Modern marketers are spending half their time managing the complex technology ecosystem supporting digital marketing instead of doing the things they should be doing to personalise customer experiences.

A UK-based infographic firm has put together a detailed visual representation of the impact marketing automation is having as a technology, and tips for how CMOs can build the right skillsets and capabilities to take advantage of these platforms.

In our latest Food for Thought series with leading marketers, we asked three brands: What does agile marketing and being responsive mean, and how do CMOs achieve it?

Getting to the heart of how customers behave through data and analytical insight has become a pre-requisite for CMOs looking to keep ahead of disruptive competitors and consumer expectations. As a result, building technology know-how, as well as the teams and operational capabilities to do this at scale, has become priority number one.

Implementing an all-in-one marketing platform is not only helping Qantas drastically improve campaign turnaround times, it’s also opening the door to personalised and real-time customer engagement and communication.

For many years, marketers have used research to find the best ways to reach consumers through surveys, focus groups and more. Nielsen Neuro is taking these efforts to the next level by applying consumer neuroscience to that task.

Given Tableau positions itself as bringing the power of data to individuals, it’s not surprising its global CMO, Elissa Fink, is a great believer in data-driven marketing. What’s a little more unexpected is that she’s also an advocate for intuition and gut feel.

A new Web platform, stronger digital strategy and taste for technology innovation are all playing key roles in the Australian Football League’s (AFL) efforts to lift interactive and timely fan engagement. And according to the group behind the game, they’re also opening up new ways to raise awareness and drive interest in the sport.

SingTel-owned digital advertising group, Amobee, has attributed its acquisition of digital marketing players, Adconion and Kontera, to the growing need for scale to deliver real-time and more personalised marketing to consumers.

Startup WibiData has launched a platform aimed at giving marketing teams and data scientists the means to create highly personalized retail shopping experiences.

Digital marketing vendor, MediaMath, has raised US$175 million as part of efforts to take its ad and media management technology global.

The way CMOs and CIOs procure technology is distinctly different and unlikely to change in the near future, even as the two roles become more aligned.

A new report on the value and uptake of marketing automation has highlighted the rising role these platforms have in cross-channel campaign management and providing personalised and targeted customer experiences.

A new online media streaming service is giving Australia’s Little Athletics the ability to raise the sport’s profile by opening up wider audiences, engagement and corporate sponsorship opportunities.

Facebook has announced the global availability of its Premium Video Ads and supporting video metrics for advertisers across the social media site.

SAP is scooping up SeeWhy, maker of real-time targeted marketing software, in a bid to flesh out the omni-channel commerce platform it gained through last year's acquisition of Hybris.

While traditional retailers are often derided for their standards of customer service, they have held one advantage over their ecommerce competitors – their ability to put a live person in front of a sales prospect.

Equipment manufacturer, Springfree Trampoline, is investing in a new cloud-based omni-channel commerce platform in a bid to unify customer retail experiences globally.

CMOs are increasingly setting the digital vision of their organisation, but will fail to introduce the real and holistic transformation needed to retain and serve customers without the CIO as a core partner.

UK-based digital marketing technology firm, Crimtan, has opened an Australian office and appointed former News Limited sales executive, Tara Crosby, as its local managing director.

For any marketer struggling under the weight of the data generated by CRM and other marketing systems, the last thing you may want to hear is that there is another class of data just waiting to be exploited.