Isobar Creative Experience Survey 2020 reveals innovation priorities

Download Isobar Creative Experience Survey 2020 here.

The survey discovered that 64% of CMOs have “completely or moderately” changed their CX strategy in response to the Covid-19 crisis, with 1 in 5 having ‘completely’ changed their approach. Among those CMOs who have changed their strategy, investment in innovative new products and services is the most popular strategy among businesses of every size and scale, adopted by 45% of all CMOs, and 49% of CMOs of larger organisations.

The report argues that we are witnessing the continued rise of ‘Creative Experience’, a new approach to customer experience focused not only on eliminating friction but on engineering delight and building differentiation. It describes the first wave of ‘Customer Experience’ or ‘CX’ as focussing heavily on removing friction and eliminating pain points, emphasising that in a one-click (or no click) world, brands risk becoming increasingly indistinct - and increasingly invisible.

Further insights reveal:                                         

• CMOs are placing their bets on innovative use of technology (58%) and the importance of a galvanising organisational idea (50%) as key ingredients for building differentiated customer experiences. 
• Commerce has emerged as a clear priority with 39% of CMOs having made commerce a greater focus and 36% having implemented Direct-to- Consumer approaches
• Alongside creative ideation / thinking (36%), innovation capabilities (35%) and the ability to create new products (33%) were listed among the top 3 requirements of an agency partner in order to deliver superior CX strategies. 

Deep dive insights into Innovation strategies show:

• AI is currently the most used emerging technology by some 36% of CMOs, rising to 50% of CMOs from large companies
• Voice and Chat-based interfaces follow closely behind at 29% and 28% adoption respectively
• Virtual and Augmented Reality are also entering the mainstream, with 28% and 27% adoption respectively among CMOs.

Authored by Isobar’s global teams of creative and innovation experts, the report is specifically designed to provide insight into the strategic direction of the marketing industry today and identify the key tools and technologies required for distinctive and delightful experiences of tomorrow.