Last month, we surveyed some of our clients to get a feel for what the second half of the year 2021 will look like. See below for awesome pie charts containing the data as well as some marketing outlook insights we gleaned from it. Overall, we think it’s safe to say that it’s going to be a great rest of the year. 🙌
Which of the following best describes your promotional/marketing outlook for Q3 & Q4 in 2021?
We’re spending MORE on promotional/marketing than we did in 2019…………………….18.7%
We’re spending ABOUT THE SAME amount on promotional/marketing as 2019…………53.3%
We’re spending LESS on promotional/marketing than we did in 2019………………………28%
With so many businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re happy to see that more than half of our clients (53.3%) are going back to business as usual when it comes to their promotional products and marketing budget.
We’re seeing things heading in that direction on our side as well. For the first time since January 2020, personal protective equipment (PPE) failed to make the top 10 list of most-searched promo items. After dropping from fourth place to eighth in April, “face masks” fell out of the top 10 in May 2021.
How many in-person events will you have in Q3 & Q4 in 2021?
We have some events planned………………………………………………..62.7%
No events planned yet. We’re kind of taking things slow………….20%
We have lots of events planned………………………………………………14.7%
We don’t normally have in-person events…………………………………2.7%
Like most people, we’ve been missing the human interaction that comes with in-person meetings and events. Luckily, with vaccines on the rise and COVID cases on the decline, all indicators point to a healthy return of in-person get togethers.
Our survey found that 77.4% of our clients surveyed will hold at least one in-person event this year. This aligns with a recent Northstar Meetings Group survey which found that 82% of event planners surveyed will hold live, in-person meetings this year.
However, it appears that the virtual component is here to stay. Hybrid events will be a norm moving forward. For those that have lots of events planned, we’re excited to hear from you soon!
Which best describes your workplace arrangement in Q3 & Q4 in 2021?
We’ve gone back to normal in the office……………………………………………………………………….43.2%
We’re going to have employees come in sometimes and work at home sometimes…………54.1%
We’ve gone fully remote. Our office will be kind of empty, or non-existent………………………2.7%
Forbes addressed the evolution to hybrid in a recent article, stating companies are “re-imagining their workplace strategy with an emphasis on safety and social distancing, flexibility, cost reduction and employee experience, all while they balance working from the office and working from home.”
For our clients, more than half (54.1%) are moving to a hybrid work arrangement, while a large chunk (43.2%) are going back to normal in the office. A small percentage (2.7%) have moved to a fully remote arrangement.
