IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARKETING MEDIA TECHNOLOGY Channels regarded as most-trusted, accurate and impartial sources of industry trends Of these di昀昀erent sources of information, which one do you trust most to provide an accurate and impartial view of industry trends? Of these di昀昀erent channels, which one do you think creates most trust with your customers and prospects? Source: Caretta online broadcast and media technology marketing survey, Sep-Oct 2021 Learning about specific vendors and products Once a project is underway, buyers are looking for more specific information about which products could meet their needs, and which suppliers to engage with for demos, RFPs or to shortlist. But there is a notable gap between the way buyers do this, and the channels that suppliers think are most e昀昀ective to communicate the specific benefits of their company and products. The biggest disconnect comes in sellers’ preference for direct contact to communicate their message. Yet this is near the bottom of the list for buyers, who much prefer independent validation of a potential supplier’s claims. Most-trusted sources of vendor and product info 22% Personal networks 1 Direct contacts 36% 17% Industry 2 Trade press 29% organisations mags/websites Buyers Published Sellers 17% Trade shows 3 white papers 13% 17% Trade press 4 Industry 9% mags/websites organisations 9% Social media 5 Trade shows 4% % single response ‘most trusted’ channel, top 5 responses