People attending marketing events may be interested to hear that advertisers get much higher ROI and sales uplift from online than they do from TV.

That’s according to new research GFK’s Media Efficiency Panel (MEP). It found that online advertising actually achieves reach equal to press and outdoor advertising.

Online advertising is also on average more effective than offline as it delivers short-term ROI. The survey found that online has a return of 75p, press 66p and outdoor 53p with TV seeing an ROI of just 43p.

What’s more digital campaigns reach on average 33 per cent of the online population while press reaches just under 40 per cent and outdoor 30 per cent.

Marcus Evans presents marketing events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.
 

Those attending marketing conferences may be interested to hear that online marketing and advertising has hit a record high of £4 billion this year.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) found that 2011 has seen a spike in marketing online by UK companies, in particular display advertising and video marketing. Social media marketing has also enjoyed an increase this year.

One in every four advertising pounds is now spent online, the bureau found.

Continuing rises in the popularity of social networking websites and an increase in the online audience were some of the reasons the IAB put forward for the 12.8 per cent boost in online advertising.

A survey by B2B Barometer showed that online spend and trade shows were due to account for 50 over per cent of all marketing budgets in 2011.

Marcus Evans presents marketing conferences, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Abandoning traditional thinking and engaging directly with consumers will be key topics at marketing conferences this year, after a radical white paper was released this week.

Communications expert Martin Hayward believes in the next ten years there will no longer be distinctions between traditional media and marketing functions.

Rather than rely on creative input to make standout advertising campaigns, companies will deliver the right message directly to the right person.

As such, those responsible for marketing budgets will become even more accountable as efficiency in targeting consumers increases.

Mr Hayward predicts that marketing directors will significantly increase spend on direct mail along with online, mobile and social media. Firms now face a challenge this year to ensure their marketing strategy is optimised for more direct methods of contact.

Marcus Evans presents marketing conferences, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

The soft drink Irn-Bru may well be discussed at sales business events this year after rising sales in Scotland and the North of England. This is due to manufacturers A.G. Barr successfully implementing a targeted marketing strategy to increase sales in specific regions.

The Irn-Bru brand is the main sponsor of rugby league, and therefore has seen the Scottish icon become more popular in rugby’s heartland in the north of England.

AG Barr’s chief executive revealed how the firm were "targeting an area north of the M62 motorway, taking in Yorkshire, the north-east and the north-west".

Narrowing its focus to its core market has seen the business ride through a difficult winter, with operational difficulties caused by bad weather.

Company sales in the three months to January were up 5% on last year.

Marcus Evans presents sales business events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Creating an effective sales strategy to ride out the recession will be the key focus of retail business events this year.

And the combined effects of weak demand and rising prices have started to affect British retailers.

According to a report from the Confederation of British Industry retailers do not expect any sales increase next month.

The survey also found that 73% of retailers reported the highest rise in prices since 1991.

Sales on British high streets were much lower than expected in February according to the CBI report.

Although retail briefly recovered in January, the rise in VAT to 20% is likely to make shoppers more cautious.

The rise in the cost of raw materials is likely to be a factor in rising prices.

And this year retail businesses will have to find innovative ways of demonstrating value to customers.

Marcus Evans presents retail business events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Achieving growth in Britain’s tough economic climate will be a key topic at sales business events this year. And a leading British supermarket has increased sales through maintaining its competitive pricing scheme.

The chief executive of Asda has refused to withdraw its controversial "price guarantee" which promises that on a basket of comparable food, Asda will be 10 per cent cheaper than its four big rivals.

Andy Clarke introduced the price guarantee last April and has seen sales rise by 1.6 per cent in the last quarter. He indicated the scheme will continue and said "if we are growing our business because of it, why would I change it?"

Over the eight months of the scheme, shoppers have compared over 1 million baskets on Asda’s website.

Marcus Evans presents sales business events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Creating an effective social media strategy will be the leading topic at marketing events this year. And a recent survey found that many business owners are moving towards these low-cost online marketing methods.

The latest quarterly confidence index from Merchant Circle surveyed 8,500 businesses across the United States. And 70% now use Facebook for marketing, up from 50% a year ago.

Facebook has now surpassed Google as the most widely used marketing method according to the survey. And location-based application Facebook Places has reaped the benefits, with 32 per cent of businesses revealing they had used this form of marketing.

Twitter also proved popular, with 40% of merchants using the platform to build awareness and a community.

As a result offline marketing has suffered heavy losses. Use of print advertising fell by 33%, and 26% less people used direct mail.

Marcus Evans presents marketing events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

A crucial topic discussed at marketing conferences each year is how to capitalise on the misfortune of a rival firm. And computer processing firm AMD have done exactly that after launching a marketing campaign aimed at chief rival Intel.

Recently Intel has suffered problems with the chipsets in its new "Sandy Bridge" processors, which has held up the release of the new device. As a result AMD announced a new marketing campaign taking advantage of Intel’s problems.

The campaign title is "Ready, Willing and Stable", and the marketing is designed to appeal to computer enthusiasts who know the history of Intel’s Sandy Bridge chip.

Analysts have commented that the flaws in Intel’s processor are so minor that buyers would barely notice. However AMD clearly disagree, and have moved swiftly to take advantage of the marketing opportunity.

Marcus Evans presents marketing conferences, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Companies attending sales business events this year will undoubtedly be looking for ways to maximise their online revenue streams. And a leading internet retail company continues to show the way in how to attract customers.

Online fashion retailer ASOS is set to launch its first store within Facebook this month. Users will be able to buy products through the social networking site using their existing Asos log in.

The company recently posted a 59% surge in sales after the launch of its US website last October. And US sales are increasing faster than UK sales did when the company first started out.

ASOS revealed that it has already seen millions of its users interacting with its website through Facebook. The ASOS site itself attracts more than 11 million unique visitors each month.

Marcus Evans presents sales business events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

Expanding into foreign markets during the British recession will be a key topic at sales business events this year. And car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has shown the way with a 400% surge in profits.

The firm defied the economic climate in Britain by making £275 million in the last three months of 2010. This was an increase of £55 million from the same period in 2009.

These impressive figures have been attributed to the rise of the super-rich in India and China. Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Indian car firm Tata Motors and has benefited from major investment from the company.

Following an effective worldwide marketing campaign in 2010 which significantly increased sales, Tata will now spend around £1billion on research and product development for the British firms.

Marcus Evans presents sales business events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.