5 Stats I Can’t Stop Thinking About.

Apr 24

I recently created a presentation for a healthcare client of ours where we talked about what’s going on in the world that could or will impact their marketing. COVID-19, the hybrid workforce, diversity & inclusion, the rise of social influencers and the impact of Generation Z. As part of that presentation, we included little stats here and there that helped provide direction for the conversation. Coming out of that meeting, I was one of two contributors to take some of those stats and expand on them just a teensy bit more. Here are the stats that I chose, and some marketing thoughts behind them. Take a read, I promise they’ll make for good topics around the dinner table.

21% of US adults say that the health crisis will ‘never’ end.

Who else is exhausted? I certainly am. But, with exhaustion comes acceptance because we are going to be dealing with the remnant effects of this pandemic for a long time. Three in four people believe that most will eventually get COVID-19 and that opinion spans all generations, regardless of age, income, ethnicity or gender. But will we get it now, or in fifteen years, is the real question. So, we’ll live with it because we have no other choice and don’t worry, we’ll adapt. Adapt to what you may ask? One aspect of our new world is our health and how we have to look at it differently. Join me as we welcome tele-medicine, at-home gyms, subscription food services and athleisure apparel to the party. Because if we are going to live with this, we are going to live well.

More than 90% of employers are planning to adopt a hybrid work model for their employees in 2022.

What happens when we go back to “normal” and we find ourselves somewhere we’ve never been? Three days in the office, two days at home? Sounds good to me. The fact of the matter is that hybrid working is here to stay and successful companies will be those who bridge the gap between their virtual and physical experiences. Space is now fluid, people don’t have to be in one place or another. There is freedom to move between workspaces and still get the job done. Yes, there will be some companies that require 100% in office presence and some that remain 100% remote, but we've found that the majority of companies are going to accept the fact that hybrid experience is what their employees want and will cater to them accordingly. They are going to have to, otherwise they’ll be dealing with a mass exodus of their best people. Trust me, I’ve seen it firsthand.

71% of consumers expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion in their advertising, and yet only 23% of U.S. consumers feel fully represented by the people they see in ads.

Some data suggests that nearly two-thirds of people will take some sort of action if they see an ad that they think is diverse and inclusive. That’s a big number. But is all diversity and inclusion created equal? If 71% of consumers expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion, but only 23% of them feel represented, there is a pretty clear divide between consumer expectations of brands vs. reality. The good news is that brands are poised to successfully change that perception in their advertising by including diverse perspectives and representation throughout the process, the research, the creative development and casting. Like most culture shifts, this won’t happen overnight, but eventually it will. Pinky swear.

There are twice as many full-time professional influencers as accountants in the U.S. – an estimated 2 million professional creators nationally.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been sucked into the black hole of TikTok. We want all the content and then all of the sudden it’s 11 o’clock, and we wanted to go to bed at 9. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever bought something because of an Instagram ad you saw. Of course we needed those matching dog/dog mom sweaters. Why wouldn’t we need that weird ingredient that helps make the sourdough bread that’s going to sit on our counter for several days? And we absolutely needed that contraption that helps us brew craft beer at home. Whether you knew it or not, someone influenced you to buy that. They’ve given you a how to, look how great, obviously you need, kind of video. A crazy way to look at it - for every accountant working on your taxes or managing your company’s books, there are two influencers trying to get you to buy something off social media. Don’t believe me? Some data states that the influencer marketing industry will reach a staggering $16.4B in 2022. Yes, billion. The good news is there are companies out there dedicated to helping marketers find the perfect influencer for their business. And if you’re a marketer, now’s a good time to explore that option.

With a spending power of up to $143 billion, Gen Z accounted for an estimated 40% of global customers in 2020.

Millennials are out, Gen Z is in. For a long time, we’ve talked about the Millennial generation and the characteristics that define them. They want freedom and flexibility. They love to text. And let’s be honest, they are pretty self-involved. I know, because, well, I’m a millennial. But, society isn’t focused on us anymore. In 1995 (or was it ‘96?) we switched to a new generation that craves structure and stability. Please give a warm welcome to Generation Z. They are the “always on” group, quickly defined as the first digitally native generation with FaceTime and TikTok defining their communication style. They are diverse, inclusive and progressive. And let’s not forget that these members of society quite literally grew up during times of social, political and economic chaos which will shape the world we all live in forever. All of that being said, this group of people, the ones that we’ve always looked at as “young,” well, it’s time to pay attention and listen to what they are saying. What they are doing. What they are buying. Because they are going to buy a lot of it. We need these people to spend to help our economy thrive. It’s time to adjust to speak the way they speak. Do the way they do.