One of the core findings of the 2021 IPA Marketing Effectiveness Culture Report, officially published at EffWorks Global 2021, is that while the marketing effectiveness culture of the industry – both on the agency and brand-side – looks to be in a strong position at the surface level, there is significant work that can be done at a deeper level to boost business performance, most significantly through agencies and brands creating effectiveness roadmaps.
According to Nick Milne, effectiveness expert and author of the IPA Marketing Effectiveness Culture Report, there are five sets of key questions, relating to each effectiveness quadrant - Focus; Process; Data, Tools & Measurement; and People, that can help get your roadmap started:
- Focus: what does marketing effectiveness mean to the organisation/agency and what are the expectations from an effectiveness approach?
- Process: Is there a clearly defined planning process and what does it look like?
- Data, Tools, Measurement: Do you have the data to support the meaningful measurement of marketing activity and, if not, how are you going to get it?
- Data, Tools, Measurement: How do you intend to show the value created from marketing investment and increase the impact on marketing decision making with this evidence?
- People: Is there a focus on continuous learning and development, and do you learn from both success and failures?
Says Janet Hull OBE, IPA Director of Marketing Strategy and Executive Director IPA EffWorks:
It is most encouraging to see that according to the agencies and brands surveyed, there are so many that are understanding and realising the impact that a focus in marketing effectiveness can bring.
"This is our benchmark year so we would like to be able look back and report that more organisations have started their effectiveness journey and, hopefully, that there is better understanding across brands and agencies in what effectiveness means to them, and what the roadmap to increased value looks like. As part of our ongoing EffWorks Global mission we will continue to drive research and development to help our industry improve."
Alongside the results of the IPA Effectiveness Culture Monitor, the IPA has also announced the inaugural list of agencies that have achieved IPA Effectiveness Accreditation who are leading the way in effectiveness from the agency side.
You can download the Marketing Effectiveness Culture Report free of charge.
Last updated 17 April 2024