FUTURE Perspective is a quarterly newsletter written by Elaine Cameron, head of Strategic Research & Trend Analysis at Burson-Marsteller EMEA. The newsletter focuses on trends that have concrete communication takeouts.

1. November 2011
This edition covers:
• Future of Disaster
• Feminomics
• Rise of QR Codes
• Buy-ology

2. CRISIS / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
FUTURE OF DISASTER Emergency management goes mobile COMMUNICATIONS TAKEOUT
➔ When telephone lines collapse, the Internet
Haiti, Chile, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, has proved to be a resilient means of
Turkey... In recent times, our planet has been communication. And when the power is out,
hit by an alarming number of natural disasters. smartphones (charged through car batteries)
Indeed, the occurrence rate of these events is often become the only gate to the outside
clearly increasing. It is evident that 21st world.
century organisations need to be ready for ➔ Moreover, mobile apps to improve the
“what might be” with well‐tuned capacities for emergency response have flourished :
anticipation and adaptation, innovation and 1. Developed after Hurricane Katrina, the app
collaboration. Life360 allows to track and locate friends ARE YOU READY?
and family members during an emergency. The range of possible disasters may be
Global reach, global losses 2. Guardian Watch allows people in an wide, but the challenges and business
➔ Even with hardly any direct damage, the impacted area a real-time visual read of implications to which they give rise are
Eyjafjallajökull Volcano eruption in 2010 the disaster. It also enable users to pretty much alike. Organizations need to
highlighted the vulnerability of the networked immediately report an emergency. be ready to face any emergency situation.
global economy; alerting us to the risk of 3. The FEMA app Are you Ready? contains And, for this, preparedness is key.
disruption for the ever more interconnected safety tips and a map with shelters.
markets in the event of a more serious hazard. However, according to the PSB and
➔ In its report Natural Hazards, Unnatural Social media steps up to the plate Burson-Marsteller 2011 Crisis preparation
Disasters, the World Bank estimates that annual ➔ Social media have become the primary Survey:
global losses caused by natural disasters may source of information during emergencies. ➔ Only 54 % of worldwide corporations
triple to $185 billion by the end of this century.
➔ Within hours of the Haiti disaster, the have crisis management plans in place.
Facebook group Earthquake Haiti had already ➔ 50% of existing preparedness plans are
Increasing awareness added over 14,000 members. only partially reliable, having several
➔ As the number of natural, technological and ➔ After the Japan earthquake, and in less than gaps.
terrorist disasters rises, there is a general a day, the twitter account of the company This general lack of preparation is specially
feeling of unease amongst the general public. operating the Fukushima power plant gained worrying knowing the fundamental role of
➔ Governments, non-profits and business have 190,000 followers. social media during emergency and crisis
set out to provide the means for effective ➔ Retweeting is the new broadcasting and scenarios. In fact, even though, 65% of
preparedness: twitter users are the new information business decision makers believe that new
1. The US Federal Emergency Management gatekeepers. media make crises more difficult to
Agency (FEMA) gives instructions to build ➔ Rumour management becomes a number manage, the percentage of companies
an emergency kit one priority for organisations. Prior to the oil with preparedness plans in place drops to
2. The Red Cross sets up a Ready-To-Go spill, BP had no dedicated social media staff. By 38% when taking the digital arena into
Emergency Preparedness Kit the height of the incident, BP had 50 account.
3. Japanese company Muji offers a wide employees countering inaccurate Facebook
range of emergency Kits READ: B-M 2011 CRISIS
and Twitter information.
PREPARATION SURVEY

3. HR/WAR FOR TALENT Women on boards: Europe’s targets
FEMINOMICS ➔NORWAY: 40% women on boards achieved COMMUNICATIONS TAKEOUT
by 2008
The “Third Billion” ➔ SPAIN: at least 40% of each gender by 2015
➔ One of the most compelling pieces of ➔ FRANCE: 40% women by 2016
evidence driving this trend of Feminomics is ➔ NETHERLANDS: 30% of each gender by 2016
the fact that 1 billion middle class women are ➔ ITALY: Minimum of 33.3% of "least
expected to enter the global economy over represented" gender by 2015
the next decade. ➔ BELGIUM: Minimum of 33.3% women on
➔ If China and India each represent 1 billion boards
emerging participants in the global Source: Centre of Inclusive Leadership 2011
marketplace, then this “third billion” will be
made up of women in both developing and Harnessing the “Third Billion” female BEST PRACTICE FOR ACHIEVING
industrialised nations, whose economic lives demographic GENDER DIVERSITY
have previously been stunted or suppressed. ➔ Companies, including Goldman Sachs and ➔ Create transparency by implementing
➔ Globally, women total $13 trillion in yearly Google, are building talent recruitment plans gender diversity KPIs. Monitoring such
earnings and could reach $18 trillion in the around the potential of the Third Billion. By performance indicators should raise
next five years, representing a growth twice investing in these women, companies are awareness about the magnitude of the gaps
as big as China and India combined. This will betting on a brighter future — for a workforce to be closed within the organisation and
have massive implications on communication just waiting to blossom, for economies whose serve as a tool for defining priorities for
and leadership styles for companies and development depends on this new crop of action.
organisations and could potentially lead to a talent, and, of course, for themselves. ➔ Implement measures to facilitate work-
massive economic power shift. ➔ The goal ultimate should be to harness the life balance
power of women in a regional economy, to  Flexible working hours – not
Room for improvement help develop a more integrated and productive restricted to women alone
➔ According to McKinsey, although women activity base.  Career flexibility and support
account for 55% of university graduates in ➔ The impact of this type of strategy could be during career breaks
Europe, they are a smaller part of the labour significant in countries as disparate as Egypt, ➔ Adapt the HR management processes
market: their employment rate is 21% lower Malaysia, Ghana, Canada, Italy, and Poland. ➔ Help women to develop networks, learn
than that of men. And this is not only an opportunity for negotiation skills, develop their careers,
➔ Additionally, 33% of women work part- governments. provide mentors
time compared to 7% of men. ➔ Global corporations and non-governmental ➔ Pivotal role of the CEO. Practices will not
➔ Within companies, women are particularly organisations should strategically assess what develop unless top management is
under-represented in management and they can do to enable and prepare these convinced diversity brings competitive
decision-making roles: in Europe, they women as potential consumers, employees, advantage and commits to implementing
represent on average just 11% of the and citizens. change, under the leadership of the CEO.
membership of the governing bodies of listed READ: WOMEN MATTER –
companies.
CORPORATE PERFORMANCE DRIVER
[Source: McKinsey]

4. MOBILE / SOCIAL MARKETING
RISE OF QR CODES Client engagement COMMUNICATIONS TAKEOUT
➔ Regardless of their location, QR codes
Even though the use of Quick Response Codes enable companies to maximise client
in the industrial arena dates back to 1994 and engagement, bringing the online and offline
they’ve been hot in Japan during the 2000s, it’s world closer together every day.
only now, following the rise in uptake of ➔ Following the successful QR scavenger hunt
smartphones and the parallel development of organised earlier this year in partnership with
new mobile marketing strategies, that they Lady Gaga, Starbucks has now started using QR
are becoming mainstream in Europe and the codes to provide customers with additional
US. With usage growing close to 80% this year, information on the different blends of coffee
QRs are increasingly mainstream. offered at the stores and to foster mobile 5 EASY WAYS TO GENERATE
payment. ENGAGEMENT WITH QR CODES
QRs everywhere ➔ Diesel has introduced QR codes in its stores
➔ From a beverage cup to a packet of gums, All businesses can benefit from QR codes.
to enable customers to “Like” a product on
from store windows to promotional fliers and It just a matter of being innovative and
Facebook just by scanning it.
wristbands, QRs are becoming a must for thinking creatively. 5 basic applications:
➔ Retailers like eBay and Ocado are
packaging and advertising. 1. Include them on business cards,
experimenting with pop-up QR code shopping
➔ 22% of Fortune 50 companies were already leaflets and newsletters to enable the
and Fox has just launched a QR code movie
using QR codes in December 2010, according to sales in UK. direct download of contact details or
Burson-Marsteller and Proof “Fortune 50 to automatically generate calls and
➔ The Tesco QR shopping experience in the
mobile study” with ads being the most frequent Korean tube is worth watching: sms to a default number.
placement. 2. Use them to get likes and follows to
http://bit.ly/kPKlA8
➔ But even the most unexpected locations are your Facebook page and Twitter
ripe for QR usage. The American company profile, or to easily sign-up to a
Design matters
Seattle's Quiring Monuments offers what it calls ➔ In 2008, the BBC became one of the very website, by placing them in printed
"living headstones", with engraved QR codes ads, labelling or point-of-sale displays.
first pioneers of QR customisation. Companies
that, when scanned, reveal additional 3. Provide detailed information about a
are now slowly following the path and starting
information about the person including photos, to tint QRs with corporate colours and product or enable an interactive
videos and text about the life they lived. experience on a service by placing QR
campaign designs.
➔ Another US enterprise, dogIDs, sells storefront displays with an online
➔ Other 2D barcodes such as Microsoft tags
personalised dog collars with QR codes demo, video, etc.
also offer countless design possibilities.
containing contact information, emergency 4. Enrich your merchandising (T-shirts,
➔ At the same time, we are moving away from
contacts, medication and dietary needs. wristbands, mugs) and develop new
the somewhat obscure and mysterious effect
➔ The Royal Dutch Mint has just produced a PR actions, such as scavenger hunts.
of QRs. More brands are now providing value
limited edition of QR Coded coins to 5. Facilitate a quick response to
to the data capturing through self-explanatory
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the promotions and giveaways by placing
claims such as “listen to the song” or “watch
Mint in Utrecht. QR codes on direct mail or ads.
the trailer”.
CREATE YOUR OWN QR CODE

5. CONSUMER/MARKETING The brain is a mysterious thing
BUY-OLOGY ➔ Most of you will have seen cigarette COMMUNICATIONS TAKEOUT
In recent times, researchers have discovered warning labels in Europe. They’re pretty
more about the workings of the human brain revolting. Think they work? Surveys of
than throughout the entire previous history of smokers say yes, but interviews with their
psychology and neuroscience. Their findings, brains say no. In fact, researchers have
combined with advances in technology and found that warning labels actually trigger
software development, now make it possible to smoking stimulus. Talk about unintended
record and analyse what is going on in the consequences.
minds of consumers with a high degree of So what makes some products irresistible?
precision and sophistication. ➔ Insights into decision-making and emotions
are ripe for exploitation. Take the prefrontal NEUROMARKETING TIPS
Here comes the science bit cortex, an area that plays a key role in level- ➔ Human Voices Hire real people that
➔ The ultimate goal of neuromarketing is to headed decision making and long-term work with the product, who can interact
understand how the brain produces goals. It takes years to develop and then with the product in front of the audience,
behaviour. Fundamentally, therefore, starts to lose some of its swagger when and tell an interesting story behind it, in
neuromarketing is a biological science. we're in our late 50s. That means kids under their own words.
➔ Nowadays, the results of these studies are 12 and older people are more susceptible to ➔ Emotional Connection No matter how
sufficiently reliable to take their place urges that come from the amygdala, the technical the message, try to find some
alongside more traditional market research emotional hot button in our heads. It way of incorporating an element that can
methodologies, offering both confirmation of responds to threats, emotional bring out some level of emotional impact.
their findings and invaluable additional communication and sexual imagery. The ➔ Words Matter Be a good wordsmith:
insights into the mental processes underlying cookies on the low shelf in the grocery store your choice of language, including key
consumer decision-making behaviour. are aimed at the 5-year-old's amygdala; an words, will also set off an emotional impact
Evidence investment scam is aimed at the amygdala that makes consumers more likely to
➔ A study at Baylor College of Medicine in of a retiree. purchase.
Houston showed that the brain registers a ➔ "By understanding the development of the ➔ Provide Rich Data The ability to share
preference for Coke or Pepsi similar to that prefrontal cortex, companies can market rich data online in so many ways, creates a
chosen by the subjects in blind taste tests. things in different ways. There may be great feeling of empowerment with the
➔ Another study by Richard Silberstein, a certain combinations of pitches they can consumer that triggers spending.
neuroscientist with the Brain Sciences Institute at use to appeal to the amygdala and NEUROMARKETING
The Swinburne University of Technology in prefrontal cortex. Or, if they know the age THROUGH COLOURS
Melbourne, found that successful advertisements range of people watching a TV show, they
generate both high levels of emotional can change a commercial to target them in CONTACT
engagement and long-term memory encoding. different ways.” Jordan Grafman, chief of Elaine Cameron
the Cognitive Neuroscience Section of the Strategic Research & Trend Analysis, EMEA
National Institute of Neurological Disorders elaine.cameron@bm.com
& Stroke at the National Institutes of Don’t forget to follow on Twitter:
Health. http://www.twitter.com/FUTUREPersp