The good, the bad, and the automated

CHAPTER THREE

Today's marketer:
the value of automation

The impact of automation in todays workplace is widely felt. In fact, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang made waves during the 2020 Democratic primaries by shaping his plans to address this phenomenon.

Marketing automation is also having its moment, and the improved efficiency it offers is largely perceived favorably. 62% percent of respondents say that technology and automation make their work environment more enjoyable; only 9% say the opposite.

Rather than seeing technology as taking away from their role, marketers see it as enabling them to be more efficient, automating the mundane, and allowing them to focus on where they can add more value.

Ultimately, 57% say it makes them more creative.

Automation is also seen to increase the marketing department’s prominence within the business. 64% percent say automation makes the marketing team more strategic and 71% say it raises their profile.

Far from fearing replacement, marketers are enjoying the benefits and changes that come with advancing technologies.

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Fighting for a seat at the strategic table

What may be less positive is that marketers can’t focus on the areas they value.
We saw this emerge in two distinct ways:

1. Not being involved early in product development

When it comes to product roll-outs, 69% of marketers think they should be involved in the initial design stage, and 96% say they should be involved during testing/refinement.

The reality, however, is that just 36% say their team is involved at initial design, and 31% say they aren’t included until a solution is final.

2. Not having the right focus

At a high level, there are two potential focus areas for a marketing department: brand building; and driving sales.

Three quarters say marketing should be primarily focused on building the brand of the company. However, two thirds (63%) say that they are in fact focused on driving sales.

When asked about the metrics they were measured on, sales came out higher than more traditional marketing metrics such as brand KPIs or comms metrics.

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These two situations are likely a source of genuine frustration for marketers, who need to continue to fight for their seat at the strategic table to influence the role they play as brand builders.