The "Human Element" Impact on Data-Driven Marketing

Editor39s note We welcome our new columnist Pattie Glod This article is the first in a series titled quotWhat Brand Marketers Needamp160to KnowquotAfter starting up my consultancy I wondered whether this was being experienced more broadly Colleague Natasha Householder and I embarked on a series of 28 oneonone interviews across 25 different marketing and tech companies We chatted with brand marketers media professionals and executives at data firms plus industry leaders who work directly with marketers We learned a lot Here are some headlines and observations that can help you recognize what is happening with your humans as they work to accomplish great things for your businessTo start Marketing Analytics Media and Finance need a shared definition of marketing successThese teams generally work under the same enterprise goal of revenuemargin or profit It is the strategy where there is a frequent disconnect According to a leading industry analyst and confirmed by several marketersFinance often wants to maintain results revenuemarginetc at a lower costAnalytics tends to want to improve the result at a flat costMedia teams want to improve results so they can justify increased budgetsThree valid approaches differences can come from training or from how each team39s individual goals those their bonuses are based on are structured Finance39s mantra has been quotmore for lessquot for as long as I remember while the media business culture is still rooted in billing as an indicator of stature and job security Unfortunately these differences conflict when it is time to act resulting in delays and even team gridlock Get everyone on the same page upfront and don39t rethink the strategy without a reasonNext Clear role sort across analytics media and marketing is not the norm and appears to be the biggest barrier to successI once worked in a place where top management deliberately set leaders in overlapping roles to motivate them through internal competition Yes great ideas can occur in that environment but the stress and turnover it caused was so destructive This type of deliberate overlap is thankfully not the norm but it happens frequently in fast moving companies Among brand side interviews less than a third said decision making authority is clear when the data calls for change Crossfunctional teams brought together without a clear leaderdecision maker cannot be agile or decisive On the flip side all brand marketers with role clarity reported that they were making agile decisions and getting traction on improving marketing results Indeed role clarity seems to be more aligned with quotsuccessfulquot use of data than any other single measure more important than your industry your analytic partner or agency or how long you have been engaged in the processThis is fantastic news The biggest potential driver of success is in the control of the marketer Empowering a crossfunctional team leader with decision making authority is not easy There will be individuals who will disagree with your choice and be frustrated and hurt in this process but the upside appears significant and worth the pain Crossfunctional training is critical for this leader because a siloed specialist can39t make fully informed decisions Analysts must fundamentally understand the media ecosystem media managers must quotget the mathquot that datadriven marketing employs It takes an integrated view to lead and choose wiselyMarketing leaders can diagnose the health of their quotHuman ElementquotSix leading indicators emerged that show if the quotHuman Elementquot in a marketing effectiveness team is healthy or not The first is paramount while the rest help uncover causes if No 1 isn39t being accomplishedTimely decisions are consistently being made and implemented when the data indicates change is neededIn today39s environment timely means 48 hours or lessThe decision can be to accept the change test the change or pass on the change The important thing is that the decision is made and the team moves onThe team managing marketing effectiveness has a shared definition and strategy for success that matches that of the CMOFinance has an active role and positive attitude toward the workAnalysts and Media touch base frequently and understand each other39s field at a fundamental levelThe decision maker is designated across multiple use casesDeadlines are being met throughout the cyclical optimization cadenceOn the flip side the absence of one or more indicators means unhealthy quothuman factorsquot may be lurking below the surface and inhibiting success Marketing leaders can gauge this by conversing with team members participating in meetings where decisions are to be made and spotchecking deadlines for a period of time Investing some attention to this quotHuman Elementquot will pay dividends for both the business and the people driving itClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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The "Human Element" Impact on Data-Driven Marketing

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Pattie Glod

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