Dive Brief:
- Ascend2 released its latest research report on marketing data management, which found that for 59% of respondents, campaign targeting led as the most effective use of data. That was followed by content personalization at 48%.
- When comparing marketing data goals versus barriers, ROI measurability topped the goal list cited by 68% of respondents and was in the lower half of barriers at 35%. The next goal was data quality cited by 63% of surveyed marketers, but it was cited by 44% as a barrier to success.
- Meanwhile, 54% of respondents said more accurate decisions topped their list of benefits that come from data-based decisions, followed by more cost-efficient decisions at 27% and more competitive decisions at 14%.
Dive Insight:
In terms of data effectiveness, Todd Lebo, partner and CMO, Ascend2, told Marketing Dive, “Tactically, the most effective use of marketing data is for campaign targeting. Getting the right message to the right person at the right time requires quality, segmented data.”
Even though only 14% of respondents rated their company’s data strategy as “best-in-class,” 46% described their strategy as above average, as reported by a clear majority (60%) of marketers seeing their data strategy as successful. And in terms of barriers to success, poor data use/accessibility and poor data quality topped the list at 44% each, followed closely by poor database integration at 40%.
Lebo said, “Balancing important goals to achieve with success barriers to overcome is essential to creating an effective marketing data management strategy for your company.”
One interesting result from the study was finding out where marketers believed data responsibility resided in their company with 57% reported in the marketing department and 36% citing interdepartmental partnerships.