We’re unpacking the goals, challenges and opportunities awaiting business and marketing leaders over the next 12 months. Get insights into your peers’ thinking – and get ahead of the curve.
Read moreWe’re unpacking the goals, challenges and opportunities awaiting business and marketing leaders over the next 12 months. Get insights into your peers’ thinking – and get ahead of the curve.
“Bluprintx spoke to 200 senior figures – marketing directors, marketing ops, creative ops and executives, from a breadth of enterprises – about their growth strategies. A few recurring themes emerged. Doing more with less. Improving customer experiences. Harnessing AI.
Perhaps the most surprising theme is that of economic optimism: our respondents’ growth projections are impressively high.
So – how do they intend to make these ambitious growth plans happen? And what can you learn from that? Read on to find out.”
Revenue growth projections are bullish. Marketers believe growth will come from improving customer experience; executives believes it’ll come from upskilling teams. So – who’s right?
of marketing-leader respondents say their business currently has capacity needed to deliver effective growth.
of executive respondents say their business currently has capacity needed to deliver effective growth.
of all respondents estimate their people will deliver revenue growth of 10–20% over the next 12 months.
Respondents were asked about priorities for their business over the next 12 months. Of 11 possible options, 23% of our respondents – the largest cohort – ranked revenue growth as being the key focus for their business.
Asked to make growth projections for the next 12 months, respondents were boldly optimistic. 33% estimated growth of 5–10%, while 31% estimated growth of 10–20%. These projections of 10–20% were particularly prevalent among executive respondents, with 47% predicting double-digit growth. Marketing leaders were slightly more conservative, leaning towards 5–10% growth. Enterprises are not only focused on increasing revenue over the next year, they’re confident that their goal is achievable. However, they’re not looking to increase headcount to do so. Just 4% rank staff growth and retention as a top priority. The vast majority – 86% – believe that their business, with the teams it has in place, has the capacity to deliver effective growth.
Obviously, different industries have different aims, challenges and influencing circumstances. Splitting survey responses by industry, we see differences in growth projections:
What are your expectations in terms of revenue over the next 12 months?
Marketing agencies, then, are the most bullish on achieving double-digit growth over the next 12 months. Finance and tech industry respondents are a little more hesitant, with 5% and 4% of respondents, respectively, even predicting double-digit decline. Retail – an industry that has experienced extreme highs, lows and sweeping changes in recent years – offered a more fractured view: while the majority (66%) of respondents predict growth of between 5% and 20%, sizeable cohorts of 8% both predict either double-digit decline or growth in excess of 30%. With headcounts static, how will ambitious growth projections be realized?
To uncover this, we gave our survey respondents 13 statements regarding future plans, and asked them to select as many as they felt applied to their business.
Among marketing VPs and directors, the most popular statement – selected by 49% – was “We need to improve customer experience, engagement and loyalty”. The second most popular response – selected by 44% – was “We need to drive greater impact with less resource.”
Marketing wants to see a focus on driving customer engagement and loyalty, but accepts that it needs to achieve this while ‘doing more with less’.
Among executive respondents, however, the most popular statement – selected by 59% – was “We need to improve the capabilities of our teams”. Unlike the marketing leaders below them, executives sees a skills shortage – rather than a funding or headcount shortage – as being the most pressing challenge.
Different perspectives, same solution: through AI, enterprises can expand teams’ capabilities and enact double-digit growth plans without increasing headcount or rolling out costly upskilling initiatives.
AI amplifies people-power and boosts profitability by optimizing processes; providing data-driven insights; enabling personalized experiences; and facilitating faster decision-making.
For the 49% of marketing respondents who say they “need to improve customer experience, engagement and loyalty”, AI offers powerful resources for achieving just that.
For example: AI can be used to tailor marketing strategies to individual customer profiles, thereby improving customer engagement and loyalty.
It can also be harnessed to improve customer service. AI-powered chatbots can provide 24/7 customer support, ensuring constant engagement with clients, and faster, happier outcomes.
Harness AIOur findings show that 59% of executives may not be entirely confident that their business is where it needs to be, skills-wise. However, managers closer to day-to-day operations believe that their teams are already capable of providing growth – even given expectations of having to do more with less. Now could be the time for executives and marketing to align on what their people need to drive success.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAP49% of marketers are focused on driving customer engagement and loyalty as a means of securing and fuelling growth. But they’re aware that they’ll need to achieve this while doing more with less – or, at least, doing more with existing resources. Leaning into AI can help marketing leaders to keep customers engaged – and allow their department to become the engine driving the business forward.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAPOf our non-executive respondents, 44% say they need to drive greater impact with less resource. Worth bearing in mind: AI’s key function, in an ops context, is to increase the impact of existing teams and tech. From creative ideation to content generation, it may prove to be exactly the tool your people need. In fact, our survey shows that 44% of enterprises are either already using AI for content production, with a further 36% planning to introduce it within the next 12 months.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAPOur findings show that 59% of executives may not be entirely confident that their business is where it needs to be, skills-wise. However, managers closer to day-to-day operations believe that their teams are already capable of providing growth – even given expectations of having to do more with less. Now could be the time for executives and marketing to align on what their people need to drive success.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAP49% of marketers are focused on driving customer engagement and loyalty as a means of securing and fuelling growth. But they’re aware that they’ll need to achieve this while doing more with less – or, at least, doing more with existing resources. Leaning into AI can help marketing leaders to keep customers engaged – and allow their department to become the engine driving the business forward.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAPOf our non-executive respondents, 44% say they need to drive greater impact with less resource. Worth bearing in mind: AI’s key function, in an ops context, is to increase the impact of existing teams and tech. From creative ideation to content generation, it may prove to be exactly the tool your people need. In fact, our survey shows that 44% of enterprises are either already using AI for content production, with a further 36% planning to introduce it within the next 12 months.
BRIDGE THE GROWTH GAPAlmost half – 47% – of our respondents express frustration with what they perceive to be inefficiencies – across their business’s structure and processes.
say they have the organizational structure and processes in place to enable effective growth.
believe, however, that the structure and processes are being used ineffectively.
use automation for workflow management, although the degree to which they do so varies greatly.
Across all respondents, a significant majority, comprising 86%, express confidence in having the right organizational structure and processes in place to potentially deliver on their business’s outlined goals and priorities.
And as we see elsewhere in this report, those goals and targets are boldly ambitious: 33% of respondents estimate growth of 5–10% over the next 12 months, while 31% estimate growth of 10–20%. So there’s a general belief that the fundamental building blocks for real success are in position.
The key word here, however, is ‘potentially’. When asked to rate their business’s organizational structure and processes in terms of practical, day-to-day effectiveness, only 53% of participants consider them to be “quite effective” or better.
This reveals a disconnect between perceived adequacy and actual effectiveness. The remaining 47% express concerns that their current structure and processes may hinder efficient goal delivery. So where are inefficiencies arising within workflows? Often it’s down to a combination of factors, with the most common being:
Inadequate communication channels, siloed departments, or a lack of collaboration between teams, which hinders the flow of information and impedes progress.
Solution: Fostering a culture of communication, and implementing tools that facilitate knowledge-sharing and cross-functional teamwork.
Slow or convoluted decision-making processes leading to bottlenecks, or to delays in the execution of key strategies.
Solution: Evaluating and optimizing decision-making processes to minimize delays; empowering employees to make decisions; and implementing more efficient approval mechanisms.
Inefficient or inadequate resource allocation.
Solution: A thorough analysis of resource allocation to identify areas of improvement, and ensure resources are allocated strategically to support goal delivery.
A lack of adaptability and flexibility, and internal resistance to change impacting the effectiveness of structure and processes.
Solution: Encouraging a culture of embracing change, and promoting continuous learning and development.
When it comes to, for example, the content supply chain, any single one of the above issues – or a ‘perfect storm’ of numerous issues – will inevitably lead to systemic inefficiencies. Work management tools can help. These are automated, digital solutions designed to streamline and optimize enterprise workflows. They provide centralized platforms for planning, tracking, and collaborating on tasks, projects, and resources.
Work management tools offer numerous benefits for large businesses, including enhanced productivity, efficient resource allocation, real-time visibility into project statuses, improved team collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.
Using work management tools, enterprises can achieve greater efficiency, reduced operational costs, and drive growth. 94% of respondents report their businesses using such tools for workflow management. But the levels of usage vary dramatically, with 61% describing their workflows as merely either “somewhat automated”, or featuring “limited automation”.
Combining the “somewhat automated” and “limited automation” cohorts with respondents who aren’t using workflow automation at all, we see that 67% are failing to keep pace with the growth in workflow automation. In all, only a third of businesses – 33% – are truly embracing automation. The remaining two-thirds – 67% – are missing out on a number of automation-driven opportunities:
With this automation-starved 67% in mind, then, it’s little wonder that a significant number of respondents feel frustrated by what they perceive as their business’s workflow inefficiencies. Splitting responses by industry, we see interesting variations in how deeply embedded workflow automation has become. We asked respondents to rate their level of workflow automation on a scale of one to five, with one representing “Workflows are not managed and automated through technology at all”, and five representing “Workflows are fully managed and automated through technology”. The most popular responses to this question were eye-opening. 100% of respondents from marketing agencies rate their level of workflow automation at just two-out-of-five. Conversely, the largest cohort of financial-industry respondents – 41% – rate their level of workflow automation as being a healthy four-out-of-five. The largest cohort of tech-industry respondents – 35% – give their workflow automation the same rating. The largest cohort of retail-industry respondents – 33% – rate their level of workflow automation at a middling three-out-of-five. Perhaps surprisingly, only respondents from financial (5%) and tech (4%) backgrounds rated their businesses’ workflow-automation levels at one-out-of-five – i.e. not automated at all.
Mini-ecosystems for smarter workflows
Our respondents’ challenges highlighted the need for enterprises to establish mini-ecosystems.
A mini-ecosystem breaks down the larger ecosystem into manageable units, allowing your organization to adapt and pivot quickly in response to shifting market dynamics and technology advancements. Mini-ecosystems foster agility, making your business more resilient and adaptable.
Connecting the dots across people, technology, workflow, and data, the growth lifecycle defines what needs to be addressed within a mini-ecosystem. In the example here, you can see how this works in the case of content marketing.
AI can enhance enterprise workflows by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks, allowing teams to focus on more high-value projects.
But it can do more than simply perform ‘grunt work’: AI can also analyze vast amounts of data to provide actionable insights, optimize resource allocation, and predict trends or potential bottlenecks.
AI sees the bigger picture of your workflow, giving you the insights needed to make big decisions, faster.
Harness AIThe findings have important implications for executives. 86% of respondents say that they have the organizational structure and processes in place to enable growth; 47% believe, however, that these structures and processes are being used ineffectively.
To achieve true effectiveness, then, our executives need to acknowledge the perception-reality gap in organizational structure and processes; align them with strategic objectives; drive change and efficiency; fully embrace automation (only 33% of enterprises are currently doing so); and prioritize change management
For marketing leaders, the findings indicate a need to ensure their marketing strategy aligns with the existing structure and processes. While things may appear slick and streamlined on the surface, inefficiencies and missed opportunities – such as the underuse of automation seen in 67% of enterprises – may be lurking behind the scenes.
OPTIMIZE YOUR WORKFLOWThe findings indicate that, to attain maximized efficiency, creative and marketing ops should perhaps look again at their workflow automation. (Again: only 33% of enterprises are fully embracing automated workflows.) Are there additional ways it could give staff more time to focus on high-value work? How can it support with resource allocation; collaboration and communication; and learning and improvement?
OPTIMIZE YOUR WORKFLOWThe findings have important implications for executives. 86% of respondents say that they have the organizational structure and processes in place to enable growth; 47% believe, however, that these structures and processes are being used ineffectively.
To achieve true effectiveness, then, our executives need to acknowledge the perception-reality gap in organizational structure and processes; align them with strategic objectives; drive change and efficiency; fully embrace automation (only 33% of enterprises are currently doing so); and prioritize change management
For marketing leaders, the findings indicate a need to ensure their marketing strategy aligns with the existing structure and processes. While things may appear slick and streamlined on the surface, inefficiencies and missed opportunities – such as the underuse of automation seen in 67% of enterprises – may be lurking behind the scenes.
OPTIMIZE YOUR WORKFLOWThe findings indicate that, to attain maximized efficiency, creative and marketing ops should perhaps look again at their workflow automation. (Again: only 33% of enterprises are fully embracing automated workflows.) Are there additional ways it could give staff more time to focus on high-value work? How can it support with resource allocation; collaboration and communication; and learning and improvement?
OPTIMIZE YOUR WORKFLOWFrom MAPs to CRMs, strategy-driving technology use is widespread across enterprises. (Although it’s perhaps not as universal as you might expect.) It’s AI, however, that’s this year’s must-have tech.
say their business has a marketing automation platform (MAP) in place.
say their organization has invested in a business intelligence (BI) dashboard to self-serve stats.
are using AI to analyze marketing performance – currently the most popular deployment of the technology.
Mirroring our workflow findings above, our respondents see potential in their business’s current tech stack, but don’t believe that potential is being fully realized.
Across all business sizes, 85% of our respondents have a tool in place for managing campaigns and content workflow. However only half of these respondents – 51% – find this tool to be effective.
Marketing automation platforms (MAPs) are popular, but not yet universally deployed. 59% of respondents say their business has a MAP in place; 39% do not have a MAP in place; the remaining 2% are unsure.
Interestingly, MAP usage is more prevalent at medium-sized enterprises (251–500 employees) than at larger enterprises (1,000+ employees). 78% of the former use a MAP; 39% of the latter do not. Splitting the numbers by industry rather than business size, we see further eye-opening trends. 83% of respondents from the tech industry say their business has a MAP in place; as do 67% of retail-industry respondents, and 64% of finance-industry respondents.
Also interesting: of respondents at businesses – across all industries – use marketing automation, only 11% are confident that the technology is “extremely effective”.
Unsurprisingly, customer relationship management (CRM) systems are more widespread. 89% of respondents have a CRM in place; 9% do not have a CRM; the remaining 2% are unsure.
It’s worth noting here that there may be some confusion between what constitutes a CRM, what constitutes a MAP, and what function each serves. Because, when we split the responses by job roles, an odd disparity emerges. Whereas 70% of respondents in marketing-leader roles state that their organization doesn’t use a MAP, 90% of executive respondents assert that their organization does use a MAP.
It’s likely that these misaligned numbers are down to confusion around the exact delineation between the two technologies.
Among the 89% of respondents who state that their business uses a CRM, there are mixed feelings surrounding how effective those CRMs actually are.
How effective is the CRM in use at your organization?
With 45% of respondents rating their CRM as less than “mostly” effective, there’s clearly a need/opportunity for many enterprises to consider what they want from the technology, and if they’re actually getting those desired outcomes at present.
Business intelligence (BI) dashboards are almost as widespread as CRMs, with 81% of businesses using this technology to self-serve their data and metrics to get a deeper understanding of their= growth levers.
Sentiments around this technology are, relatively speaking, positive: 51% of all respondents believe their BI to be effective. Breaking this down by job title, 40% of senior managers are happy with their current BI solution; conversely, 60% of directors, and 60% of executives are happy.
As with CRMs, there’s some room here for improvement. By optimizing their BI solutions, enterprises can foster internal trust in, and enthusiasm for, BI’s effectiveness.
And finally: In the year in which AI went mainstream, our findings below show that, in marketing, the technology currently sits at the tipping point of mass adoption. The next 12 months should prove to be the most dramatic so far in AI’s relatively short lifespan.
How is your organization already using AI?
Just over half of respondents are not yet using the full potential of AI (although 31% do say they plan to expand their AI usage over the next 12 months). This means they’re currently missing out on the chance to do more with less.
If an AI ‘arms race’ is about to unfold in marketing – and our findings indicate that it may be – then this cohort risks falling behind.
Our findings indicate that some members of the executive team may have become detached from the day-to-day realities of their organization’s tech stack (see 70% of marketing leaders stating their organization doesn’t use a MAP, versus 90% of executive respondents asserting that it does) and their teams’ opinions of it.
By reacquainting themselves, they can make informed investments in technology, optimize resource allocation, leverage data-driven insights, and enhance customer experiences.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
Marketing at speed and at scale is difficult, and it’s vital to use technology to give you every possible advantage. With 39% of respondents asserting that their organization does not currently use a MAP, and only around half currently making use of AI, there are clear opportunities for enterprises to better attract and retain customers simply by updating their tech stack.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
Creative ops and marketing ops may already feel overwhelmed by tasks and technologies, but embracing AI isn’t about further complicating day-to-day operations – it’s about streamlining and supercharging them. From personalizing customer journeys to analyzing and optimizing campaigns, AI is this year’s must-have technology for a reason. 49% are already harnessing AI, and 31% have plans to do so in the next year, so it’s vital for ops not to get left behind.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
Our findings indicate that some members of the executive team may have become detached from the day-to-day realities of their organization’s tech stack (see 70% of marketing leaders stating their organization doesn’t use a MAP, versus 90% of executive respondents asserting that it does) and their teams’ opinions of it.
By reacquainting themselves, they can make informed investments in technology, optimize resource allocation, leverage data-driven insights, and enhance customer experiences.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
Marketing at speed and at scale is difficult, and it’s vital to use technology to give you every possible advantage. With 39% of respondents asserting that their organization does not currently use a MAP, and only around half currently making use of AI, there are clear opportunities for enterprises to better attract and retain customers simply by updating their tech stack.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
Creative ops and marketing ops may already feel overwhelmed by tasks and technologies, but embracing AI isn’t about further complicating day-to-day operations – it’s about streamlining and supercharging them. From personalizing customer journeys to analyzing and optimizing campaigns, AI is this year’s must-have technology for a reason. 49% are already harnessing AI, and 31% have plans to do so in the next year, so it’s vital for ops not to get left behind.
ENHANCE YOUR TECH STACK
With enterprises striving to close the loop – and with AI adoption at tipping point in marketing – reliable, actionable data is more valued than ever. But what’s the most trustworthy source?
of marketing leaders use CRM data to shape growth strategy.
of executives use third-party data to shape growth strategy.
of respondents track the ROI of marketing activities.
Our 200 respondents are using a mixture of web analytics (63%) and CRM data (67%) to inform their growth decisions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s marketing directors leading the charge on CRM usage, with 85% trusting CRM data to inform their growth strategies.
65% of CEOs disagree with this CRM-centric outlook, and prefer instead to lean on third-party data – which is made up of historical data, industry data and product engagement.
So who’s right? Well, it appears they both are.
Across all respondents, 73% found the data they rely on – from whatever their preferred source – to be trustworthy, with 17% of respondents having full confidence that their data gives a complete view of growth performance.
How trustworthy do you find your data?
So: differing sources, but an across-the-board trust in data validity. This tells us that using a mixture of data – CRM and third party – may represent the optimal path forward.
This approach requires marketing and executives to get on the same page – to see that they’re coming at the same goals from different angles, and that a more joined-up approach will pay dividends.
A sizable majority of respondents – 86% – are using data analysis to track the ROI of their marketing. Of these, 52% are seeing a 10–20% ROI on their marketing efforts, while 24% are seeing an ROI of 20–30%.
However, of those respondents who are using data to track ROI, we see differences in levels of trust in that data when we split the numbers by industry.
We asked respondents to rank the trustworthiness of their marketing-ROI data on a scale of one to five, with one representing “untrustworthy, with lots of holes or discrepancies”, and five representing “completely trustworthy – we have closed the loop”.
Respondents from the finance industry are the most confident in their data, with 69% rating its trustworthiness a maximum five-out-of-five.
67% of respondents from marketing agencies rate the trustworthiness of their data at four-out-of-five.
48% of respondents from the tech industry and 45% of respondents from the retail industry – the largest cohorts of both groups – also rate the trustworthiness of their data at four-out-of-five.
Only the finance industry, then, appears confident in having closed the loop with its data.
Our findings show that 49% of marketers want to generate growth by focusing on customer experience. By analyzing vast amounts of marketing data, an AI can identify customer patterns, preferences and behaviors, enabling targeted campaigns and personalized experiences.
AI can anticipate client needs and market trends, allowing for proactive strategy adjustment.
AI empowers marketers to optimize content, channels and messaging in real time – squeezing every last bit of value from their data. Decision making is improved and innovation is accelerated.
Harness AI65% of executives favour third-party data to shape growth strategy. But with 85% of the marketing department having faith in CRM data, a balanced approach – a combination of CRM and third-party – may be the optimal path forward. This highlights the importance of alignment between marketing and executives, emphasizing the need for a more collaborative and integrated approach to maximize the benefits of data-driven decision-making.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATAWhile 85% of marketers are leaning on CRM data, 65% of CEOs prefer third-party data sources. With both sources considered trustworthy by respondents, this suggests that marketers should embrace a mixed approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of their customers – and thereby drive growth. Collaboration between marketers and executives is crucial to aligning strategies and maximizing the benefits of diverse data sources.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATACombining third-party data (trusted by 65% of executives) and CRM data (trusted by 85% of marketing directors) will lead to comprehensive insights into customer behaviour, preferences and engagement, enabling targeted and personalized marketing strategies. A collaborative approach, aligning marketing ops and creative ops, will ensure a holistic view and optimized utilization of data, leading to better campaign performance and increased effectiveness in achieving lofty growth goals.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATA65% of executives favour third-party data to shape growth strategy. But with 85% of the marketing department having faith in CRM data, a balanced approach – a combination of CRM and third-party – may be the optimal path forward. This highlights the importance of alignment between marketing and executives, emphasizing the need for a more collaborative and integrated approach to maximize the benefits of data-driven decision-making.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATAWhile 85% of marketers are leaning on CRM data, 65% of CEOs prefer third-party data sources. With both sources considered trustworthy by respondents, this suggests that marketers should embrace a mixed approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of their customers – and thereby drive growth. Collaboration between marketers and executives is crucial to aligning strategies and maximizing the benefits of diverse data sources.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATACombining third-party data (trusted by 65% of executives) and CRM data (trusted by 85% of marketing directors) will lead to comprehensive insights into customer behaviour, preferences and engagement, enabling targeted and personalized marketing strategies. A collaborative approach, aligning marketing ops and creative ops, will ensure a holistic view and optimized utilization of data, leading to better campaign performance and increased effectiveness in achieving lofty growth goals.
GET ALIGNED WITH YOUR DATA Lee is responsible for Bluprintx’s strategic growth, providing straight-talking C-level consultancy for some of the largest organizations in the world.
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