Management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company, Accenture, has found there to be differing perceptions of mobile among marketing executives.
The generational divide is most obvious when comparing those who have been around mobile since their youth with the research’s older respondents. A substantial 38% of under 35 year-olds consider mobile important, compared to five out of ten in the 51 or older demographic.
Based on the insights of 581 senior executives in marketing, spread across 11 countries and 12 industries, the report recommended further investment in agile technologies and cloud-based services.
Underutilised technology
One in four stated that the technology and tools deemed critical to a marketing exec’s role were not receiving a large enough share of their budget, causing an almost impenetrable barrier to digital integration.
It also advised restructuring companies’ primary marketing model, so new talent with sufficient analytics, mobile and digital skills can be as effective in using digital marketing to improve the overall customer experience.
On the subject of staff hires, marketing execs have been fairly successful in recruiting talent with digital, analytics and technical skills, although compared to 2012 there was a 10-point drop in customer and digital analytics capabilities.
Beyond marketing
Brian Whipple, senior managing director at Accenture Interactive thinks that the modern marketing executive’s responsibilities are now so much more than simply providing a marketing strategy.
“As marketing executives are increasingly embracing digital they can be catalysts to help their company take advantage of the wider digital opportunity and protect against broader digital threats,” Whipple said.
“To be part of their enterprise’s digital transformation, marketing executives should extend their vision of marketing beyond traditional boundaries.”
The report added that above all else, marketing execs should not view the customer as a transaction, but an ongoing dialogue of engagement. According to Accenture, it should be a relationship covering the whole spectrum of sales, service, retention and loyalty.