, those they are built to serve.
they often moved away from the companies
that didn’t – or couldn’t – reflect what they
value, toward those that elevated the human means to preserve their business, striving for
experience. For instance, when we surveyed almost efficiency and better risk management is a logical
2,500 global consumers in April, one in four people path forward. But something else also caught our
strongly agreed that they walked away from brands eye: This period of uncertainty put a spotlight on
they believe acted in self-interest. Simultaneously, our universal need for connection. Our executive
more than 70% agreed that they valued the digital survey found that improving customer engagement,
25
FIGURE 1
Greater productivity and efficiency are the top outcomes executives hope to
achieve while responding to COVID-19
Efficiency-oriented outcome Human experience-oriented outcomes Other business outcomes
Improve productivity and efficiency

42%
Improve risk management

38%
Accelerate your move to digital platforms/technologies

35%
Improve engagement with your customers

33%
Retain top talent

29%
Increase company’s impact on society

28%
Reduce internal/operational costs

28%
Change your business model

27%
Drive greater revenue

17%
Create differentiation with your competition

17%
Disrupt your industry

6%

retaining top talent, and increasing the company’s believe it starts with being more human. Just as
impact on society – all ways to connect with COVID-19 and a reckoning with systemic racism
customers, workforces, and society – were the next led to people reevaluating and reflecting on their
most important objectives for many organisations. personal values, organisations should do the same
to meet the needs of their customers, workforces,
So, how do executives strike a balance between the and business partners. They should view
organisational need for greater efficiency and themselves as human entities that mirror – and
people’s universal need for human connection? We support – the values of those they are built to serve.
26
To truly ensure that an organisation operates as a purchasing decisions are driven by subconscious
human entity, it needs to balance human needs urges, the biggest of which is emotion.3 In our
with speed-to-market and efficiency objectives – or earlier study covering 16,000 persons, we found
risk greater accrual of “experience debt.” In this more than half of all people desired a more “human”
article, we lean on our research and examples from experience from their virtual environments.4 And
the field to provide leaders with a road map to help as time went on, even these virtual experiences had
bring human values to the forefront of their diminishing returns as technology couldn’t fully
solutions and empower them to respond quickly – compensate for in-person interactions.
and authentically – to human needs.
Complicating matters is the fact that in the past,
organisations relied on in-person interactions to
Reimagining organisations bolster the human connection while new-age
to be more human digital solutions are likely a little less human.
Promisingly, however, some companies have been
Times of societal disruption – such as the ongoing able to quickly pivot and revamp their digital
pandemic – can be a call to action for companies to environments to better foster this connection. For
rethink their values, operations, and infrastructure. instance, Kenu, a smartphone accessory
It’s an opportunity to innovate and rebuild the manufacturer, used to regularly visit its Chinese
human experience in a manner that addresses our partners to tour their manufacturing plants and
collective needs. Here are two ways in which an connect with key stakeholders.5 When travel
organisation can transform itself into the more became restricted due to the pandemic, Kenu
human-centred enterprise the world is expecting: moved these visits to a virtual environment.
BRINGING VALUE-BASED
SOLUTIONS TO MARKET
Why start with values? Because values drive
human emotions and actions – they are not
the things we do, but explain why we do
them (figure 2).2 Ninety-five percent of our
Virtual experiences have

diminishing returns as technology
can’t fully compensate for
in-person interactions.
27
FIGURE 2
The human experience starts with our core values
The HUMAN EXPERIENCE

is driven by values, emotions,
and actions
Values
Emotions
Actions
Trust TRUST is the underlying

foundation for the human
experience
Source: HX in Uncertainty research.

By using 360-degree remote cameras and a cautious while navigating their pandemic
collaboration platform named AVATOUR, Kenu environments, they are also open to trying new
continued to conduct regular plant tours with key things that prioritise safety. Then there are the
business partners. An added benefit of going Prevailers – while they too value control, Prevailers
digital: They can now meet anytime. tend to over-index on trying new things on their own
terms (Protectors fall in the middle of the clusters).
While this is an example of connecting in a virtual Prevailers are less willing to change their behaviour
environment, how can organisations deepen the in the service of “blind” pandemic safety mandates.
human connection in the physical space? Our
research revealed that Americans can be segmented For organisations serving both Pragmatists and
into three distinct patterns of behaviours and Prevailers, this means designing experiences that
perspectives (we call them clusters): the Protectors, make people feel safe while also cultivating a space
the Pragmatists, and the Prevailers. Each cluster is
6
that allows them to connect. One company, Clear
named to convey the mindsets and motivations of Mask, responded to these issues by developing a
the individuals that fall within it. Pragmatists are mask that, as the name implies, is clear.7 Now,
inherently curious people who like to control their people can choose masks that offer the added
routines. Although these people are generally communication benefit of facial expressions being
28
visible. Further, these masks also support more acknowledges that businesses need to address
inclusive design practices as they empower those needs such as employee fairness, ethical supply
with hearing impairments to communicate more chains, and protect and support the communities
easily while wearing masks. they work in.11
At a more micro level, it’s important for brands to Some leading brands today are actively engaging in
understand their purpose. For instance, global such self-assessment and making changes to their
furniture company IKEA has a vision to “create a infrastructure and policies to meet the needs of
better everyday life for the many people – for society. For example, to address issues of inequality
customers, but also for our coworkers and the and systemic racism, PepsiCo CEO Ramon
people who work at our suppliers.”8 To help Laguarta in an open letter talked about the three
develop new home design ideas in an environment pillars of policy changes – and corresponding
that’s safe for both customers and employees, IKEA measurable goals – that the company has
offers an augmented reality design room that pairs implemented.12 Here are some steps PepsiCo has
customers with interior designers and technologies. taken around each of the three pillars:
It also enables them to walk through their homes
and visualise what different combinations of • People: To increase the representation of
products could look like in their living spaces. 9
minorities in its ranks, the company has
announced a goal to expand its Black
REDESIGNING INFRASTRUCTURE managerial population by 30% by 2025. In
TO RESPOND TO SOCIETY’S addition, it is focusing on increasing
MOST PRESSING NEEDS recruitment efforts with historically Black
Crises always create opportunities for colleges and universities.
organisations to reset, innovate, and better serve
the needs of individuals and communities. For • Business partners: PepsiCo also stated that
instance, consider the devastating effects of it will double its spending on Black-owned
Hurricane Katrina in the United States in August suppliers and leverage its influence to create
2005. At the time, it was estimated that 80% of
10
more roles for Black creators at its
New Orleans was flooded due to the city’s poor marketing agencies.
infrastructure and engineering policies. Following
the disaster, the city invested in modern • Communities: To help drive long-term
engineering and sophisticated computer modeling change, PepsiCo will invest US$20 million
techniques to create the best flood control system more dollars over the next five years in Black
of any coastal city in the United States. communities. This includes programmes
designed to provide jobs, nutrition, and
Companies can use times of unrest to assess if they mentoring and management training for Black-
are prepared to respond, and if not, use their owned small businesses.
learnings to redesign internal processes and
policies to come out stronger than before. Similarly, yogurt producer Chobani built a
Members of the Business Roundtable, a nonprofit comprehensive approach to supporting its entire
organisation of CEOs from some of the world’s ecosystem of stakeholders. For instance, to bring
leading brands, have already released a statement better food to people around the world, the
on the “purpose of a corporation”. The statement Chobani Incubator provides innovative food and
29
Meeting the most pressing

needs of people requires
a deliberate approach to
uncovering these needs and
addressing them holistically.
Becoming a bit
more human
Reimagining your organisation to be more
human often starts with empathetic
leadership. Here are three areas leaders can
focus on today as part of their longer-term
journey to better elevate the
human experience:
beverage startups with grants, mentorship, and • Look for blind spots: It’s hard for an
access to its partner network. And in terms of its
13
organisation (or an individual) to see their own
own people, Chobani Shares invites all full-time blind spots. It’s also a very personal process
employees the chance to own equity in the that most likely starts with the CEO playing an
company and share in its growth.14 active role in reaching out and listening to
those the organisation represents. Thankfully,
In the absence of such a deliberate approach – as the CEO can start each one of these
adopted by PepsiCo and Chobani – to address conversations on the premise of one universal
human needs, organisational trust can erode. fact: We are all humans with the need for
These examples highlight an important takeaway: connection.15 This entails listening to
Addressing the most pressing needs of people can customers, employees, and business partners
take more than just good intentions – it can to understand – and address – what matters
require a deliberate effort to uncover human needs most to them.
and address those needs holistically.
• It’s OK to sit out (for a little while): Speed
to market is always a pressing business need,
and it’s not acceptable to stay put, but
30
sometimes your organisation just isn’t ready to fruition. So, how can organisations proactively
jump in on the conversation – and that’s okay. align their values with those of stakeholders? On
It’s better to sit out and ensure your words many executive teams, the CMO is seen as the
match your actions rather than unwittingly customer champion (and hopefully, more
straying into one of those “blind spots.” broadly, as the human champion).16 The CMO
Organisations can use such times to reflect and can use this position to advocate the needs of
build a plan to systematically address any their most important stakeholders and ensure
issues from within before they speak up. This that the entire organisation is positioned to
can not only allow them to respond better when address those needs authentically.
they’re ready, but it also can help ensure that
their messages are authentic. Moving fast and striving for efficiency will always
be important for businesses, but in times of crisis,
• Be proactive (when you are ready): we’re reminded of what’s unchanging – people’s
Building an authentic brand typically starts values. When we pause to reflect on what people
with living out the espoused values of the need, we can design more sustainable solutions
organisation. And when a brand’s values match that tap into what makes us human – our universal
stakeholder values, better solutions can come to need for connection.
31
Endnotes
1. Diana O’Brien et al., Paying down the experience debt, Deloitte Insights, October 15, 2019.
2. Amelia Dunlop et al., “The human experience: Quantifying the value of human values,” Deloitte Digital,
August 7, 2019.
3. Manda Mahoney, “The subconscious mind of the customer (and how to reach it),” Harvard Business School,
January 13, 2003.
4. Amelia Dunlop et al., “Navigating uncertainty: The Protector, the Pragmatist, and the Prevailer,” Deloitte Digital,
July 30, 2020.
5. AVATOUR, “AVATOUR and Insta360 offer virtual reality remote presence as a solution to coronavirus travel
restrictions,” March 11, 2020.
6. Dunlop et al., “Navigating uncertainty.”
7. CBS Baltimore, “Maryland business recognised for making clear masks,” July 14, 2020.
8. IKEA “Vision & Business idea,” accessed July 16, 2020.
9. Furniture, Lighting, & Décor, “IKEA and Space10 launch website to re-think home design post COVID-19,”
June 17, 2020.
10. Sarah Gibbens, “Hurricane Katrina, explained,” National Geographic, January 16, 2019.
11. Business Roundtable, “Our commitment,” accessed July 30, 2020.
12. Ramon Laguarta, “PepsiCo CEO: ‘Black Lives Matter, to our company and to me,’” Fortune, June 16, 2020.
13. Chobani Incubator, accessed July 29, 2020.
14. Chobani Incubator, “About,” accessed July 29, 2020.
15. Amelia Dunlop, “Why CEOs are really chief (human) experience officers,” Wired partner content, accessed
July 16, 2020.
16. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, The makings of a more confident CMO, Deloitte Insights,
September 18, 2019.
32
About the author

Amelia Dunlop is the chief experience officer for Deloitte Digital and
leader of the US Customer Strategy and Applied Design practice for Deloitte
Consulting LLP, where she helps companies develop winning strategies
that combine innovation, creativity, and digital strategy. Dunlop writes and
speaks regularly about human experience, creativity, and customer strategy,
and contributes to the Wall Street Journal’s CMO Journal and Adweek.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Maggie Gross (United States), Emily Werner (United States), and
Ashley Reichheld (United States) for their contributions to the development of this trend.
33
Trust
To build trust in these turbulent
times, brands should look at
what people value – rather
than what they look like – and
ensure their promises are in
sync with their competence to
deliver on them.
34
Trust: The promises we keep—or don’t
The promises we keep – or don’t

When messaging connects to delivery, trust flourishes
T
RUST IS A highly contextualised conversation. actions spurred them to walk away from the brand
In the C-suite, a CEO may see trust as in question.
delivering on the promise of bringing
innovative products and services to the market. With so many complexities, it’s easy to see how
The chief information security officer (CISO) may brands can easily miss the mark while honing their
view trust in terms of data transparency and messaging and delivering on promises. In an effort
cybersecurity, and the chief marketing officer to help brands design messaging that resonates
(CMO) may think of it as brand messaging and with their stakeholders – and authentically deliver
experience. Outside of the C-suite, trust is on the promises made – we drew on some key
contingent on what customers – and employees – insights from our research on trust and human
value the most. But while the meaning of trust values. In this article, we explore how:
varies by audience, one thing is universally
• Brands can better connect promises with the
constant: When delivery doesn’t meet expectations,
products, services, and experiences they can
trust breaks down.
competently deliver.
COVID-19 – like any other crisis – put the spotlight • The entire C-suite can breathe the mission of
on the relationship between brand and trust. trust throughout the organisation.
That is, a brand’s reputation is determined by the • Marketers can directly speak to – and address
connection between what is promised (i.e., – the values of their customers, workforces, and
messaging and advertising) and what is delivered business partners.
(i.e., experiences). When the gap between promises
made and what’s delivered widens, trust erodes
and the bottom line suffers. Closing the gap between
what we say and what we do
How much can this hurt a brand? In April, we
surveyed 2,447 people across eight countries to People may think highly of your brand, but that
better understand how people perceived – and doesn’t necessarily predict future behaviours, such
responded to – brands during the early days of as remaining loyal to or promoting a brand. There
COVID-19. As may be expected, people were highly are, however, some signals marketers can build
attuned to the negative actions brands took during into their messaging and actions to measure this
the pandemic, with 66% being able to recall when relationship and nudge future customer and
brands acted in their own self-interest (e.g., raising employee behaviour. Earlier this year, we surveyed
prices on essential items). Perhaps, though, the 3,000 customers and 4,500 employees in the
biggest loser was the bottom line as more than one- United States to better understand the link
in-four respondents strongly agreed that such between trust and decision-making.1
35
Through multivariate analysis, we identified four Chronicle” which explains in detail how and where
signals – humanity, transparency, capability, and the product was made across the supply chain.
reliability – that measure trust and, more
importantly, influence future behaviour
(see sidebar, “The HX TrustID” to learn more). Making trust matter
for everyone
Humanity and transparency reflect a brand’s
intentions while capability and reliability At the onset, we noted how trust can mean
demonstrate its competency in fulfilling those different things to different stakeholders. As such,
intentions. For marketers seeking to build and ensuring that a brand’s intentions and competence
strengthen brand reputation, this can be translated are aligned takes more than just a good creative
into messaging (intentions) and delivery strategy. It requires a holistic trust strategy that
(competence). Brand messaging should maintain consistently elevates the human experience for the
transparency in its intentions and reflect its brand’s customers, employees, and business
humanity. At the same time, the delivery of its partners. For marketers trying to weave multiple
experiences and products needs to be
consistently reliable and capable of doing
what is promised. Building trust requires a
By isolating each of these signals and
coordinated effort between a
reviewing how they’re incorporating them number of key functions.
into their messaging and actions, brands
can better identify where they are
operating with trust and which areas they need to dimensions of trust into a single message, this
improve upon. means zooming out and taking an enterprise-wide
view of the brand and how it can fully deliver on
We’ve seen in our research that 82% of customers trust (see our trend on Purpose to learn more).
are more likely to visit businesses that ensure the
safety and well-being of their employees, and 31% Building trust requires a coordinated effort
say this is imperative to earn their repeat business between a number of key functions, including
(highest of all customer priorities).2 In Britain, 62% product development, information security, talent,
say that once lockdown restrictions lift, they will be and marketing strategy, among others. However,
more likely to spend money at a business that takes this can be challenging as different functions and
extra steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of roles are responsible for different activities across
their employees. As such, if brands promise that the enterprise (figure 1). While some areas, such as
individual well-being is a priority but make marketing strategy, have a clear owner, others such
employees work in unsafe environments, there will as product road map and corporate culture are
naturally be a gap between stated intentions and more democratised across the C-suite.
competence. Patagonia, an international outdoor
apparel brand, has taken significant measures to Some companies are addressing this fragmented
transparently tie its promise of ethical supply chains trust environment by establishing new roles that
– and worker conditions – with the delivery of its better encompass the multiple facets of trust. For
end products.3 With this in mind, every product that instance, Forcepoint, a cybersecurity company,
is showcased directly links back to a “Footprint recently created a chief strategy and trust officer
role.4 In organisations such as WW (formerly
36
THE HX TRUSTID
When we launched our research study to better understand how trust influences behaviour
(referred to as the HX TrustID), we found strong correlations between the four signals – humanity,
transparency, capability, and reliability – and customer and employee behaviour.5
The graphic below shows that when trust is viewed through the human experience (HX) lens,
humanity and transparency reflect intent while capability and reliability demonstrate competence.
HX lens
applied
to intent
Humanity Transparency
Genuinely caring for Openly sharing
the experience and information, motives,
well-being of others and choices in
plain language
The HX
TrustID
Capability Reliability
Possessing the Consistently and
means to meet dependably
expectations delivering
upon promises
HX lens made
applied
to competence
From the original article, we provide a few examples of how trust can lead to powerful business
outcomes when brands demonstrate these signals.
When brands demonstrate humanity:
• Customers are 1.6 times more likely to purchase from the brand over competitors
• Employees are 2.6 times more likely to feel motivated at work
When brands demonstrate transparency in their intentions:
• Customers are 2.8 times more likely to continue purchasing from the brand after a data breach
• Employees are 1.7 times more likely to be satisfied with their compensation
When people believe a brand possesses the capability of delivering on its promises:
• Customers are 2.4 times more likely to be repeat purchasers

• Employees are 2.4 times more likely to show up to work on time
When brands are routinely reliable:
• Customers are 2 times more likely to recommend the brand to a friend

• Employees are 1.7 times more likely to positively review their company on social media
To learn more about the HX TrustID and the methodology behind it, click here.
37
Weight Watchers), the chief people officer is guess” method of meeting people’s needs and
responsible for delivering on all parts of the spurring action – they are, at best, a proxy for how
employee experience.6 Both cases represent a shift the customer may behave or what they value. On
in mindset based on the acknowledgment that the contrary, by speaking directly to what people
trust is an organisation-wide issue and requires value, marketers can inform the entire organisation
executive-level coordination. of a more meaningful way of addressing the needs
of the people they are built to serve.
Shifting the focus from In our “Value Compass” research, we found that
demographics to values pivoting from segmenting based on what people
look like to what they value creates a stronger link
Most marketers don’t seem to have a significant to customer behaviour.7 Why is that? Our values
impact on aspects of the business outside of their inform our feelings and, consequently, our actions.
traditional role (figure 1). However, there is a That is, when a brand connects on a humane,
better way in which marketers can galvanise the empathic level, people are more open to trusting its
entire organisation around a single mission of trust intentions and believing that their needs are truly
– by focusing on the values that matter to the being addressed. Further, by understanding
customer and employee. people’s values, brands can ensure that the
promises they make actually align to what their
Historically, marketing has considered audiences care about most (i.e., a signal that your
demographics such as location, age, and gender as brand understands its stakeholders’ values).
key inputs while segmenting audiences and
crafting messages that (hopefully) resonate with The Value Compass research also shows that at the
the customer. But demographics are really a “best highest levels, almost everyone aligns to some
FIGURE 1
Where executives indicated they have a significant impact in the C-suite

Average CEO CFO CIO/CTO CMO CHRO COO
Competitive landscape/disruption 20% 38% 17% 22% 17% 14% 10%
Customer experience 39% 44% 36% 46% 29% 27% 52%
Marketing strategy 40% 53% 30% 39% 81% 11% 21%
Mergers & acquisitions 20% 36% 29% 20% 9% 17% 7%
New markets 36% 52% 25% 20% 67% 17% 38%
Digital transformation 33% 36% 32% 65% 22% 10% 34%
Performance: Financial indicators 28% 44% 70% 28% 12% 10% 7%
Performance: Other success indicators 32% 42% 29% 29% 20% 35% 34%
Product road map (e.g., R&D) 40% 48% 48% 35% 39% 18% 56%
Security/risk management 33% 47% 29% 52% 23% 11% 34%
Talent acquisition or corporate culture 31% 47% 14% 20% 19% 68% 18%

38
combination of eight cardinal

values: ambition, trying new
things, curiosity, sharing with
others, belonging, caring for
others, control, and learning
new things.
By starting here, we can identify

universal needs and behaviours.
For instance, insights from a
recent study conducted during
COVID-19 – Respond, recover,
and thrive: Aligning with
human values – found one of
When a brand connects on a humane,

empathetic level, people are more
open to trusting its intentions and
believing that their needs are truly being
addressed.
these eight values – control – experts to develop the Delta “CareStandards.” For
moved to the forefront of people’s minds as the passengers, CareStandards brought new solutions
pandemic spread. Across population
8
to market; for example, “care kits” that help Delta
demographics, control, as a core value, increased in travellers feel at ease and confident that their safety
importance by 31%. is taken seriously. And, as importantly,
CareStandards has already helped increase
Now, let’s consider how it’s playing out in a employee protection as the number of Delta
particular segment – frequent travellers. Many employees testing positive for COVID-19 is “well
hotels that have taken note of the rise in the need below the national average.”
for “control” among customers are bolstering their
apps to allow guests greater control over their Bringing it back to the power of tying promises to
stays, and in a contactless environment.9 Or at the delivery, Delta started by understanding what their
organisational level, Delta Air Lines created an stakeholders value, transparently messaged how
entirely new Global Cleanliness division within its they are addressing those values, and embedded
Customer Experience organisation to reimagine its multiple delivery touchpoints throughout their
cleanliness standards.10 Headed by a vice president processes to ensure cleanliness and safety for
of cleanliness, Delta worked with outside health customers and employees.
39
Such values-based segmentation can get even more their data with businesses to respond to COVID-19
granular. Consider people’s willingness (or the lack – 30% versus 16% for those not as concerned about
of it) to share their data with an organisation. Of data privacy.
consumers in Britain, 68% say they are concerned
about the amount of information companies have Why is that? It turns out that those who are most
on them, rising to 74% of those aged over 54. highly concerned about sharing data put a premium
on data transparency (67% for those with high data
However, in our COVID-19 consumer survey, 21% privacy concerns versus 37%) and believe that
strongly agreed they were willing to share their businesses should use this data in an ethical
data with businesses to help respond to the manner (72% versus 39% for everyone else). In this
pandemic. One would expect this number to be specific case, it’s not about how people generally
lower for those who usually have a high level of behave; it’s about uncovering what’s important to
concerns around sharing personal data. Yet, figure them in these times – and others – and speaking to
2 shows that those most highly concerned about those values directly.
data privacy are also the ones most willing to share
FIGURE 2
Those most concerned about data privacy are also most willing
to share their data to respond to the pandemic
High data privacy concerns Low-to-moderate data privacy concerns
39%
30% 30%
29%
20%
16%
11%
10%
9%
6%
Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neither agree Somewhat agree Strongly agree
nor disagree

40
Building trust your organisational goals. If, for example, your

customers value transparent and ethical data
To be able to deliver on their promises and meet usage, it may be important to incorporate
customers’ evolving value-based needs, brands straightforward messaging on how your
need to align their intentions with their actions (or organisation will use their data and ensure
competency). And all members of the C-suite – not systems are in place to protect that data from
just the CMO – need to come together to bring both cyber risks and invasive data practices.
about this alignment. Here are some steps
leadership can take in this direction: • Expand the marketer’s toolkit: It’s hard to
deliver on trust when the marketing
• Don’t stay in your lane: While clear functional department mirrors the skills of an ad agency.
owners exist in most organisations, trust Delivering holistically on trust requires a wide-
requires collaboration across the C-suite. This ranging collection of skill sets, including
means developing cross-functional teams that expertise in product development, analytics,
align on trust-related KPIs, assigning and a deep understanding of revenue models.
ownership for those KPIs, and developing a
road map for closing the gap between Trust is the gap between messaging and delivery.
intentions and competency. The good news: Organisations now have the tools
to close that gap, and in the process, create
• Choose your trust competencies wisely: How something people wholeheartedly trust to deliver
you demonstrate trust may be conditional on upon their needs.
41
Endnotes
1. Ashley Reichheld et al., “A new measure of trust for consumer industries,” Deloitte Digital, July 6, 2020.
2. Deloitte HX in Uncertainty Survey, 16,000 respondents, May 2020.
3. Patagonia, “Everything we make has an impact on the planet,” accessed June 29, 2020.
4. Sarah Sybert, “Forcepoint names Myrna Soto as chief strategy, trust officer,” Executive Gov, June 1, 2020.
5. Reichheld et al., “A new measure of trust for consumer industries,” May 2020.
6. WW, “WW names Kim Seymour chief people officer,” press release, PR Newswire, April 1, 2019.
7. Amelia Dunlop et al., “The human experience: Quantifying the value of human values,” Deloitte Digital,
August 7, 2019.
8. Maggie Gross et al., “Respond, Recover, & Thrive: Aligning with Human Values,” Deloitte Digital, May 21, 2020.
9. Bryan Wroten, “Industry looks at contactless tech to build guest trust,” Hotel News Network, May 13, 2020.
10. Dan Booth, “Delta Air Lines new Global Cleanliness division focused on innovation,” Business Traveler, June 12,
2020; Delta, “Delta engages Mayo Clinic experts to advise on making travel even safer,” June 30, 2020.
42
About the authors

Ashley Reichheld is the leader of the Customer, Brand & Experience practice for
the Automotive, Transportation, Hospitality & Services sectors. Reichheld has spent
nearly 20 years helping her clients reimagine brands and experiences, shaping
the moments that matter with customers, workforce, and partners. A principal in
Deloitte Digital, she is deeply passionate about building trust, enabling businesses
to create value and stronger connections with people, markets, and ultimately
earnings. Reichheld has lived and worked on nearly every continent and in over
40 countries and is an active writer. Her work and ideas have been featured in
multiple publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Adweek, and Skift.
Abby Godee is the offering leader for Customer Strategy & Applied Design in
Deloitte Netherlands. She also leads the Deloitte Garage in the Netherlands, which
cocreates new innovations and solutions with clients. In these roles, she helps clients
create customer-centric organisations and innovate and grow new businesses.
Godee specialises in helping companies solve for transformational challenges by
integrating and leveraging strategic business, design, and technology perspectives.
Mark Allen is the Human Insights leader for the Automotive, Transportation,
Hospitality & Services sectors. A principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP, Allen
is passionate about understanding the drivers of human behaviour, and
applying that understanding to help businesses grow through increasing
customer and employee engagement, loyalty, and advocacy.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Amelia Dunlop (United States), Maggie Gross (United States),
Emily Werner (United States), Andy Sussman (United States), Dierdre O’Connell (United States),
Casey Lafer (United States), Shant Marootian (United States), and Michael Bondar (United States)
for their contributions to the development of this trend.
43
Participation
Marketers can benefit – and
stay ahead of the competition
– by crafting an engagement
strategy that leans into
customer participation at its
deepest levels.
44
Participation: A two-way street
A two-way street
How customer participation
fuels your engagement strategy
A
S BRANDS RUSH to respond to the ever- develop new products or produce original content
changing COVID-19 landscape, pivoting (e.g., uploading videos and blogging). And as
business models has become the norm. digital technologies bring people and brands closer
While the potential directions a brand can take together (see our trend on Agility to learn more),
are numerous, one path stands out among the the deeper, higher-effort forms of participation are
rest: pivoting the way brands engage with gaining in popularity. In Britain for instance, 30%
customers. When we surveyed 405 executives in say they would like to have more of a say in how
May of this year, 64% said they transformed the companies design their products or services, rising
way their organisation engages with customers to to 39% of 16-24 year olds.
better respond to the pandemic (most selected of
all options). Customer engagement is quickly becoming a two-
way street where customers
participate as brand ambassadors,
Customer engagement is influencers, collaborators, and
innovators.1 As such, marketers can
quickly becoming a two- benefit – and differentiate themselves
way street where customers from the competition – by crafting an
engagement strategy that leans into
participate as brand participation at its deepest levels and
ambassadors, influencers, maximises its mutual benefits for

customers and brands.
collaborators, and innovators.
In light of these emerging trends, we
launched an in-depth study that
A year ago, our 2020 Global Marketing Trends polled 7,506 consumers across four countries – the
report discussed how customer participation is United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and
changing the way brands craft their engagement China – to better understand who is participating
strategies (see sidebar, “What is participation?”). in brands, why they do it, and where they engage
Notably, how deeply a customer engages with and the most. We then drew on our primary research
participates in a brand can vary across a wide and examples from the field to explore how
spectrum. Participation can manifest in low-touch, participation is coming to life across the globe and
low-effort activities such as writing online reviews how marketers can lean into it while building their
and posting about a brand on social media, to customer engagement strategy.
deeper forms such as cocreating with a brand to
45
WHAT IS PARTICIPATION?
Customer participation represents both the passive and active ways in which people interact to
influence brands. Passive participation may include low-touch, low-effort activities in which people
provide feedback (e.g., writing reviews) or discuss a brand, while active participation represents the
more purposeful and involved ways people interact with brands (e.g., cocreation and developing
original content).
Participation across the at the lower end of the spectrum – 32%

engagement spectrum participated in online conversations about brands
– deeper, higher-effort forms of engagement were
We wanted to understand how people participated also well represented.
over the past year across a variety of engagement
activities, from the lower to the higher end of the Twenty-one percent gave online advice on products
spectrum. For lower-level activities, we asked if or services, 15% provided direct input on design,
respondents participated in online conversations and 14% developed original content for a brand –
(e.g., posting on social media) or wrote online all clear indicators of strong brand engagement,
reviews. Alternately, to capture deeper forms of interest, and, in many cases, advocacy.
participation, we asked if they gave online advice
(e.g., video tutorials or “how to” expertise); posted In the ensuing sections, we explore several trends
original content about a brand (e.g., visual content related to participation: Who is participating
or blogging); or cocreated by providing direct input across countries and age demographics, where are
on the development of products or services (e.g., they doing it most often, and what motivates
entering contests for design ideas or direct people to engage in deeper forms of participation.
cocreation).
Incredibly, we found that 56% of people

engaged in at least one activity over the course
of the past year (figure 1). Though it’s
unsurprising that most participation occurred
Incredibly, we found that

56% of people engaged in
at least one digital activity
over the course of the
past year.
46
FIGURE 1
Although Brazil led in participation in sheer numbers, China led in deeper

forms of participation
Participation by country
67%
Overall: 56%
59%
49% 51%
United States United Kingdom China Brazil
Participation across the spectrum

Participated in online conversations (social media, brand platforms, community sites)
32%
Wrote online reviews (e-commerce sites, review platforms)

28%
Gave online advice to others on specific products or services (video tutorials, providing “how to” expertise)
21%
Provided direct input on the design of a product or service (cocreation, contests for ideas/designs)
15%
Developed and posted content about a brand (visual content, blogging)

14%
None of the above

44%
Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Participation Survey.

These insights can help marketers develop an Who’s participating:

engagement strategy that leans into participation.
Global leaders
Of the four countries we surveyed, Brazil led the

pack with 67% participating in some manner or the
other. When we dug deeper, we found most of this
47
FIGURE 2
How participation changes with age
Overall participation by age

73% 64% 42%
Ages 18–25 Ages 26–45 Ages 46+
Participation by age across the engagement spectrum

37%
37%
25%

33%
33%
22%
30%
28%
12%
18%
20%
8%

20%
19%
7%

was driven by low-to-medium level activities, with China, while second in overall participation, led in
40% participating in online conversations, 36% its deepest forms, with nearly one in four people
writing reviews, and 33% giving advice to others. providing direct input on design and one in five
developing original content for a brand. This isn’t
48
THE SOCIAL ECOSYSTEMS OF CHINA

In China, many leading brands are developing intricate social strategies that maximise engagement
for both participation activities and customer types. For instance, some platforms are built to
encourage people to upload video tutorials while others work like search engines that pair people
with the most relevant key opinion consumers (e.g., Little Red Book). Among customer types,
younger audiences are gravitating toward interactive platforms such as Bilibili while older individuals
are likely to stick to “what they know.” In all cases, marketing leaders can proactively follow this
blueprint to identify the role each platform can play in crafting their strategies.
surprising as China has been ahead of the curve in Generation Z (ages 18–25) participates in brands at
pioneering the use of social media for customer a rate of 73%, the rate gradually declines to 42% for
engagement (see sidebar, “The social ecosystems of people over the age of 45. The gap especially
China” to learn more). For instance, Chinese increases for deeper forms of participation, with only
platforms such as Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) 7% of people over age 45 developing original content
use social as both an e-commerce platform and, in versus nearly 20% of those who are 45 and younger.
the case of participation, as a forum for customers
to converse with key opinion consumers.2 Unlike As we sought to understand why there are
key opinion leaders, who often possess some level differences in participation by age, one theme
of fame, key opinion consumers are mostly regular stood out: passion. When we asked respondents if
people who have garnered a following because of they engaged in these activities because they were
their knowledge and/or expertise in a brand’s passionate about a specific brand, product, or
service, we found age is highly correlated with
passion and engagement. That is, the older the
We found age is highly individual, the bigger the role passion plays in
participation. Across all forms of engagement,
correlated with passion Gen Z agreed that passion plays a role between
and engagement. That is, 54% and 65% of the time. By comparison,
those older than 25 said passion is relevant
the older the individual, 76% to 85% of the
time (figure 3).
the bigger the role passion
plays in participation. Though it’s difficult to say definitively, this
trend may be a reflection of the fact that Gen Z
grew up in a digitally native environment
while older generations had to actively learn
products or services. how to navigate various technologies and forums
for participation. Thus, for Gen Z, participation
may simply be part of their core mindset and a
Who’s participating: natural behaviour while older people may need the
With age comes passion extra motivation of passion to engage with brands
digitally.
As many may expect, younger generations interact
most frequently with brands. Figure 2 shows while
49
FIGURE 3
Participation in those older than 25 is more driven by passion than it is in Gen Z

Ages 18–25 Ages 26–45 Ages 46+

60%
79%
76%

65%
80%
80%
59%
80%
81%
54%
81%
81%

55%
76%
85%
Note: These results are represented by those that agree passion played a role in each activity.
DeWalt, a global tools manufacturer, tapped into and grocery and beverage consistently represented
consumer passion by forming an insights in the top five industries as far as participation is
community of 8,000 tradespeople and 4,000 do-it- concerned. Their representation at the top is
yourselfers (DIYers).3 DeWalt provides individuals mostly intuitive as they see relatively frequent
within this community with tools to test, say, purchases whereas categories such as furniture and
during a home improvement project. The ask: automobiles see less frequent buys. Interestingly,
customer feedback. DeWalt estimates this though, grocery and beverage, which are
community has saved the company more than traditionally considered low-involvement
US$6 million in R&D cost. purchases, is a top participation category for
US consumers.
Participation frequency: However, when people do participate in less-

The few but mighty frequent purchase categories, they do so at a rate
consistent with the higher-frequency purchase
Industries that witness the most engagement are industries. The BMW Group, for instance, has
fairly consistent across the participation spectrum. hosted virtual cocreation contests where hundreds
Specifically, we see electronics, beauty and personal of car enthusiasts have submitted innovation ideas
care, health and wellness, apparel and footwear, for both interior and exterior design concepts.4
50
As people engage in
deeper activities, they also
participate in them more
frequently.
It is also encouraging to see that frequency of week, 37% provide direct input on design once a
participation increases as one moves across the week or more. In essence, as people engage in
spectrum. In figure 4, we can see how this plays out deeper activities, they also participate in them
– while 28% of those who participate in online more frequently.
conversations engage in the activity at least once a
FIGURE 4
Participation frequency in deeper engagement activities is higher than in

lower-level ones
Customers participating in an activity at least once a week
37%
35% 35%
31%
28%
Participate in online Write online Develop and Give online Provide direct
conversations reviews post content advice input on design
LOWER Participation activities DEEPER

51
Motivations for participating: • Build a holistic participation plan: It’s

The desire to help important to pinpoint where participation can
be integrated into your engagement strategy –
When we explored why people participate, an this means matching the customer journey to
overwhelming trend rose to the fore: People are the optimal participation platform. For example,
most motivated to participate in an effort to help building awareness and consideration requires
others. Helping others regularly outranked other brands to promote community forums and/or
motivations such as “wanting to share something relevant blogs too. Or, at the other end of the
exciting,” “having expertise in a product or service,” customer journey, marketers may want to
or a “brand launching a new product”. encourage people to develop their own video
tutorials to drive conversions and repeat usage.
Perhaps most intriguing is the motivation that was
consistently at the bottom: “Wanting to be • Create a deeper customer relationship:
recognised for my expertise”. Interestingly, there is While traditional loyalty approaches (e.g.,
one notable exception – China. As respondents in customer relationship management systems
China moved to deeper forms of participation, and loyalty programmes) are often a one-way
recognition of one’s expertise rose to become the street, participation is unique in its ability to
second-highest motivator, while helping others interactively foster and nurture brand loyalty
dropped to the fourth position. This could reflect and customer advocacy. It enables brand
the key opinion consumer culture we discussed interactions – and even innovations – to
earlier. Globally, the implication may be that as become a two-way conversation, effectively
people are provided with more opportunities to adding another layer to the
participate, their motivations could evolve to more customer relationship.
personal reasons.
• It’s more than just a B2C strategy: B2B
companies can kindle participation in a similar
Making participation manner as their B2C peers. While B2C
part of your strategy companies have always sought customer
feedback, B2B companies can encourage deeper
As participation moves across the spectrum to forms of participation as well. This can manifest
deeper forms of engagement, marketing leaders in innovation labs where customers help
can weave these insights – who’s participating, cocreate new products and services or in brands
where they’re participating the most, and what encouraging customers to advocate on their
motivates them – into their marketing strategy. behalf at conferences or through
community forums.
Here’s what marketers should keep in mind while
crafting a strategy that leans into customer Engagement is a two-way street and now marketers
participation: have more opportunities than ever to invite their
customers to participate in – and bring life to –
their strategy, products, and services.
52
Endnotes
1. Diana O’Brien et al., The amplification of consumer participation: How emerging customer engagement strategies are
unlocking new value for global brands, Deloitte Insights, October 15, 2019.
2. Tamsin Smith, “What is a KOC? Behind China’s latest influencer trend,” Jing Daily, October 8, 2019.
3. Vision Critical, “How the power tool manufacturer uses customer insight to spark innovation,” accessed
June 25, 2020.
4. BMW Group, “BMW Group Co-Creation Lab,” press release, July 20, 2010.
About the author

Jennifer Lacks Kaplan has more than 20 years of experience serving many of
the world’s leading companies in a range of industries where she helps clients
develop and enable winning growth strategies and marketing transformation.
She is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP and a member of the Customer
and Marketing strategy practice within the US Strategy service line Monitor
Deloitte. Prior to Deloitte, Kaplan was a senior partner at Monitor Group.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Grace Ling (China) for her contribution to the development of
this trend.
53
Fusion
Organisations can better help
the people they serve by
creating innovative experiences
through cross-industry
partnerships.
54
Fusion: The new ecosystem
The new ecosystem

Fusing cross-industry partnerships
in a postpandemic world
T
HE WORLDWIDE SHUTDOWNS triggered by They must remember: People don’t need cars, they
the COVID-19 pandemic have brought our need to get from point A to point B, just as they
universal human needs to the forefront. don’t need surgery, they need to be well.
These needs range from access to essential
products and services and connecting with family While some organisations were already making
and friends to navigating disrupted work efforts to align with this human-centric mindset,
environments at a time when “normal” life has COVID-19 shifted the dynamics for many others
fundamentally changed. In many ways, the crisis practically overnight. And in the face of dire
has created a crucible of experimentation and economic conditions, some companies pivoted to
innovation as communities, companies, look for creative ways to meet these evolving needs,
governments, and individuals work to piece leading to new collaborations – or fusions – across
together new ways to meet these unmet industry lines. Amid uncertainty about the
human needs. pandemic, these organisations entered into new
partnerships that engaged customers in novel ways
In our inaugural trend report on Fusion, we and made major, transformational investments in
discussed the 60-year evolution from last century’s digital platforms in a matter of months – all in
industrial, supply-driven products and services to pursuit of finding innovative ways to meet
more customer-inspired solutions. The result: The
1
people’s needs.
most disruptive companies started looking
beyond traditional industry boundaries to
find better ways to serve customer needs. People don’t need cars, they
Now, we see a new pivot happening across
need to get from point A to
industries. Many organisations are moving point B, just as they don’t
past serving customers with point products
and solutions. They are going a level deeper need surgery, they need to
to truly understand the needs of the people be well.
they serve in a more fundamental way. And
with that knowledge, they’re working to
meet the needs of their people more holistically. What’s striking and instructive for executives is the
It’s not about doing “the same thing better.” Rather, paradox between these forward-leaning
organisations have an opportunity to completely investments and the current defensive, operational
reimagine partnership strategies that open the mindset in the C-suite. In Deloitte’s survey of 405
aperture of solutions for the people they serve. C-suite executives, we asked leaders the top
55
outcomes they hoped to achieve while responding (6%) – all of which can be essential ingredients for
to the pandemic. Overwhelmingly, most of them thriving in the future (figure 1).
viewed their investments through a reactionary
lens, with improving productivity and efficiency In this article, we explore how companies can
(42%) and better managing risks (38%) topping break out of this defensive mindset and proactively
the list. Very few looked at these investments to meet the evolving needs of the people they serve.
grow revenues (17%), differentiate themselves from We begin by exploring how pioneering
the competition (17%), or disrupt their industries partnerships can provide the ingredients for
FIGURE 1
The C-suite is operating through a largely defensive mindset, leaving future

growth opportunities on the table
How C-suite executives rated the top three outcomes they hoped to achieve while responding to
the pandemic
Operational and efficiency plays Innovation and growth opportunities Other business outcomes
Top three outcomes

42% 38% 35%
Improve productivity Improve risk Accelerate your

and efficiency management move to digital
platforms/technologies
33% Improve engagement

with your customers 27% Change your
business model
29% Retain top

talent 17% Drive greater
revenue
28% Increase company’s

impact on society 17% Create differentiation
with your competition
28% Reduce internal/

operational costs 6% Disrupt your
industry
The innovation and growth opportunities

were ranked as the lowest three outcomes.

56
growth and close with a discussion on how chief car care brand to create a “digitally enabled car-
marketing officers (CMOs) are uniquely positioned maintenance experience.”3 A data platform
to lead the charge by innovating along with and created through the ecosystem enables customers
through the eyes of the customer. to receive maintenance recommendations and
make online reservations to have cars serviced; at
the same time, it enables ExxonMobil to not only
How organisations are fuel vehicles but also ensure they are running
better addressing human safely and effectively.
needs through fusion

Whether formed before or during the pandemic,
Through a combination of primary research and there’s new evidence that these cross-industry,
examples from the field, we explored how brands cross-boundary partnerships have staying power,
can look beyond what they do today and fuse new according to C-suite leaders. In our survey, we
partnerships that integrate customer insights and asked how companies adjusted their business
digital platforms in their innovation road maps to models to better respond to the pandemic. Though
surprise and delight the people they serve. entering new business partnerships was a distant
second to digital acceleration initiatives (64%
THE POWER AND PROMISE OF versus 36%), we see evidence that these new
BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS business partnerships have the most staying power
Holistically delivering on human needs often after the pandemic.
requires a shift in mindset. For brands, it can mean
thinking beyond their own products and services How do we know this? We asked executives if they
and seeking out partnerships that empower them would revert to old models or carry on with the
to better serve their stakeholders. The early days of new models once the pandemic subsides.
the pandemic helped incubate many creative, Executives across the board – a resounding 78% –
unexpected business partnerships to solve new indicated that new partnerships would be retained
challenges. Consider the pivot by restaurant dining to some degree, highest of all business model
app OpenTable, which entered into new changes (figure 2).
partnerships with a variety of supermarket chains
and other essential businesses to turn a visit to Whether out of sheer necessity to survive or
grocery and other retail stores into a reservable because they saw new opportunities, many brands
event. As a result of that collaboration, people that took the leap and entered into new partnerships
could safely – and predictably – buy essential found better ways to more holistically serve people
items without the worry (or hassle) of being caught – both in the short and long term.
in large crowds.2
INTEGRATE CUSTOMER INSIGHTS
Beyond the pandemic, there are many examples of ACROSS INDUSTRY LINES
companies moving outside of their traditional It can be difficult to take a comprehensive view of
domains to meet emerging needs, such as the customer if insights are limited to your
ExxonMobil’s collaboration to create a new car industry. To gain a more complete picture of
care ecosystem in China. Shifting from traditional behaviour and underlying needs, brands can seek
B2B to a more customer-driven market, ExxonMobil partnerships that provide complementary views of
partnered with a global tech company and a local the people they are serving. At its core, it means
57
FIGURE 2
Most executives agree that new partnerships forged during COVID-19 will
continue after the pandemic subsides
Should immediately go back to former business model
Should retain some portion of this new business model
New business model is a long-term solution for success
Engaged in new partnerships to better serve customer needs

9%
33%
45%
Transformed the way organisation engages with customers (i.e. from physical to digital storefront)
7%
24%
39%
Entered new geographic markets

18%
31%
38%
Pivoted product offerings

9%
50%
37%
Entered new industries

17%
37%
35%

building robust data mechanisms that capture the pandemic, Lloyds Bank expanded its
full landscape of customer behavior and feedback partnership with Mental Health UK to foster
so companies can involve the people they serve public awareness and offer resources on dealing
directly in the innovation process. with the negative mental health impact of
financial problems.4 By directly listening to
Here are two ways brands are using cross-industry people, Lloyds Bank – with the help of a key
partnerships to design innovation strategies in a partner – didn’t just create a banking solution;
human-centric spirit: it crafted a financial and mental wellness
solution at a time when wallets were tight and
1. Listening to evolving needs through anxieties were high.
social: Social sensing doesn’t have to be
limited to crafting timely customer messaging 2. Inviting customers to participate: Inviting
(see our trend on Agility to learn more). It can people to directly participate in the knowledge-
also provide a direct line of sight into what sharing process affords brands a unique
people need now. For instance, during the opportunity to learn what people really need to
58
drive innovation efforts (see our Participation tried at least one of these digital activities for the
trend to learn more). Take the example of first time (figure 3).
GovConnect, a convergence of digital solutions
that includes a COVID-19 contact-tracking and ConvergeHEALTH Connect powered by technology
tracing effort. GovConnect enables individuals platform Zyter is one such example of emerging
to opt in to create a network of their mobility to digital telemedicine services coming to life during
help pinpoint potential exposure to the virus.5 the pandemic, offering patient video visits,
The public-facing portal – created by leading virtual “smart” exams with patients, secure
technology companies – also helps participating file-sharing, and other provider-to-provider
members of the public find community and collaboration for health care teams.6 Through
government services through customised multiple cross-industry partnerships,
recommendations. Simultaneously, GovConnect ConvergeHEALTH Connect helps enable US health
helps government leaders and public health care providers and government health agencies to
officials make better real-time decisions for digitally triage patients. In addition, it helps
responding to the pandemic. protect patient privacy while shifting the care of
presumptive cases into the virtual space, provides
In this way, by coalescing insights from customers the ability to extend critical care virtually using
at a cross-industry intersection of their needs, digital innovation, and enables providers to
companies can develop solutions that anticipate efficiently deploy evolving protocols and virtually
and respond to evolving demands. consult specialists to advance patients through the
continuum of care.
HARNESS NEW PARTNERSHIPS TO
EXPAND DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS
While the role and importance of digital
have been exploding for many years now, Through multiple cross-
the pandemic was a turning point that
drove many organisations to not only
industry partnerships,
accelerate their move to digital platforms, ConvergeHEALTH Connect
but also to find new ways and new
partnerships to address needs through helps enable health care
digital. providers and government
To understand these dynamics, we health agencies to digitally
surveyed 2,447 global consumers to
understand the new ways in which people triage patients.
are navigating their COVID-19
environment. This included activities such
as shopping for essentials, continuing their work Amid a new environment where people are
and education, consulting with doctors, and physically isolated from one another, we found that
connecting with family and friends – all with the vast majority were largely satisfied with these
minimal human contact and often enabled by new experiences. Across all categories, at least 53%
cross-industry digital solutions. Interestingly, found their new digital experiences an adequate
people were more open and willing than ever to substitute, and about a third even said these
test new solutions during this worldwide digital digitally native methods were a superior alternative
test drive. Among eight different activities, 82% to their in-person experiences. Meanwhile in
59
FIGURE 3
Most customers who tried digital experiences for the first time during the
pandemic were satisfied with them
First time trying digital experiences and their satisfaction with those experiences
Disappointed with experience Adequate substitute Superior alternative First time use
Spoke with friends Purchased groceries

or family through 42% 55% with online ordering 42% 53%
video chat and service 34%
46%
Used an Used an
34% 60% 35% 60%
educational app exercise app 29%
33%
Attended a live, Purchased food

online workshop to 38% 56% 26% from a restaurant 40% 56% 24%
learn a new skill with an app
13%
Watched a movie 18%
Evaluated/treated
with friends located 38% 53% through telemedicine 37% 55%
elsewhere with an app
Have not tried 18%

any of these

Britain, 20% of consumers say that once lockdown provide executives with fresh partnership
restrictions lift, they would be more likely to spend opportunities to create a virtuous cycle that
more with an online-only brand than they would enables them to study the needs of the people they
have done before. serve; infuse insights about their needs and
motivations into future offerings; and unlock
Even after the pandemic subsides, the evolution of competitive advantages for their organisations.
these digital platforms will likely continue to
60
Accelerating your a strategy they are responsible for marketing to

fusion journey customers downstream.
For organisations to tap into the competitive 2. Fusion starts with customer needs.
advantage and bottom-line results of fusion, the Earlier this year, our analysis found that CMOs
C-suite should shake off its largely operational are most effective when they own an
mindset and move toward aspirational and organisation’s innovation road map and
innovative partnership strategies that drive future customer experience.7 It’s no coincidence that
growth. The CMO, as the C-suite executive often these two aspects go hand in hand – the only
closest to the customer, is uniquely equipped to way to truly address human need is to look at it
lead the charge of this innovation. Here are two through the eyes of the customer. CMOs can
recommended actions marketers can take to drive leverage their insights into customer bheaviour
the innovation agenda for their organisations: and expectations to guide the choice of
beneficial business partnerships while
1. Own the innovation road map. CMOs have embedding customer feedback into the digital
always underplayed their role in driving ecosystems they design.
innovation, perhaps because they underestimate
the value of their tacit customer knowledge or Fusion is about reimaging the art of the possible
don’t see peers clamouring for innovation to be when a company goes beyond its four walls to
part of marketing’s remit. But the pandemic innovate and create for the people they serve. As
saw the profile of marketing elevated across the COVID-19 pushes digital innovation to the
C-suite, with executives seeing marketing and forefront, marketers can help their organisations
sales as the second-most critical function in the pivot their thinking from “protecting what they
coming months (63%), after digital technology have” to opening new doors, new partnerships, and
(68%). CMOs are positioned to advise the new digital platforms that capture their customers’
organisation on its innovation strategy and hearts and minds.
should rise up from being just the “receiver” of
61
Endnotes
1. Diana O’Brien et al., Fusion is the new business blend: How the convergence of ecosystems sparks new business
models and greater collaboration, Deloitte Insights, October 15, 2019.
2. Dalvin Brown, “OpenTable launches tool to help you avoid long lines at restaurants, grocery stores,” USA Today,
March 30, 2020.
3. Business Wire, “ExxonMobil, Tencent and automotive aftersales market partner to build digital automotive
maintenance ecosystem in China,” press release, January 21, 2020.
4. Lloyds Bank, “Mental health & financial wellbeing,” accessed June 24, 2020.
5. Example from Deloitte client work.
6. Ibid.
7. Jennifer Veenstra, Sarah Allred, and Tim Murphy, Course correcting the evolution of the CMO: Positioning the CMO
for greater organisational impact and C-suite influence, Deloitte Insights, July 17, 2020.
62
About the authors

Alicia Hatch is the global CMO for Deloitte Digital’s marketing organisation – an
increasingly diverse and connected web of data, technology, and creative – with
a focus on driving growth in the marketplace and delivering quantifiable results
for clients. She also leads Deloitte’s Ecosystems and Alliances practice.
Becky Skiles is the chief marketing officer for Deloitte Digital UK and works
with companies to develop and deliver transformational experiences for
their customers and employees. A partner in the Customer Strategy and
Design space, Skiles is passionate about working with clients to consider
the wider human needs of the people in their ecosystem and designing
innovative products, services and solutions to make their lives better.
Amanda Li has a background in design and is focused on embedding experience

innovation in the integration of customer, data, and platforms. A partner with
Deloitte Digital in China, Li has led projects that include digital strategy, new
market entry and service offerings design and road map, and digital marketing
and sales architecture for Fortune 20 companies. Li previously spent 11 years with
Deloitte Digital Australia, where she designed, led, and delivered large scale digital
transformation programmes for leading brands and all levels of governments.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Kathleen Peeters (Belgium) for her contribution to the development
of this trend.
63
Talent
As the marketing landscape
undergoes rapid changes,
talent models should evolve
in-step to position marketing
as a competitive differentiator.
64
Talent: Marketing disrupted
Marketing disrupted
Four trends turning talent into
a competitive differentiator
O
VER THE LAST few years, the roles of overwhelmingly turned to AI to automate work
marketing and talent within organisations (77%). Alternately, only 6% have increased their
have undergone a sea change. By now, it’s reliance on the gig economy – a possible reflection
apparent that the chief marketing officer (CMO) is of how gig workers can easily be scaled during
evolving from a brand manager to an enterprise-wide economic downturns (figure 1).
strategic thinker and revenue driver.1 In
parallel, talent discussions across
industries – specifically, changing talent
models – have seen some recurring Marketers need to push
themes. These themes may sound
familiar: Artificial intelligence (AI) is talent transformation to the
making us faster and smarter workers;
people are opting out of traditional
forefront of their agenda to
9-to-5 jobs in favour of the gig economy; address this accelerated pace
and new paradigms for on-the-job
training and continuous learning are
of change.
altering how we grow our skill sets, to
name a few.2 But these aren’t isolated
shifts. To answer the call of the organisation and COVID-19 may be the catalyst that puts these
elevate the role of marketing, marketers should evolving marketing and talent trends on a new
evolve their talent models in-step with these trajectory. When we asked executives what are the
evolving trends. most important functional areas over the next 12
months, they ranked marketing and sales second
Marketers (and heads of other functions) were (61%), after digital and technology (68%). There is
already incorporating many of these talent trends also evidence that the CMO’s role may be gaining
in their organisations in varying degrees. But then momentum. Just 20 months ago, 46% of CMOs
COVID-19 happened. Out of sheer necessity, had said they had a significant impact on C-suite
organisations were forced to change how they conversations relating to marketing strategy.3
accomplished work. When we surveyed 405 C-suite Now, this number has almost doubled to 81%.
United States–based executives in May of this year,
we saw some talent trends accelerate and others To address this accelerated pace of change,
just starting to emerge. For instance, our survey marketers need to push talent transformation to
shows that in this new environment, CMOs have the forefront of their agenda. In this article, we
65
FIGURE 1
BRING YOUR COMPETITIVE
More CMOs have turned to AI for ADVANTAGE IN-HOUSE
automation during the pandemic Earlier this year, Deloitte and The CMO Club
(a global network of more than 650 CMOs and
How CMOs changed their talent models marketing leaders) published a marketing
during the pandemic benchmark study. Our analysis found that 64% of
marketing organisations have an in-house agency.4
Historically, many marketing departments have
Automated more
relied on external agency partners to execute their
work through AI 77%
technologies creative campaigns and other activities. However,
even in the benchmarking study, we saw that 59%
of marketing leaders still outsource their creative
Reduced the workforce function while 31% do so for insights and analytics.
39%
There is a good reason why many brands are
Transitioned large portions of the workforce turning toward an in-house model. While
to remote work
outsourcing provides access to a wide pool of
36%
expertise and talent, it can impede marketing’s
Relied more on external agencies to ability to agilely respond to customer needs (see our
execute projects trend Agility to learn more) for a couple of reasons:
23%
• Growing workflow complexities: The
Reduced use of contractors/external agencies
proliferation of customer touchpoints across
17% myriad social platforms and media channels
Relied more on the gig economy can create an inefficient hand-off between
6% external agencies and brands. In the time it
takes to analyse customer data, build a creative
Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends C-suite Survey. campaign, and execute it in the marketplace,
Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights the window to make a connection often closes.
• Diluting the competitive advantage: As

discuss four trends which, if woven into the brands rely more on external agencies, they are
marketing talent model, can elevate skill sets, essentially outsourcing their competitive
create organisational flexibility for quickly advantage. First, they are expecting another
responding to market needs, and consequently, organisation to be as attuned to their customers’
make marketing talent a competitive differentiator. needs as their own brand. Second, as agencies
serve multiple clients, they’re likely to reapply
fundamental strategies and methods to
How to elevate the different brands. Over time, this can result in
marketing talent model relatively generic campaigns that look similar
across multiple brands.
Let’s look at how these talent-related trends can
change the way in which marketing accomplishes It’s important for marketers to keep in mind that
work and how marketers can incorporate them to agencies can’t match their internal knowledge in
afford marketing talent a competitive advantage. terms of organisational process, data, and
66
customer needs. Building one’s own insourcing Creative and production talent are two areas that
strategy starts with pivoting from an ad campaign regularly see fluctuations in terms of organisational
mindset to a more holistic editorial thought need, often requiring scaling up or down.
process. This requires the marketing team to assess Encouragingly for marketers, there are multiple
its workflows, technology, and skill sets to platforms that provide a marketplace for clients to
determine the most efficient and effective means of directly contract individuals for projects, allowing
delivering content.5 them to scale according to need. Deloitte, for
example, relies upon the gig economy to augment a
Based on these assessments, marketers can variety of skills, such as copyediting.
develop a core team comprising roles that best
reflect their competitive advantage. Traditionally, The gig economy not only provides marketers a
these roles include those responsible for data network of contractors, but also offers them a
insights, dynamic content creation, and owned and platform to source new ideas through
earned media. It’s important to note that bringing crowdsourcing and innovation contests (see our
key skills in-house does not mean a brand must trend on Participation). Such contests enable
bring everything inside. For example, Unilever organisations to solicit new ideas and innovations
created its own in-house digital content function which they can quickly embed into their products
called U-Studio to manage its day-to-day creative or experiences.
needs.6 However, when the company needs help
with broader strategic or creative ideas, it looks to It’s not just the marketers who benefit from the gig
external agencies for help. In this case, Unilever work model that offers them an efficient and highly
was able to identify where an in-house agency scalable source of skill sets and ideas; employees
provides the most advantages and where external too are highly satisfied with this new work
assistance is most beneficial. environment. In our global consumer survey of
2,447 individuals, where we asked how work
LEVERAGE THE GIG ECONOMY TO environments have changed since COVID-19, we
SCALE DOWNSTREAM ACTIVITIES found 14% have entered the gig economy for the
As marketing teams gravitate toward insourcing- first time. Figure 2 shows these respondents are by
required skill sets, they will likely need to bifurcate far the most satisfied with their new work
their talent strategy. One prong of this strategy environments (as compared to their previous
includes the more strategic or analytical roles while environments). This is especially true of those
the other represents narrower, more tactical who’ve entered the gig economy in their area of
downstream roles such as graphic design or expertise. This may be encouraging news for
copyediting. Given the fluctuations in marketers who’re considering their first foray into
organisational need, marketing is increasingly the gig economy.
looking for flexible ways to scale downstream
activities. The gig economy can be an excellent ELEVATE THE MARKETER, AUTOMATE
resource for marketers to tap into for specific skill THE REDUNDANT TASKS
sets as and when the need arises. Besides, in an Employing AI for automation is one of the fastest-
increasingly volatile economic environment, the growing trends in the talent space – and it’s likely
gig economy enables organisations to better here to stay. When we asked executives how they
manage uncertainty without getting locked into perceive the longevity of each of these talent trends,
long-term financial commitments. AI-enabled automation led the lot, with 57%
67
FIGURE 2
Gig workers are most satisfied with their new work environments
I believe my new work environment is superior to how I previously worked
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
54% 57% 39%

15% 22% 9%
Started gig work Started gig work Started

outside area within area remote work
of expertise of expertise
30%
39% 35%

suggesting they had found a superior way to work creative materials, it also elevated the marketer’s
(figure 3). The knee-jerk reaction – as is often the role to more strategic initiatives such as developing
case with AI – is to assume that increased reliance underlying rulesets. This may include dictating
on the technology might reduce the need for rules around which imagery is best suited for each
employees. But we also found that executives do AI-driven customer profile.
not see the pandemic-induced workforce
reductions as a long-term solution. In fact, 59% It’s worth noting that while AI is certainly on the
said they should go back to their former workforce rise, a significant amount of work appears to be
levels immediately after the pandemic subsides. directed toward less-sophisticated use cases (e.g.,
This highlights an important fact about AI: It can robotic process automation to execute rulesets).
be most effective when it bolsters what people are However, marketers can also deploy AI to improve
inherently good at (e.g., creativity and critical their overall strategies and decision-making
thinking) and replaces the tasks that are best left to process. For instance, Norwegian Air used
a machine (e.g., redundant activities or machine learning algorithms to identify the
computationally intensive calculations). customer attributes and activities that most often
led to flight bookings.8 Doing so helped the
In both the long and short term, it makes sense for company decrease its cost-per-booking by 170%
marketers to deploy AI to clear the more repetitive while simultaneously matching the best
tasks off their plate and redesign their function’s advertisements to each customer. Going back to
work to concentrate on more strategic endeavours. our discussion on insourcing, this heightens the
For one, AI can have a direct application in need for more analytical skill sets within marketing,
dynamic creative assembly where it can be used to thereby forcing marketing to upskill talent.
analyse data and match the best content to
consumers. Take the example of a large food and UPSKILL THROUGH
beverage company that employed AI to match MARKETING UNIVERSITIES
appropriate imagery and messaging to relevant Between insourcing and automation, the role of
demographics and markets. Not only did this help
7
marketing will inevitably change – and for the
it create a more refined process for assembling good. To help their teams prepare for these
68
FIGURE 3
AI automation is here to stay, but not at the expense of the workforce

After the pandemic subsides, which option best describes your view on these talent models?
New talent model offers a superior way to execute work Should retain some portion of this new talent model
Should immediately go back to its former talent model
Automate more work through AI technologies

57%
22%
6%
Reduce the workforce

14%
24%
59%
Transition large portions of workforce to remote work

42%
40%
13%
Rely more on gig economy

15%
52%
31%
Rely more on external agencies to execute projects

22%
51%
24%
Reduce the use of contractors/external agencies

31%
35%
21%

changes, many organisations are designing either. To keep pace with our ever-changing
in-house marketing universities that target key environments, marketers can create learning
skills to help talent navigate the future of pathways (i.e., specialised tracks) and micro-
marketing. hackathons to capture the best ideas the workforce
has to offer (i.e., internal crowdsourcing). The goal
In our work with clients from various industries, is to provide multiple channels – both ongoing and
we’ve seen brands develop programmes that event-based – to equip practitioners with the right
combine online curricula with role-specific deep skills, thereby optimising marketing talent as a
dives and in-person workshops. Like all forms of competitive differentiator.
effective learning, these aren’t “one-off” events
69
The talent journey lie as a team. If your creative function is mostly

outsourced, consider new models – such as the
Transforming your marketing talent organisation gig economy – to bring your competitive
isn’t a static event. Instead, it’s a journey that’s advantage back inside the four walls of your
unique to each marketing team’s specific skill sets organisation. If your content is fairly static, it
and structure. To best capitalise on these trends, may make sense to automate the more
consider the following steps: redundant work through AI.
• Galvanise leadership commitment: With • Invest in culture: Marketing can work best
marketing’s position being currently elevated when it responds to customer needs in an agile
within the C-suite, there may be no better time manner. This can require a true shift in the
than now to evolve talent models. However, it’s cultural mindset – from a layered organisation
hard to get started on this exercise if the to one that empowers people to move quickly
leadership doesn’t support upskilling of talent. and adapt to changing customer needs as they
Kick off your journey by enlisting support for arise. It also means embedding life-long
standing up marketing universities as this will learning as a key part of the company culture
help prepare marketing talent for their elevated with a focus on evolving skill sets as
roles in the organisation. needs change.
• Place strategic bets: For most organisations, A new era of marketing requires a new outlook on
there’s no need to make wholesale changes to talent. The organisations that do it right can
the existing talent model – marketers can elevate marketing’s standing within the
simply tweak the current model by placing organisation and even disrupt their industries
strategic bets on some new aspects. Start by along the way.
assessing where your strengths and weaknesses
70
Endnotes
1. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, “Redefining the CMO,” Deloitte Review 22, January 22,
2018.
2. Each of these topics were discussed at length over three years ago in Deloitte Review 21 on July 31, 2017.
3. Diana O’Brien, Jennifer Veenstra, and Timothy Murphy, The makings of a more confident CMO: Three ways to
4. Deloitte and The CMO Club, Evolution of marketing organisations, January 2020.
5. Christine Cutten and Alan Schulman, “Insourcing to gain marketing speed, efficiency, effectiveness,” Wall Street
Journal, August 8, 2018.
6. Lucy Handley, “Firms are taking more marketing functions in-house. Here’s why,” CNBC, March 4, 2019.
7. From Deloitte client work.
8. Chiradeep BasuMallick, “5 examples of AI in marketing to inspire you in 2019,” MarTech Advisor, July 29, 2019.
71
About the authors

Christine Cutten is a leader within the Customer Transformation in Deloitte’s
US firm, where she helps CMOs rethink their marketing strategies and
operations by working alongside them to design their road maps to the future.
A principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, Cutten received a Bachelor of Science
degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and her MBA
from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.
As leader of the Advertising, Marketing and Commerce practice for Deloitte

Digital UK, Libby Cousins helps companies transform their Customer
Experience, advising on re-designing and delivering digital experiences to
provide a truly human experience to customers and drive business value.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Gillian Simpson (United Kingdom) and Dylan Cotter (Ireland) for their
contributions to the development of this trend.
72
Recognition and appreciation
This report would not be possible without the collaboration that results from working alongside
colleagues to understand the impact of these trends in the marketplace and how to embrace them to
drive growth for organisations.
Special thanks to the entire CMO Programme team for their insight and support through this journey.
Thank you to the following:
OUR GLOBAL MARKETING TRENDS TEAM
• Global programme manager: Anna Syrkis

• Content and insights: Sarah Allred, Timothy Murphy
• Marketing and events: Julie Murphy, Cailin Rocco, Julie Storer, Marissa Devine, Abhilash Yarala
• Podcasts: Fahad Ahmed
• Public Relations: Kori Green, Rory Mackin, Pia Basu
• WSJ CMO Today: Jenny Fisher, Mary Morrison
• Green Dot Agency: Emily Garbutt, Audrey Jackson, Mary-Kate Lamis, Emily Moreano, Stela Murat,
Melissa O’Brien, Vishal Prajapati, Megha Priya, Joey Michelle Suing, Arun Thota, Molly Woodsworth,
Sourabh Yaduvanshi, Sylvia Yoon Chang, Tushar Barman
• Deloitte Insights team: Prakriti Singhania, Abrar Khan, Rupesh Bhat, Nairita Gangopadhyay,
Amy Bergstrom, Nikita Garia, Preetha Devan
OUR GLOBAL COLLABORATORS CONTRIBUTING ACROSS THE

ENTIRE 2021 GLOBAL MARKETING TRENDS REPORT
Americas
• Leadership: Bevin Arnason, Omar Camacho, Itzel Castellanos, Shaunna Conway, Jefferson Denti,
Guilherme Bretzke Evans, Maria Flores, Yohan Gaumont, Patrick Hall, Javier Huechao, Andres Gebauer
Millas, Heloisa Montes, Eduardo Pacheco, Francisco Pecorella, Pablo Selvino, Renato Souza, Enrique
Varela, Barbara Venneman, Livia Zufferli
• Marketing: Martin Avdolov, Maria Gabriela Paredes Cadiz, Marta Boica Dare, Carolina Alejandra
Peters Ramirez, Coby Savage
73
EMEA
• Leadership: Rani Argov, Helene Chaplain, David Conway, Dylan Cotter, Doug De Villiers, Ronan Vander
Elst, Flor de, Esteban, Joao Matias Ferreira, Cristina Gamito, Hakan Gol, Noam Gonen, Will Grobel,
Antonio Ibanez, Erdem Ilhan, Randy Jagt, Andy Jolly, Ravouth Keuky, Paul Kruegel, Roland Linder,
Ori Mace, Jonas Juul Mortensen, David Olsson, Riccardo Plata, Victor Press, Sam Roddick, Filipe Melo
de Sampaio, Andy Sandoz, Eli Tidhar, Gabriele Vanoli, Stephen Ward, Egbert Wege, Ozlem Yanmaz
• Marketing: Teresa Posser de Andrade, Ala Abu Baker, Isabel Brito, Margarida Benard da Costa, Rushdi
Duqah, Hanna Drzymalik, Fiona Elkins, Salimah Esmail, Zakaria El Gnaoui, Gina Grassmann, Richard
Hurley, Berk Kocaman, Romain Mary, Tamara Mersnik, Maria Cristina Morra, Nikolaus Moser, Gareth
Nicholls, Armin Nowshad, Tharien Padayachee, Joana Peixoto, Katrien de Raijmaeker, Sharon Rikkers,
Nele Roerden, Filipa Sousa Santos, Shakeel Ahmed Sawar, Tor Soderholm, Anne-Catherine Vergeynst,
Krzysztof Wasowski, Peta Williams, Patricia Zangerl
APAC
• Leadership: Grant Frear, Steve Hallam, Pascal Hua, Emma Gu, Ryo Kanayama, Grace Ling,
Go Miyashita, David Phillips, Balaji Venkataraman, Minoru Wakabayashi
• Marketing: Sally Denniston, George Dickinson, Ryan HitchAmber Kunziak, Yukiko Noji, Kaoru Obata
74
Contact us
Our insights can help you take advantage of change. If you’re looking for fresh ideas to address your
challenges, we should talk.
Jennifer Veenstra
CMO Programme global leader | Managing director | Deloitte Consulting LLP
+1 415 783 4223 | [email protected]
Global Marketing Trends team in the UK

Andy Jolly
UK Partner Sponsor | Deloitte Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7007 8285
[email protected]
Becky Skiles
Financial Services Lead | Deloitte Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7007 0922
[email protected]
Libby Cousins
Private Sector Lead | Deloitte Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7007 9190
[email protected]
Claudia Ribeiro
Public Sector Lead I Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7007 9405
[email protected]
William Grobel
UK Director | Deloitte Global Marketing Trends
+44 (0) 20 7303 4882
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Peta Williams
UK Lead | Deloitte Global Marketing Trends
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What is the Deloitte CMO Programme?

What is the Deloitte CMO Programme?

What services does Deloitte Digital provide?

What services does Deloitte Digital provide?

2021 Global Marketing Trends

Find your focus

Purpose: Built to flourish 6

Agility: Changing the playbook 16

Human Experience: Know thyself 24

Trust: The promises we keep – or don’t 34

Participation: A two-way street 44

Fusion: The new ecosystem 54

Talent: Marketing disrupted 64

THE 2021 GLOBAL MARKETING TRENDS STUDY

C-suite executives have all seen a signiﬁcant drop in conﬁdence

2019 2020 (post COVID-19)

CEO CIO CFO COO CMO

Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends C-suite Survey.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

About the authors

Global Marketing Trends UK Leads

Purpose-driven companies shifting their long-standing corporate

best built to serve regardless driven by a holistic purpose – connecting a

Awareness of brands positively responding to COVID-19

Donated products or services to a COVID-19 Partnered with other organisations to better

Provided ﬁnancial assistance to a COVID-19 Adjusted contract terms or pricing to better

Provided ﬁnancial support to its employees Increased compensation to employees

Signiﬁcantly decreased or suspended Positive awareness – other

Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Consumer Pulse Survey.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

The customer funnel from awareness to purchase behaviour

Positive action Negative action

ELEVATING THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Measurement: Staying business decisions with purpose.7 In line with this,

conversation by bringing an “outside-in” 3. Fuse brand and enterprise purpose

2. Ella’s Kitchen “Our dream,” accessed August 6, 2020.

3. Ella’s Kitchen, The good stuff we do, 2019.

7. BlackRock, “Larry Fink’s 2019 letter to CEOs,” 2019.

8. BlackRock, “A fundamental reshaping of finance,” accessed April 29, 2020.

11. Alaska Airlines, 2016 sustainability report: Focusing on people, 2016.

About the authors

Amy Silverstein leads Deloitte’s Purpose Strategy offering, a unique collaboration

Changing the playbook

Consumer sentiment change toward digital technologies due to COVID-19

Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Consumer Pulse Survey.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

BE THE SIGNAL, NOT THE NOISE

Agile marketing requires a

Take for example a global consumer goods

Top three responses

Increased presence Significantly altered digital Increased the

Leveraged customer feedback to rapidly prototype new offers

Stood up virtual competitions to generate new ideas

Served new customers outside the organisation’s industry

Served new geographic markets

None of the above

Source: Deloitte Global Marketing Trends C-suite Survey.

It’s upon the CMO to help the

incredibly relevant while designing a channel leveraging customer feedback to rapidly