The study, which surveyed more than 1,200 marketers, shows a significant decline in the prioritization of marketing effectiveness. Only 53.4 percent of respondents believe attention to effectiveness has increased over the past three years. This is in stark contrast to the 75 percent found in 2022. This downward trend continued in 2023, when only 61.2 percent of marketers agreed that the focus on efficiency had increased.
In the most recent survey from 2024, differences between different sectors and company sizes became apparent. For example, 52.4 percent of marketers at B2B companies believe the efficiency agenda has become more important since 2021. This proportion is slightly lower than their B2C counterparts, where 53.8 percent agree with the same statement. Similarly, within large organisations (with more than 250 employees), 52.3 per cent of marketers report an increased focus on efficiency over the past three years, compared to 57.3 per cent in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Source: mam.czRethinking marketing priorities
This steady decline in the perceived value of marketing effectiveness suggests a broader reassessment of the roles and expectations of marketing departments in companies. This trend may reflect a shift towards more immediate financial results, perhaps as a result of the current economic environment.
According to earlier data from the Language of Effectiveness survey, 32.3 percent of marketers report that defending or growing sales has become a much more important goal for their companies in the current economic climate. Another 30.5 percent of respondents said that increasing emphasis on defense or margin growth through pricing strategies has become a more important corporate goal. These priorities surpass traditional marketing goals such as maintaining a consistent and attractive brand image (29.4 percent), achieving maximum communication penetration (29.4 percent) and growing market share (28.1 percent).
New top priority: market share growth
Despite the declining emphasis on marketing effectiveness, market share growth remains a top priority for marketing teams. According to the study, 46.2 percent of respondents consider market share growth to be the most important aspect of their role. This goal trumps other important tasks such as communicating a consistent and attractive brand image (44.7 percent), defending or growing sales (37.3 percent), maximizing penetration of target audiences, and defending or growing margins (26 percent).
The data also suggests that while traditional marketing effectiveness indicators are losing priority, market share expansion remains a fundamental objective.
Implications for marketers
For marketers, these results highlight the importance of aligning strategies with companies' changing objectives. While traditional measures of marketing effectiveness may be declining in priority, it is clear that there is a need to adapt to the increased emphasis on immediate financial results and market expansion.
Marketers must balance the short-term requirements of defending sales and margins with the long-term strategic goal of growing market share. This balance requires a deep understanding of both the internal metrics of marketing success and the broader economic and competitive environment in which their companies operate.
Source: mam.cz
