Survey Highlights Interest in Marketing Performance Measurement

According to The CMO Council, “the majority of marketers feel that their top goal in 2007 is to quantify and measure the value of marketing programs and investments (43.8%)” and “respondents tapped [marketing] performance dashboards as the top automated solution to be deployed in 2007.”

This is happy news for Client X Client, since that’s the pond we swim in. The Grinch in me points out that 43.8% is not a majority and that the actual survey question asked about “issues or challenges”, not goals. And if I get really cranky, I remember that the CMO Council runs a Marketing Performance Measurement Forum and Mastering MPM Online Certificate program—so there is probably some bias in the membership and perhaps their survey technique.

But despite these caveats, it’s good to see that performance measurement ranks high in the lists of concerns and system plans. The survey, of 350 marketers (we don’t know how many responded), also covered top accomplishments in 2006 (number one: “restructured and realigned marketing’), organizational plans (top item: “add new competencies and capabilities”), progress in improving the perception of marketing within their company (a Lake Wobegone-like 67.7% are "above average"), span of marketing authority, agency relationship changes, and sources of information and advice. It’s interesting stuff and available for free (registration required).