Data is imperative in today’s marketing world—at least to most industry professionals. However, research from GlobalDMA and Winterberry Group shows that close to one fifth (18.8%) of marketers and advertisers consider data unimportant or somewhat important.
Granted, this population is still a minority. More than 80% of the more than 3,000 worldwide marketers and advertisers surveyed deem data important or critical to their work, and more than 92% expect data to contribute even more substantially to their advertising and marketing efforts in the coming years. The findings—published in “The Global Review of Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising” report—reveal that a majority of respondents (77.4%) say they’re confident in the practice of data-driven marketing and advertising, as well as its prospects for future growth.
“While we hear often about the contrasts that distinguish markets around the world, our research revealed one universal constant: data matters—and it matters a lot,” said Jonathan Margulies, managing director of Winterberry Group. “Across all of the 17 nations that were part of our analysis, we found that practitioners rely heavily on information to support a range of business objectives, ultimately supporting both marketing and consumer interests.”
Other findings include:
–Budgets are on the rise: 63.2% of respondents say their spending on data-driven marketing and advertising grew over the last year; 73.5% say they expect budgets to rise again over the next year.
–Data is digital; digital is fun: The five promotional channels that captured the most new or expanded budgets over the last year (mobile, online display, paid search, social, and Web/e-commerce content) are all native to the digital world.
–It’s all about customers: More than half of marketers (52.7%) say that “a demand to deliver more relevant communications/be more ‘customer-centric’” is among the most important factors driving their data-related investments.
“It was a great achievement to have so many professionals around the world participate in such a comprehensive study,” said Jodie Sangster, ADMA CEO and Chair of the GlobalDMA. “We’ve done this to help marketers and advertisers benchmark their campaigns, allocate budgets in line with global best practices, and develop strategies for using data in meaningful, responsible and consumer-friendly ways.”
