NewBase's Marketing Priorities 2017 report provides a snapshot of the technology that's shaping the marketing sector today and into the future. The report's data was collected in an online survey in March and April of this year. It was completed by over a thousand brand marketers, agencies and publishers from around the globe.
This blog post will summarise the survey's findings in regards to technology priorities, compare them with those of the previous year, and highlight the key takeaways.
Top 5 tech priorities for marketers in 2017
The survey asked:
Which of the following would you consider the TOP FIVE technology factors that are likely to impact your sector in the next 12 months or so?
From the list of 17 technologies, the highest percentage of respondents selected:
- Power of mobile devices – 63%
- Big data – 53%
- Mobile app development – 48%
- Social media software – 46%
- Security & data protection – 37%
Changes in priorities from 2016 to 2017
The top 5 technology priorities in 2016 were not much different from 2017:
- Power of mobile devices – 66%
- Mcommerce – 60%
- Social media software – 57%
- Mobile app development – 56%
- Big data – 53%
The most significant changes in data between 2016 and 2017 were:
- Mcommerce – decreased by 34 percentage points (from a ranking of 2nd to 10th)
- Artificial intelligence – increased by 17 percentage points (from 12th to 7th)
- Internet of things – decreased by 16 percentage points (but remained 6th)
- Social media software – decreased by 11 percentage points (from 3rd to 4th)
See the full list of changes in the infographic below:
Key takeaways
Mobile is king
Mobile devices are a top priority for marketers and this is unlikely to change. Mobiles are not just tech in their own right, but a platform upon which other technologies are built – apps, social media, augmented reality and virtual reality, to name a few.
Marketing efforts must be optimised for mobile experiences. This includes advertising, web design and events.
Big data isn't going anywhere
Marketing is increasingly driven by the mantra "send the right message to the right person at the right time". Data is crucial for this. It influences strategy, content, advertising, targeting, optimisation and delivery.
Using data to track campaign performance and measure ROI are now basic tasks that every marketer does.
Big data will only grow in importance in years to come. The report proposes that the full potential of big data in marketing is as yet unrealised, citing that 91% of survey respondents agreed that “The digital marketing sector is under exploiting the insights it can derive from big data”.
Security and data protection are of increasing concern
Marketers are increasingly concerned about security and data protection. Cyber security breaches are constantly in the news and consumers are becoming more aware of the dangers of handing over their data.
In order for marketers to gather valuable information about leads and customers, the brand must be trusted. Companies have to ensure the protection of both their contacts' data and their own data.
