Marketers overwhelmingly believe focus drives better results, but new research from Ipsos, conducted in collaboration with Bensimon Byrne, suggests that belief often dissolves when it’s time to make real decisions.
The study of senior marketers across the U.S. and Canada found that amongst those surveyed, 91% agree concentrating investment behind fewer priorities drives stronger returns, and 95% say their current marketing plans reflect that philosophy. Additionally, 64% of respondents say greater focus would have improved results either significantly or somewhat. But 89% say something stands in the way of focus, from channel complexity and competing opportunities, to evolving expectations and changing market conditions.
In other words, marketers know what focus looks like. The hard part is deciding what to give up.
“We’ve all seen the plan with 12 priorities. That’s not a plan, it’s a wish list,” says Laura Robinson, Managing Director, Bensimon Byrne. “Marketers don’t need a lecture on focus. They need justification to say no, and the evidence to back it up when they’re challenged.”
A New Kind of Agency for the Focus Problem
Bensimon Byrne has evolved into a creative intelligence company to help clients structure their marketing focus on the priorities that deliver results. The model brings together human insight, data and creativity to unlock what drives people to capture attention, shift behaviours and change minds to ultimately fuel growth.
That thinking is captured in the company’s new vision, Find Your People.
“Meaningful growth doesn’t come from reaching everyone,” says Robinson. “It comes from connecting deeply with the people who deliver outsized returns and ultimately, greater impact.”
This vision is a part of the greater transformation at Bensimon Byrne, which recently grew its senior leadership team with the addition of Tatiana Isaza, VP, Brand & Growth; Chelsea Thompson-O’Brian, VP, Strategy; and Charlie Glassman, Creative Director. The transformation also includes new service offerings and a completely reimagined brand identity.
“Insight and creativity have always been our starting point, but the brief has changed,” said Joseph Bonnici, Board Member and Chief Creative Officer, Tadiem. “We’ve taken this moment of change to evolve with new capabilities, new leadership, and new services to help our clients say no with confidence and stay focused.”
