Content Remains King for Major Brands, Report Reveals

Above: Studiospace CEO Pete Sayburn

As summer ends, major brands have been calling on agencies for support with their upcoming advertising campaigns and demand for content is high, a new report has found.     

The latest Marketers Most Wanted report (MMW), produced by agency matchmaking platform Studiospace, monitors the actual briefs posted by chief marketing officers (CMOs) and brand owners on the platform and found “across the board” rises for briefs relating to content. 

Social media topped the list for the third month in a row on 18.2%, the category has grown every month for the past five. 

It was followed by creative and production requests on 15.2% which pushes down last month’s second highest category, UX/UI design, which made up 12.1%.

Other content related categories such as video and copywriting also gained 3% each which means the four main content categories made up nearly 40% of briefs combined.  

“Content is king for major brands at the moment and he looks very secure on his throne, too,” said Studiospace CEO Pete Sayburn. 

“Brands need content for a wide range of purposes, with social media and advertising both high on their bucket lists. 

“Often, when they need fresh ideas, they turn to outside agencies to give their campaigns the boost they need.”

Pete said advertising has featured prominently as brands gear up for the end of the year.  

“There’s been a big resurgence in advertising briefs as brands gear up for the autumn. This is pleasing to see and a sign there’s a desire among some to sell their way out of a tough economic period.”   

“The increase also stems partly from financial brands growing their direct to customer proposition,” he noted. 

The report highlights a rise in search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) briefs. The category rose from 4.5% in July to 7.6% in August. 

Pete said, “Demand in SEO and PPC has also increased significantly and our data shows this was driven by high growth B2B companies.” 

Meanwhile, the report revealed a decline in event briefs, following a summer surge, as the category moved from sixth place in July to drop off the top ten list entirely in August.

“Summer is over in marketing but autumn is hotting up and, despite tough conditions, there’s a lot of positivity,” Pete added.