STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The rise of digital marketing is producing a fragmented and confusing landscape of terminology, providers and technologies, according to Gartner, Inc. In response to this, Gartner has created a digital marketing transit map to aid organizations in the creation of a digital marketing solutions strategy and to improve operations and plan initiatives.
"Digital marketing organizations have accumulated most of their technologies in discrete initiatives, often one technology at a time," said Yvonne Genovese, managing vice president at Gartner. "This approach creates silos that don't work together and leads digital marketers to overlook strategies and technologies that improve efficiency and effectiveness of marketing efforts."
"Gartner's digital marketing transit map presents a comprehensive landscape of marketing technologies that will enable organizations to see every kind of service and technology that is available and how they relate to each other," said Andrew Frank, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "This will allow them to identify the best sources for their needs and acquire systems that work well together."
A transit map is a proven tool for communicating complex information in an intuitive way. In this way, the map provides a metaphor for digital marketing. Neighborhoods (see Figure 1) represent functional regions that can be thought of as centers of excellence within an organization. Tracks connect these regions and can be thought of as application services that share common objectives and information. Stations represent interaction points that can be thought of as vendor and production categories that provide platform and point solutions. Intersections represent transfer points where solutions may serve more than one business area.
Neighborhoods: The labels in light gray indicate operational areas. The neighborhoods are necessarily broad in outline, but they give a general sense of where to look for solutions. For example, if someone manages ad operations, they don't have to limit themselves to ad tech when they look for technology support. Emerging tech, mobile and analytics can also play a role. When beginning a project, take an inventory of the capabilities that already exist in that area. Organizations should review the transit map to find all possible technologies that could help, as well as overlaps where two functions can be fulfilled with one technology or perhaps where an existing technology can be adopted for another function.
Tracks: The colored lines represent broad application domains. All the lines intersect at a main station, labeled "digital marketing hub." Two lines, emerging technology (yellow) and mobile (light blue), are circular to indicate that they touch all other categories. The dotted line for emerging technologies indicates that this category is "unfinished," with technologies maturing and moving onto other lines and new technologies appearing continually.
Stations: Each line has a number of stations that represent technology types. The smaller circles are types of product (for example, gamification tools) where multiple providers to evaluate can be found. The larger shapes represent types of technology providers (for example, mobile marketing) that may offer different kinds of services and technology to fulfill related functions. The black circles near the bottom of the map represent connections to technologies and functions outside of marketing (such as business intelligence). The circles (sometimes joined by black lines) that appear where two or more lines intersect indicate products and vendors that span the adjacent categories. For instance, mobile search spans both the purple search line and the light blue mobile line. With these "transfer stations," two or more functions can be performed with one technology.
The overall layout of the transit map is structured as follows:
- To the south are the "business districts" that connect with other parts of the organization: IT, sales and service, general marketing, business intelligence and general advertising, which is often outsourced to agencies.
- The stop in the center, labeled "digital marketing hub," is the central station where all of the functions converge.
- In the northwest are services aimed at awareness and traffic: advertising and search.
- In the northeast are services concerned with engagement quality: creative and user experience.
- Due north are services concerned with engagement quality: creative and user experience.
- Mobile and emerging technology loops indicate that they touch all other categories. The broken line representing emerging technology indicates areas under construction.
"We created the landscape for digital marketing in the form of a transit map to show complex relationships among a large number of technologies and operational areas," said Jake Sorofman, research director at Gartner. "Organizations should use the map to identify the connection among business functions, applications tracks and providers. Map elements can be used to find additional research or structure questions about strategy and best practices as well as providers, products and selection criteria. It is also a useful device for mediating discussions between marketing and IT."
More detailed analysis is available in the report "Toolkit: The Digital Marketing Transit Map." The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=2500915. Additional information and resources on the digital marketing transit map can be found at http://gtnr.it/14I0qh7.
Mr. Frank will provide additional details on the transit map in the complimentary webinar, "Making Sense of the Digital Marketing Landscape," today (June 20), at 9 a.m. EDT and noon EDT. He will explain how clients can use Gartner's interactive transit map to understand connections, evaluate solutions, and put your organization on a rational course. To register for the webinar, please visit http://gtnr.it/14FU9me.
This research is part of the Gartner for Marketing Leaders program. This program provides real-time, personalized digital marketing guidance, from vision through execution. Gartner for Marketing Leaders is focused on helping digital marketers succeed in eight key areas: emerging digital marketing trends and techniques, social marketing, mobile marketing, monetizing digital marketing through commerce, multichannel marketing, data-driven marketing, digital marketing essentials and digital marketing programs. Additional information is available at http://www.gartner.com/digitalmarketing. For additional details, email GML@gartner.com.
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner in more than 13,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 5,500 associates, including 1,402 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.