ignition in numbers A word on women and wellbeing A report from consultants Frost & Sullivan suggests the opportunity for growth in the womens health market remains huge, but are todays marketers ready to talk about womens health? of board members at Fortune 500 healthcare companies are women of CEOs at Fortune 500 healthcare companies are women of healthcare professionals in managerial positions are women of global healthcare customers are women CEO comment of the primary healthcare decisions within families are made by women of household healthcare spending is done by women The meaning of luxury A study by global research agency Kadence International shows that, while there are some universal truths surrounding the perception of luxury brands in markets around the world, views on what makes a brand luxury vary widely. National pride, culture and awareness all play key roles in how consumers engage with brands. Kadence interviewed consumers across 13 markets to produce a Luxury Index created from eight main components: product quality, distinctiveness, brand heritage, enduring appeal, status, exclusivity, feelgood factor, and experiential. Product quality is the most important driver of luxury perception in every market. Either quality or brand heritage scored highest of all eight components of the index. Exclusivity was the least important driver, followed by experiential. The three sectors seen as most luxurious are cars, followed by jewellery and watches. Alcohol and hotels are felt to be the least luxurious categories. However, these change regionally. In Asia, alcohol is seen as a more luxurious category, whereas in France, fashion is regarded as more luxurious than in many Asian regions. In Western markets, timelessness is more important than in Asia, where status and brand heritage score highly. In China, experiential is more important than in any other market. French consumers are more likely to judge a luxury brand by distinctiveness than any other Western region, while the USA is the least likely to judge a brand by that factor. Marketers of luxury brands might need to reassess whether theyre delivering the right message for the rightmarket. BuzzworDs Industry 4.0 or, perhaps, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). The first Industrial Revolution was about mechanisation and steam; the second, electrification; the third, computer technology; now, its about bringing data, automation and artificial intelligence into manufacturing. The term was coined in 2011, but it might be ready for its crossover moment, as advances in technology increasingly have an impact on innovation, consumer behaviour and marketing strategy. cim.co.uk/exchange Chris Daly, CEO, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) In a complex world, marketing is increasingly an organisations nerve centre, and one that is best suited to understanding what messages work best, and when. As marketers, we know what customers want and how to deliver it. There is undoubtedly change in the industry for both consumers and marketers, which can be perceived as a positive force or a threat depending whose perspective you take. Ultimately, however, the eternal truth remains that marketing succeeds when it delivers clear and timely messages to relevant audiences. We must not cannot see change as something to ignore or fear. If audiences are acting differently, or marketing factors are creating new buying behaviours, we must adapt and embrace them. Preparing this edition of Catalyst for you, I was interested to read that post-millennials are now dominating Chinese e-commerce sales; Indias middle class are expected to double consumer spending by 2019; and retail sales in the UK are up 3.9% according to the Office for National Statistics. We, as marketers, need to decide how we respond to change and how we can bring the consumer with us on this journey. Marketing has the opportunity to establish itself as a force for good in an industry that can often feel awash with controversy and unethical business practices. It is our job to cement the positive role that marketing can play for both consumers and society. When marketing works for the customer as well as the organisation, everyone benefits, leading to an increase in consumer trust in brands as well as in marketing itself.