Developing an Agile Marketing Strategy
Marketers, and marketing teams, are constantly searching for ways to improve their methods and gain a competitive advantage. Agile marketing, the use of data and analytics to continuously improve marketing functions, may be the solution many marketers are looking for.
Who is leading the charge on agile marketing strategy development? What benefits do organizations anticipate from its implementation, and what challenges have marketing teams faced?
One minute insights:
Half of marketers report their organization has hybrid implementation of agile marketing, and nearly a third report their organization has fully implemented it
No respondent reported being unsatisfied with the implementation of agile marketing at their organization
Organizations expect improved ROI and faster time-to-market from implementing agile marketing
Creating new marketing campaigns are the top priority for agile marketing strategies in 2023
A lack of specialized talent is the leading challenge marketing teams are facing when implementing agile marketing
Marketing teams have embraced agile marketing, and most are satisfied with the implementation of agile marketing at their organization
Half (50%) of marketing professionals who have implemented agile marketing, report their organization has hybrid implementation of agile and traditional marketing while just under one-third (32%) have fully implemented agile marketing.
How would you describe your organization’s implementation of agile marketing?
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
40% of marketers say scrum, or a combination of scrum and kanban, are the work methods their organization has found most effective for agile marketing.
Which work method has your organization found most effective for agile marketing?
*Other includes: “We made up our own agile marketing approach using mind maps and daily quick meetings”
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
41% of marketers report the head of marketing is in charge of their agile marketing strategy, while 34% report a CMO is in charge. Just 8% of marketers report they do not have anyone who is in charge of agile marketing strategy at their organization.
Does your organization have someone on your marketing team who is in charge of your agile marketing strategy?
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
The most commonly selected roles currently operating agile marketing strategies are campaign strategist (56%), data & analytics specialist (49%) and SEO lead (41%).
Which of the following roles do you currently have operating on your agile marketing strategy? Select all that apply.
n = 100
Media Lead 34% | UX designer 29% | HTML developer (or other engineer) 25% | Acquisition specialist 23% | We don’t have any roles filled for agile marketing 7%
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents report they are very (42%) or somewhat (31%) satisfied with their organization’s deployment of agile marketing. No respondents said they are unsatisfied, but 19% said it is too early to tell.
Are you satisfied with your organization’s deployment of agile marketing?
n = 100
Somewhat unsatisfied 0% | Very unsatisfied 0%
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
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Question: What advice would you give to marketing leaders who have just begun to adopt agile marketing?
Be patient, fail early and fail fast, hire [people] to resource the squad.
Agile marketing is the future of marketing for any organization, and clearly lays down the road map to develop the right product mix at channel and store level as well as meet customer expectations.
Improved flexibility and collaboration are top reported benefits organizations have experienced since implementing agile marketing, while a lack of specialized talent remains a challenge
Over half (52%) of marketers report their organization expects improved collaboration from adoption of agile marketing. Other commonly selected choices include improved campaign ROI (43%), faster time-to-market (42%), adaptive campaigns (42%) and improved customer discovery (42%).
What does your organization expect from adopting agile marketing? Select all that apply.
n = 100
Improved flexibility 38% | Better alignment with business objectives 37% | Improved customer experience and satisfaction 35% | Increased responsiveness 33% | Removal of work silos 30% | Enhanced team satisfaction 11%
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding.
The top three benefits marketers report their organization has experienced after adopting agile marketing are improved flexibility, improved collaboration and removal of work silos.
From the same list, what have been the top three benefits your organization has experienced after adopting agile marketing? Rank three.
n = 100
4. Adaptive campaigns | 5. Improved customer discovery | 6. Improved customer experience and satisfaction | 7. Increased responsiveness | 8. Faster time-to-market | 9. Improved campaign ROI | 10. Better alignment with business objectives | 11. Enhanced team satisfaction
Nearly a third (32%) of marketers report their top priority for their agile marketing strategy in 2023 is creating new marketing campaigns.
What is the top priority for your agile marketing strategy in 2023?
n = 100
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
What challenges has your organization faced implementing agile marketing? Select all that apply.
Over half of marketers (51%) say their organization has faced a lack of specialized talent when implementing agile marketing. Organizational resistance to change (43%) and difficulty measuring success (37%) were the second and third most selected challenges respectively.
Lack of team buy-in 34% | Lack of executive buy-in 23% | Siloed work environments 17%
n = 100
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
Question: Question: What advice would you give to marketing leaders who have just begun to adopt agile marketing?
Research shows that there is a 37% chance of products developed using agile reaching the market faster than using traditional software development methods. In a competitive environment, it is essential to get the products to the market faster than the competition.
I recommend having people who already have experience in agile marketing.
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Respondent Breakdown
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding
Respondents: 100 marketing professionals whose organization has adopted agile marketing