The latest edition of the CMO Survey from the Fuqua School at Duke is out and it’s baffling, at least to me. You can read the data here if you care to but here are a few points that caught my eye. Maybe which raised an eyebrow as well. 
The good news is that there seems to be an awareness that we live in a data-driven age. The report shows that CMOs expect to nearly double the share of their budgets spent on marketing analytics over the next few years. That said, current levels of spending are actually down. Unlike computer chips, it hasn’t been my experience that you can buy more for less in the analytics field so that’s kind of baffling. In addition, there may be more data around but it seems as if it’s getting used less. Overall, CMOs reported that just 29% of projects used available or requested marketing analytics, down from 32.5% a year earlier and representing the lowest figure since August 2013. Huh?
The strange news doesn’t stop there. Despite the fact that we’ve been using social media in marketing for at least 5 years, social media remains poorly integrated with marketing strategy. When asked “How well is social media integrated with marketing strategy?” 23% reported a 1 or 2 on a 7 point scale. That lack of integration isn’t restricted to social media either. When asked “How effectively does your company integrate customer information across purchasing, communication, and social media channels” the average score was 3.7, down from 3.9. In other words, flying blind.
That has an effect on how well CMO’s can track results. They were asked about the impact of their social media spending, the same social media that isn’t properly integrated into their marketing strategy. 14% reported that they have proven the impact quantitatively. 41% said that they have a good qualitative sense of the impact, but not a quantitative impact. Nearly half – 45% – said that they haven’t been able to show the impact yet. Anyone wondering why?
One final rant. Most marketers have low levels of concern about the use of online customer data. When asked “How worried are you that the use of online customer data could raise questions about privacy?”40% answered either a 1 or 2 on the 7 point scale. Not very concerned, in other words. Really?
I find much of the above indicative that many marketers are still flying blind. What’s your take?
Consult Keith 