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Asia Pacific marketers too focused on short term sales and struggling to integrate data, study finds

Marketers in Asia Pacific are still too focused on short term sales and are struggling to integrate data in any meaningful way to their campaigns, it has emerged.

A study by WPP insights agency Kantar found marketers in Asia Pacific are the least confident in the world about integrating data and extracting insights, with a paltry one in 10 claiming they are happy with their ability to do so.

There is also a “disconnect” in strategies for reaching consumers which illustrates a struggle with their overall marketing performance, the report found.

The Getting Media Right survey revealed a sizeable number of marketers still approach their job with short term sales as their priority.

It found 43% of marketers use ROI measurement that are primarily focused on quick wins. The figures contrasts sharply with the overwhelming majority (81%) who acknowledge the need to blend short term sales targets and longer term brand building ROI.

Asked for their top strategic challenges, Asia Pacific marketers identified measuring and proving RIO as the key issue, followed by understanding omnichannel behaviour and optimising media investment.

Kantar Insights Division APAC head of media Pablo Gomez, said: “Marketers need a holistic understanding of how their campaigns are performing across a huge range of channels if they want to be able to identify where the strategy is working or where it needs refinement.

“It’s telling that APAC is the least confident region when it comes to integrating data, but with such a variety of channels and consumer behaviours it’s not surprising.

“However, more can be done to shift optimisation earlier in the process so that marketers are on the front foot when it comes to measuring performance later.”

Kantar global head of media Jane Ostler said the results exposed key flaws.

“The report is a clear indication that marketers are continuing to struggle with measuring and proving ROI, primarily due to their approach,” she said.

“Marketers should aim for the best of all worlds. They need to create a framework to monitor impact on business and brand metrics while harmonizing measurement tools and insights to improve performance across all channels.”

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