Report: Customer and innovation focus rule

Latest State of Marketing report factors in the effect of the pandemic and finds customer experience and embracing innovation keys to success

Rising customer expectations have pushed marketers into being engagers, beyond just messengers, fostering customer engagement well beyond the first purchase, according to the latest Salesforce State of Marketing report.

And in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, standards of customer engagement are shifting yet again, with marketers on the forefront of new trends. Salesforce regional VP, Kevin Doyle, told CMO Australia has seen a dramatic push towards better use of data, setting a stage for more empathetic marketing.

“Local marketers are telling us that personalised, trust-led engagement has never been more important, and that is something that requires deep insights,” he said.

Taking into account the global pandemic, the report, now in its sixth year, has singled out three headline trends across worldwide marketing: A relentless focus on the customer experience as marketers begin to look beyond the initial stages of the pandemic; unwavering commitment to earning customer trust and to retain that trust; and continuous pursuit of innovation and how it might reshape the local landscape.

Salesforce Research surveyed nearly 7000 marketing leaders worldwide to gauge changing definitions of marketing success, the shifts in engagement standards and privacy practices, evolving marketing skillsets and processes and unfolding data management strategies and tactics.

Marketing transformation takes on new urgency

The expectations and behaviours of consumers, businesses and society at large are shifting with unprecedented speed and magnitude, according to the Salesforce report. Marketers are under tremendous pressure to overhaul their organisational models and use of technology to provide differentiated, digital-first customer engagement.

The key takeaway on succeeding in transformation: Innovation is marketing leaders’ number-one priority.

Meanwhile, as customers navigate a series of ‘new normals’, personalised, empathetic engagement has never been more important, according to this year’s survey. Delivering messages and offers that resonate with an individual’s unique needs and expectations requires deep insights. 

Marketers are shifting how they source and manage customer data and ramping up use of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) that help them make the most of it. The survey reveals marketers report a 186 per cent increase in AI adoption since 2018.

Doubling down on business value

As businesses shift from crisis triage to recovery and adaptation, marketers have a unique opportunity to turn trusted customer relationships into business value, according to Salesforce. Its research shows marketers increasingly track metrics like customer satisfaction, digital engagement and lifetime customer value to gain a holistic picture of what’s working and what isn’t across the customer journey.

And when it comes to B2B marketers, they have a particularly strong role in business growth through account-based marketing (ABM), its research found. The main piece of intelligence on growing value to the business: 92 per cent of B2B marketers (which includes B2B2C) have an ABM program.

The report is based on a double-blind survey conducted from 8 January to 11 February 2020 that generated 6950 responses from full-time marketing leaders - those holding a manager or higher leadership role. Respondents include marketers from B2B, B2C, and B2B2C companies across North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Finally, looking ahead after the pandemic crisis passes as businesses recover and confidence increases, Salesforce foresees a newfound appreciation for innovation. Doyle said, as a result of the coronavirus crisis, marketers are under tremendous pressure to overhaul organisational models and technology to provide differentiated, digital-first customer engagement.

“We’re going to be seeing a greater focus on innovation and the report data shows innovation will be the number-one priority moving forward,” he said.

In terms of the impact of technology, the report found Australian marketers expect the next 10 years to bring transformational changes from 5G wireless networks, augmented reality and virtual reality. However, nothing is anticipated more than the new customers and prospects brought online as digital life permeates the global population even more than now.

"Australian marketers will be reliant on more sophisticated technology that not only helps them better understand the customer, but also that improves their organisation’s emotional intelligence," Doyle added.

Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, follow our regular updates via CMO Australia's Linkedin company page, or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.
Show Comments

Latest Videos

More Videos

More Brand Posts

What are Chris Riddell's qualifications to talk about technology? What are the awards that Chris Riddell has won? I cannot seem to find ...

Tareq

Digital disruption isn’t disruption anymore: Why it’s time to refocus your business

Read more

Enterprisetalk

Mark

CMO's top 10 martech stories for the week - 9 June

Read more

Great e-commerce article!

Vadim Frost

CMO’s State of CX Leadership 2022 report finds the CX striving to align to business outcomes

Read more

Are you searching something related to Lottery and Lottery App then Agnito Technologies can be a help for you Agnito comes out as a true ...

jackson13

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Thorough testing and quality assurance are required for a bug-free Lottery Platform. I'm looking forward to dependability.

Ella Hall

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Blog Posts

Marketing prowess versus the enigma of the metaverse

Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.

Liz Miller

VP, Constellation Research

Why Excellent Leadership Begins with Vertical Growth

Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?

Michael Bunting

Author, leadership expert

More than money talks in sports sponsorship

As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.

Simone Waugh

Managing Director, Publicis Queensland

Sign in