In late summer/early fall 2010, AnswerLab partnered with the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) to collect data about marketers’ priorities for 2011 and beyond for SoDA’s annual Digital Marketing Outlook. The study includes survey findings from over 650 marketers, agencies and technologists across the digital landscape that reveal their strategic priorities, budget plans, and hiring strategies.
The data reveal some interesting takeaways for those of us in the user experience world. First, and most importantly, marketers continue to shift their budgets, efforts, and head count toward digital channels. More specifically, marketers are:
- Putting their dollars and headcount – both in-house and outsourced – behind emerging channels like social networks and mobile apps.
- Increasingly focused on creating digital brand experiences.
- Putting less emphasis on metrics like CPM, page views and click throughs and concentrating instead on driving brand and product awareness.
When asked why they plan to implement these changes, the marketers cited changing consumer behavior as the primary driver. While it’s great that marketers are paying attention to trends and changes in how users behave, it’s up to us – user experience advocates – to ensure that the resulting messaging, creative, and placement create a compelling customer experience and ultimately the business results required. Here at AnswerLab, we use our various research methodologies – from user surveys, to one-on-one interviews, to focus groups – to determine how marketers can provide the best digital experiences for consumers. Read more about what we do on our website.
To read or download the 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook – including the results of the survey I mentioned above – click here.
