Northern marketers confident over prospects

A The Chartered Institute of Marketing product story

Edited by the Marketingweek Marketplace editorial team Jul 8, 2008

The latest Marketing Trends Survey has found that while marketers in the North of England are growing increasingly concerned about the UK economy, they remain positive about their own prospects.

The Marketing Trends Survey from The Chartered Institute of Marketing, conducted by Ipsos MORI, has found that while marketers in the North of England are growing increasingly concerned about the UK economy, they remain strikingly positive about the prospects for their own organisations.

Only 6 per cent of marketers in the region think the UK economy will improve in the year ahead (compared with 12 per cent for the UK as a whole), while 68 per cent believe conditions will worsen - significantly more than the UK average of 57 per cent.

Indeed, 38 per cent of marketers in the North believe the UK will go into recession this year.

In contrast, Northern marketers remain positive about their own organisation's prospects, with 40 per cent believing that business for their organisation will improve in the year ahead, and 19 per cent expecting conditions to worsen (the average across the UK was 39 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).

Anticipated sales performance figures, although down, have held up well among marketers based in the North.

The average increase of 6.1 per cent is slightly lower than the UK average of 6.2 per cent, but is down from the 8.4 per cent growth expected this time last year.

Encouragingly, the survey reveals that 31 per cent of marketers in the region expect to increase the number of marketing staff - more than anywhere else in the UK.

Only 7 per cent expect to be making job cuts - the lowest figure across the UK.

Commenting on the survey's findings, Diane Earles, CIM Regional Director for the North, said: "Marketers in the North of England are clearly more upbeat about their own prospects than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.

"Economic downturns often present new opportunities and professional marketers in the region can look beyond the present difficulties to exploit these.

"By focusing on changing customer needs more precisely, they can help their organisations to not only survive but thrive in these challenging times".