Mind of the Marketer

trends Challenges cost & time risks content events media opportunities

Marketer

Mind of the

Key Findings

At ASPENCORE, our mantra is simple: Create. Matter.

In a landscape filled with white noise, ASPENCORE believes the only way to truly stand out is by providing content built on a foundation of meaningful and tangible value. We do this through years of expertise and painstaking research so that we understand not only where the market has been and where it currently stands but also where it is going. In “Mind of the Marketer,” we spoke with leaders in the regional and global marketing organizations in semiconductor technology to understand their pain points, their opportunities, and what the future holds for their companies. This is that intelligence.

Success never comes easily, and today’s marketers face new challenges driven by market conditions, changing tech, and more. With increasing compliance regulations, an explosion in digital platforms, and a shortage of marketing talent, staying on top of current trends and requirements is more challenging than ever.

Challenges

LEARN ABOUT

Top 5 Inhibitors

Success

EXPLORE CHALLENGES

Measuring Marketing is Hard

ROI

More. Better. Faster. Today’s marketers are continually under the gun to work faster and harder while dealing with leaner teams and reduced budgets. The challenges presented by this environment are significant. The responses to questions around cost and time pressure make this abundantly clear.

Cost and Time Pressures

While the challenges around performance measurement and producing at velocity are real, today’s marketers are given more leeway to explore new methods and technologies than ever before. In fact, organizational leaders are encouraging their teams to take risks and find new ways of driving performance.

Experimentation and Risk Taking

While digital platforms have lowered the barrier for reaching and targeting customers, the growth of digital media has created a glut of content across the web. With this in mind, organizations are looking for ways to leverage content more effectively to reach their customers and influence decision-makers. Short-form videos, webinars, white papers, and online tutorials are top of mind when it comes to media mix, but a wide variety of content types are increasingly important. How important are various content types to your overall content strategy?

Content Development

EXPLORE CONTENT STRATEGY

The last year has fundamentally (and perhaps permanently) changed the nature of live events. Driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, in-person gatherings have almost entirely shifted to virtual events. While in-person conferences, trade shows, and events will inevitably make a comeback, marketers have discovered new ways to leverage virtual platforms to reach and support their audiences. How satisfied are you with the virtual events you hosted/participated in this year?

Virtual Events

EXPLORE EVENT STATS

While virtual events offer many positives, such as convenience and cost savings, they are not without their downside. These are some of the pros and cons seen with hosting and participating in virtual trade shows and trainings.

PROS

CONS

Organizations are increasingly looking for new ways to reach their audiences online. Social media continues to be an important method for reaching and speaking to customers. With video content playing a pivotal role in many organization’s content and marketing plans, it is no surprise that YouTube tops the list for best results.

Social Media Engagement

Which platforms do you think yield the best results?

2020 was certainly a year characterized by change — changes in how we work, how we communicate, and how we interact. But with change comes great opportunity. Based on the intelligence from our respondents, these are the biggest areas of opportunity moving into 2021 and beyond:

Opportunities

KEY FINDING: ONE

All groups interviewed experimented with some type of virtual event in 2020.

KEY FINDING: TWO

Digital fatigue is real. Marketers need help standing out from the crowd.

KEY FINDING: THREE

Content is a marketer’s chief need. Syndicating the content globally is critical.

The power of ASPENCORE has always been our passion and drive to keep a pulse on the market — and in turn provide tangible insights back to our audiences. Initiatives such as our “Mind of the Marketer” report help us better understand our customers and where their challenges are, as well as realize the opportunities that lay before us. Armed with this intelligence, ASPENCORE can help our customers positively impact their marketing programs and deliver increased ROI. This is how we “Create. Matter.”

To dive more into the research and findings of our 2021 “Mind of the Marketer” report, please contact your local ASPENCORE sales representative, or reach out to Laurie Mcelroy @ laurie.mcelroy@aspencore.com.

Digital Expertise

Data Overload

Hyper-Targeted Marketing

Innovation

Solution-Based Messaging

Channel Expansion

Across the semiconductor industry, there are several trends driving the direction of the marketing landscape. These trends present both challenges and opportunities for marketing leaders and will help define the industry over the coming months and years.

Trends and Change Drivers

The explosion of new marketing technologies is overwhelming. Companies need expertise and guidance.

Go beyond the data in standard media packages. Provide action-based insights and analytics.

Traditional mass-marketing blasts are no longer enough. Companies are pivoting to very targeted, hyper-focused marketing tactics.

Publishers are introducing new tactics to develop deeper customer engagement, like design contests, EE chalk talk series, e-books, and more.

Customer messaging is starting to shift from selling the product to solving customer problems.

Companies are exploring new channels (blogs, podcasts, video, etc.), but not all channels work for all companies.

We asked our respondents what their biggest hurdles to success are. These are their answers:

A common challenge for marketers, particularly in the digital space, is figuring out how best to capture marketing ROI. Our respondents agreed: Measuring marketing ROI is no easy task. Here are the common challenges they faced when it comes to performance measurement:

Only 25% are confident in their measurement model 20% don’t measure at all 5% aren’t sure what to measure 50% struggle to tie business success to marketing

PROS

• Captive Audiences • ROI Measurement • Budget Friendly

Virtual Events

• Create opportunities for online interaction and two-way dialogue

• Explore new training event types, platforms, and functionality

Interactive Media

• Use visual and audio storytelling to separate from the herd

• Revive one-dimensional content with rich media

(including podcasts, infographics, & more)

Content Production and Syndication Strategy

• Create new digital experiences at scale

CONS

• Having to Build & Staff Virtual Booths • Recruiting Dynamic Presenters • Lack of Expertise

How important are various content types to your overall content strategy?

How satisfied are you with the virtual events you hosted/participated in this year?

I am now more concerned about costs than in the past

My job requires that I work very quickly

I feel pressure to do more with fewer resources

I’m working on more projects now than I did three years ago

ROI expectations influence marketing budgets

25%

Agree Strongly

Agree Somewhat

75%

25%

50%

35%

65%

80%

20%

I am very comfortable testing new marketing strategies and tactics

Agree Strongly

Agree Somewhat

50%

40%

60%

50%

70%

30%

50%

I like time-proven channels and need convincing to try new things

I’m motivated by future opportunities more than current problems

I base my decisions on analytics more so than intuition

Management discourages experimentation and risk taking

DISAgree Strongly

90%

70%

25%

Measuring Marketing ROI

75%

50%

40%

35%

25%

Engaging Customers

Securing Health Budgets

Finding Marketing Talent

Building a MarTech Stack

Short Form Video (less than 60 seconds)

VERY IMPORTANT

Somewhat IMPORTANT

70%

30%

50%

80%

20%

70%

30%

50%

Long Form Video (~2-5 minutes)

Webinars

White Papers

Reference Designs

50%

Case Studies

75%

25%

Online Tutorials

Webinars

SATISFIED

MOSTLY SATISFIED

80%

20%

50%

40%

60%

75%

25%

Virtual Conferences & Expos

Offline to Online Events (Like CES)

Virtual Trainings (Platforms Like Zoom)