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Marketing trends in 2012 25 January, 2012 Madeleine Ross comments "Opportunities go begging in a market ripe for the brave," says Deloitte chief marketing officer David Redhill, and that's certainly the attitude of many marketers looking at the next 12 months. In this year's tough economic climate, with financial trouble plaguing most of Europe and the USA, Australian marketers will be cautious, but that doesn't mean they'll stop spending. Local consumers have grown accustomed to being circumspect and are now looking to do business with reliable institutions. According to Commonwealth Bank's chief marketing and online officer, Andy Lark: "if you're trusted and you've got a good brand, you're in a good position." Reports of flailing foreign economies won't wreak the same havoc they used to on the industry, with agencies and clients now looking towards the  potential downturn as an opportunity to cleverly and cost-effectively win over customers at their most vulnerable. "There is a lot of caution in the market and we are as circumspect as the next business," says Redhill. "But at the same time marketers who invest in brands in downtime are usually the winners because they will emerge stronger as competitors shrink their budgets and reel in their more expansive plans."  The Tontine Group's product development and marketing manager, Lucinda Kew, agrees: "It is actually the brands that invest through difficult times which end up getting the best results because… you're resonating with people and when they get through those difficult times, hopefully you're their brand of choice." More for the same The Commonwealth Bank, bedding manufacturer Tontine and financial advisory firm, Deloitte all plan to maintain their marketing spends this year. That's a relief for agencies, especially in the midst of rumours about a 'race to the bottom' where agencies are fighting for clients and remuneration offers are slumping. But that's not to say brands or agencies can r

"Is Your Brand Ready for Unleashed Workers? by Marc Stoiber  |  keywords: articles, Computers/Electronics/Technology, Business Model Innovation, Employee Engagement, Environmental/Social Issues, Impact Reduction, Org Culture and Processes, Transportation/Logistics Tweet   Video conferencing, courtesy of GoToMeeting. | Image credit: Citrix October 1, 2012- A key element of futureproof brands is the ability to predict the needs of rapidly evolving consumers. This is easier said than done. In hindsight, Facebook makes sense. But few could've predicted the rise of a generation willing to share every intimate detail online. Telecommuting is a similarly cagey concept. For years, we've been trumpeting it as progress toward less pollution and time waste, and greater sustainability. But there's still little indication what this new world of stay-away workers will actually look like, what working anywhere actually means, and how brands will have to adapt to serve this new group. My interest in this area was sparked by a conversation with Kim DeCarlis, VP of Corporate Marketing at Citrix (the folks pushing the virtualization envelope with offerings such as GoTo Meeting). Although DeCarlis agrees it's early days, she believes there are indicators of what brands serving future telecommuters should think about. Hyper Personal Standardization in electronics is still de rigueur in most offices. As DeCarlis says, "Permutation and new gear is anathema to IT departments. Trying to make an office work - and people share information - when everyone has their own platform is an exercise in futility." Virtualization and the Cloud have changed the need for standardization. "I have a computer, tablet and phone that I bought for myself," says DeCarlis. "With virtualized functions like data, applications and desktops delivered via the cloud, my personal gear is 100% usable at work." So what does this mean for the unleashed workers of tomorrow

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