<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11c7f28db9103717f427_651d3d2fae5d77fe104bb4f1_6103e997e63b6330bed6a7dc_Untitled%252520design%252520(31).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Expression</span> <h1 class="gn-title">2021 Marketing Survey - Key findings so far</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>29 July 2021</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>2 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">We're running a <a href="https://mwd8v4hirdo.typeform.com/to/vwLF583h"><em>new survey</em></a><em> to take a deep dive in to how brand-agency relationships were handled in a year like no other. As well as how resource and relationships have been impacted, we're also exploring how marketers are currently managing a new landscape where self-preservation is no longer the only consideration.</em></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">What challenges are brands facing?</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Despite existing client or customer retention being considered the 'least challenging' issue in the past year so far, businesses aren't yet 'back to normal'.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The most challenging issues so far, taking up almost half of the overall submissions, are centred on <strong>revenue growth</strong> and <strong>resource management</strong>. Similarly, the least popular submissions for 'most challenging' are brand awareness and industry competition respectively, with just a single submission so far.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">Allocating marketing resource</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Freelance support is the least common form of marketing resource</strong> for brands based on the survey so far, with just under a third of brands stating that they use freelancers in their marketing suite. A <strong>single retained agency is most common</strong> with more than half of the brands using an individual agency partner, followed by around 40% of brands stating that they use <strong>multiple agencies.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">On the split between digital and creative, Agency support is far less common on creative. Only 7~% of brands claimed they allocate the <strong>majority of creative resource</strong> to agencies, where more than <strong>20% allocate the majority of digital resource</strong> to the same.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">85<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">'Yes' responses to 'I believe digital is the key to success this year'.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">40<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Of brands use multiple agencies for marketing resource.</span></div> </div> <p class="gn-reveal">A massive point in the survey results so far comes with the statement 'I believe digital is the key to success this year' receiving more than 85% 'Yes' responses.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://mwd8v4hirdo.typeform.com/to/vwLF583h"><strong>Take the survey now</strong></a></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">The year ahead</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">More than <strong>70% of brands claim that a focus on digital is their primary strategic change</strong> in the year ahead, with <strong>SEO and Web Development consistently being ranked a top priority</strong>, a change from PPC and Creative services the year prior. Content creation remains a steadfast focus point ranking second.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">However, there's still a need to play it safe, it seems. More than <strong>60% of respondents so far have claimed they have no intention of significantly altering their marketing strategy</strong> in the next year, primarily due to issues like budget and employee resource holding them back.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">Building proper relationships</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Though trust is building between brands and agencies (more than 70% of respondents stated that they trust their outsourced partners), the satisfaction rate is still low. In fact, of the marketers that responded so far, <strong>40% answered 'no' to the statement, 'I am happy with my outsourced marketing partners performance this year'.</strong></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal">Contribute now</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">If you haven't yet participated, you can add your thoughts by contributing to the survey now. Built for both brands and agencies, get started here and we'll send you an early access deep dive of the data when we close.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://mwd8v4hirdo.typeform.com/to/vwLF583h"><strong>Take the survey now</strong></a></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/pulse-check-b2b-marketing-trends-for-the-next-normal" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Intelligence</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Pulse Check: B2B Marketing Trends for the &#39;Next Normal&#39;</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Fox Agency&#39;s ClientSide report reveals how B2B tech brands are tackling culture, comms strategy, and agency partnerships to drive growth pos</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/pulse-check-23-major-marketing-communications-statistics-for-2023" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Intelligence</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Pulse Check: 23 Major Marketing Communications Statistics for 2023</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Survey data from 150+ agency and in-house leaders covers budgets, outsourcing trends, attribution challenges, and brand loyalty shifts shapi</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/the-new-mmm-why-transformers-are-reshaping-marketing-attribution" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Intelligence</span> <span class="gn-related__title">The New MMM: Why Transformers Are Reshaping Marketing Attribution</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agencies at every growth stage can now quantify creative impact. 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