In newly published research, International Data Corporation (IDC) found that Google, Adobe, Facebook, Marketo, and Salesforce were the marketing technology vendors most often identified as “cutting edge” by marketing professionals. Marketers that rely on cutting edge companies were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their current solution, compared to marketers who did not identify their provider as cutting edge (89% satisfied vs. 37%).
“The fact that these companies were mentioned by marketers – unprompted – as cutting edge, and that marketers who use cutting edge marketing technologies have such a high satisfaction rate, shows how important it is to get the marketing automation decision right,” said Gerry Murray, research manager, IDC CMO Advisory Service.
Among the over 300 U.S. marketing professionals surveyed by IDC, 58% characterised their marketing vendor as “cutting edge” and named their current provider in an unaided fashion. Marketers who use cutting edge technologies such as Google, Adobe, Facebook, Marketo, or Salesforce exhibited greater brand loyalty, with 67% likely to consider the same vendor in the future (vs. 44% for marketers not using cutting edge companies). The characteristics most associated with cutting edge marketing solutions are fast, user friendly, and efficient.
The survey also found that the internal IT department helped steer marketers towards cutting edge vendors. Marketers who worked with their IT departments early in the purchase process were happier than those who worked with IT later or not at all.
“The buyer’s journey for new technology is long and complex. While line-of-business professionals are increasingly empowered with purchase decisions, the IT department is still a valuable partner, and including IT professionals in the decision making process should result in greater ROI,” said Allan Fromen, vice president and consulting partner in IDC’s Buyer Behavior Practice.
An IDC infographic highlighting results of the research can be found here.
IDC and SSI conducted an online survey of 333 marketers in the United States. Marketers came from a mix of size and industries and were sourced from SSI’s B2B research panelists. SSI is the premier global provider of data solutions and technology for consumer and business-to-business survey research.
The survey was conducted by IDC’s Buyer Behavior Practice.
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