Last week was a big one for digital technology. Siri weighed in on the Iran nuclear agreement, and Salesforce installed a giant Pac-Man video wall in its lobby. But let’s catch up on the latest in email, agencies and CMO challenges, so you can start your work week.
For The New York Times, email is the new homepage
According to Contently, The New York Times has increased its email newsletters to more than 30 after a report leaked last year revealed homepage traffic had dropped approximately 50%.
And they’ve seen some impressive results. The gross open rate of weekly newsletters is at 50% — with some individual open rates topping 70%. Subscribers range from tens of thousands to several million, depending on the newsletter, and the numbers continue to increase.
The Times credits its newsletter success in part to developing the site’s internal email service product.
Read more on NYT’s newsletters …
More than 50% of UK marketers expect to use fewer agencies by 2020
Most UK marketers plan to cut back on using agencies over the next five years, according to research by the ISBA and MediaSense. UK marketers said they’ll still work with agencies for creative projects, but 54% expect to drive their own initiatives for many functions previously outsourced, such as owned media, earned media, content management, and social media strategies.
U.K. marketers said a desire for greater self-reliance and reduced cost are the top reasons for the shift.
The trend is becoming more popular on both sides of the pond due to an increase in marketing software technology that has allowed companies to become more independently data-driven and technology-enabled.
Read more on UK Marketers’ 2020 plans…
CMOs hitting roadblocks to meeting omni-channel expectations
We all know the path-to-purchase is not a straight one. Consumers jump from device to device and platform to platform. To reach them, marketers must create an agile, omni-channel marketing experience.
But, according to a report from the CMO Club, many CMOs don’t feel confident in their omni-channel strategies, and 82% are unable to measure cross-channel performance.
Regardless of the challenge created for marketers, consumers expect a seamless shopping experience. Omni-channel shopping is here to stay. CMOs will need to adopt a holistic approach to marketing, or get left behind.
Read more on OmniChannel marketing
New in Podcasts
Check out the new episode of the Marketing Smarts podcast from MarketingProfs — Own Your Content Marketing: Owner Media CEO Chris Brogan on Marketing Smarts.
CEO Chris Brogan talks about his secrets to successful email marketing.