ProcureCon Marketing EU 2025 Blog

Take a look at the round up of ProcureCon Marketing!

In this exclusive wrap-up blog, we're excited to share Lucas' takeaways of ProcureCon Marketing 2024 through the trusted lens of WBR Insights Procurement. Get ready to dive into a unique perspective on the key discussions, innovations, and developments that dominated the conversation.

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Leaders have to make a strategic decision about where to invest their budget across the next year. In a recent survey, WBR Insights asked the top marketing procurement professionals in Europe where they plan to invest in the next 6-12 months. A whopping 42% revealed that they plan to invest in social media and influencer marketing.

This surge in interest begs the question – is this a passing fad or the beginning of a major shift in marketing procurement strategies?

Marketing departments face mounting pressure to demonstrate the value they bring to the table. In an increasingly competitive landscape, simply spending budgets is no longer enough. Today's marketing leaders must be able to quantify the impact of their initiatives and show a clear return on investment (ROI).

Pressure is mounting for heads of indirect procurement to advance their sustainability efforts. Indirect procurement is responsible for 30-70% of procurement’s overall spend and a recent survey found procurement marketing is the fourth-highest priority area within indirect. Oliver Hurrey, founder of Galvanised, has set up a new project entitled ‘Indirect Spend Risk & Responsibility Alliance’ that should provide heads of indirect with a trusted pathway to success.

The rise in demand for goods, supply chain bottlenecks and the war in Ukraine has created the perfect storm for sky-high inflation across the globe. To combat this, some of the innovative solutions that are being deployed involve assessing vendor relationships and implementing new technologies as a cost-cutting solution, and efficiency booster.

The global COVID-19 crisis undeniably had a massive impact on many businesses around the world. Whether they had to quickly pivot to allow employees to work remotely, or close their doors entirely, companies had a steep learning curve and no end of challenges to negotiate during the period.

Now the concept of programmatic advertising has been with us for a significant period of time, many marketers are looking for ways to bring it out of its nascent stage and take it to the next level of maturity. This means players on both sides of the programmatic interaction – buyers and sellers – are looking to make serious strategic shifts in order to keep pace with constantly shifting customer behaviour, regulatory frameworks, and the inexorable advance of modern technology.

Here in the marketing business, we all know how challenging and labour intensive it can become creating a seemingly never-ending stream of content which not only entertains and/or informs our audiences, but simultaneously comes over as genuine and transparent. That’s where user generated content comes in.

With so many digital channels available to marketing these days it can be easy to become overwhelmed and not know where to best focus your organisational attention.

As the global effects of manmade climate change are felt across the planet through ever more severe weather and geological events, the need for urgent action is becoming harder and harder to deny – even for those with vested interests in doing so.

It’s now two years since Google first announced its intentions to eliminate third-party cookies from Chrome, so the time to act is now. Brands which want to continue to reach their audiences with personalised and relevant advertising need to pivot to alterative data gathering means – such as first-party – to remain competitive in this unique environment.

The only conference for marketing procurement decision makers. It truly is.

In June of 2019 over 200 of these decision makers descended upon the official home of England Rugby – none other than Twickenham Stadium itself.

Under the stewardship of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), 17 of the world’s leading advertisers, Google, and other tech giants are forming a Global Alliance for Responsible Media. This strategic partnership marks the first time that organisations representing all sides of the industry are combining their efforts toward a common purpose. That purpose will impose responsibilities for ethical, responsible, and sustainable procurement practices, on all organisations subscribing to its terms.

Manual data entry and the need to manage requisitions over a wide range of departments can pose significant challenges to driving cost and process efficiencies.

In this post, we look at how Vodafone has been using artificial intelligence and robotic process automation to improve its procurement operations.

Data forms the backbone of all modern industry and it gets put to work in a multitude of ways – from well-known applications such as targeted advertising and customer databases, to slightly more esoteric forms such as blockchain technology. Vodafone using data to improve the way in which it processes purchase orders, empowering the company to be able to deliver effective marketing and better serve its customers.

A creative review can be a great way to get fresh ideas and perspectives on how your marketing budget is assigned. It doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning your current provider either, as, like Volkswagen, you can bring the best of several agencies together to produce great results.

The adage used in social media marketing is to “Be where your customers are.” Understanding your demographic and focusing your efforts on the platforms your customers are already using – Snapchat for young people, LinkedIn for professionals, etc. The same applies to other types of marketing as well.

The digital revolution has completely transformed the way media is consumed. Print, TV and cinema are no longer the prime targets for marketing. Given this current commercial atmosphere, it’s crucial that marketing procurement embraces contemporary strategies.

With digital advertising tech developing faster than companies can procure it, many are turning to start-ups to work more flexibly with changing trends.

Managing the relationship between marketing and agencies is a delicate operation, and it can take time. But without the disruptive technologies agencies and start-ups have to offer, marketing teams are at risk of being left in the dust of their competitors.

While agencies and procurement eased through cost-cutting exercises over the past decade, it’s the former that managed to laugh all the way to the bank. Never once did procurement realise that the last hurdle impeding its advancement would ironically be none other than, ‘marketing spend’.