ignition in numbers Does loyalty make a difference? Ninety per cent of companies currently employ some form of customer engagement or loyalty programme. But are customers consistent in their loyalty? Loyalty, it seems, is harder won than ever. of all consumers admitted they now retract their loyalty more quickly than they did three years ago claim loyalty programmes do not engender loyalty actively demonstrate negative or non-existent reactions to loyalty efforts switched some or all of their business from one brand or provider to another in the last year CEO comment Chris Daly, CEO, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) of customers, however, spend more on brands or providers to which they are loyal. But of loyal customers who spend more, are also those most likely to retract their loyalty altogether Is non-transparency hurting your ad revenues? Transparency can mean so many different things, says Stephen Broderick, CEO at global marketing compliance specialist FirmDecisions, which provides advertisers with financial transparency solutions for the client-agency relationship. While the headline marketing news often focuses on transparency in fields such as supply chains, sustainability and employee welfare, Broderick points the finger at where ad budgets are spent. Brands need to be comfortable that the media-buying partnerships they build are transparent, he says. After much consolidation in the sector, do you know who, ultimately, is buying your media? There are issues with transparency over agency-owned inventory. Is a media plan being recommended because its right for your product, or because it benefits part of the buying agencys wider business? Then theres digital and programmatic, which now accounts for 50 per cent of the UK media spend but theres a huge amount of ad fraud and bot fraud, and its still often difficult to verify if digital ads really appeared, and whether they were engaged with. Brodericks advice? Makesure you review media buying contracts regularly, and consult trade bodies, such as ISBA, about goodpractice. Being a smart client can make a bigdifference. BuzzworDs dark patterns Reinvigorated postGDPR, dark pattern design is online design that encourages clicks and sign-ups, or discourages opt-outs, by making specific online behaviours hard to avoid, or hard to complete. Think: huge sign-up overlay buttons, or lengthy, fiddly unsubscribe procedures, as well as sales language that makes a choice seem unavoidable, such as: Dont miss out: only two pairs left! cim.co.uk/exchange I have witnessed a great deal of change across the industry. There is, however, one thing that has remained constant, and that is CIMs drive to develop and support professionalism across the sector. Issues such as fake news, data privacy and trust, are all affecting how consumers interact with brands, thrusting marketing into the spotlight. Marketing is a critical function in driving business growth in any organisation and effective marketing has the potential to transform organisations, both large and small. However, as marketers, we know that transformation does not occur in a passive way. Its up to us all to play a key role, ensuring businesses make use of the critical contribution that marketing makes to the bottom line. In a rapidly changing environment, its easy to find ourselves in a state of constant re-engineering as we are asked to meet new challenges. However, we must not lose sight of the fundamental consumer behaviours that remain constant. Understanding these behaviours should not be limited to customers outside the organisation. Marketers must also work to ensure their organisation can respond to internal demands with a solid recruitment strategy, as well as building a culture that will attract future talent. Our recent research found that 41 per cent of school leavers are interested in a career in marketing, indicating a significant opportunity to grow and develop the future of our profession. At CIM, we are ready to guide the next generation of marketers through the turbulent times ahead and represent existing marketers at every stage of their career, while continuing to champion the crucial role that marketing plays in driving business success.