WILKES-BARRE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pepperjam, a full service performance marketing company, today reveals insights and contradictions around marketers’ challenges and priorities. Conducted at Adobe Summit 2017, Pepperjam polled 400 senior marketers and decision makers to identify what issues are top of mind and affecting budget spend. The results reveal a notable tension among technology investments and expectations, and channel strategy and objectives.
Innovation Divide: a disconnect between technology innovation investments and a culture of creativity
Technology is one of the best vehicles to enable creativity and innovation. While most marketers agree with this statement, there is a strain around marketers’ relationship with technology.
- The No. 1 response from 2017 Pepperjam Adobe Summit Survey focused on the value of innovative technology, however, only 7% of senior marketers prioritize creating a creative culture
There is a clear emphasis on technology investments to drive innovation forward, yet little investment into developing a creative culture that encourages employees to put this technology into practice in truly innovative ways.
Misunderstood Influencers: marketers place great emphasis on influencer marketing but lack awareness regarding its many forms
Influencer marketing takes on many shapes and forms, and an integral part of influencer marketing is affiliate marketing, by which an online retailer compensates a publisher or blogger for traffic and sales generated from its referrals. Affiliate marketing often serves as a stepping-stone to more robust influencer marketing programs, and can contribute up to 15% additional online revenue for brands. While marketers place a high emphasis on influencer marketing, they neglect affiliate marketing as part of this mix.
- Nearly a third of marketers invest or prioritize influencer marketing (26%) but only 4% invest or prioritize affiliate marketing
This discrepancy means affiliate marketing is a grossly under-utilized channel and potentially unknown, warranting a need for greater education around the various strategies supporting influencer marketing. Forrester predicts by 2020, US ecommerce sales will hit $500 billion—and affiliate marketing will affect $70 billion in sales. For brands and retailers in need of a primer, Pepperjam is offering complimentary reprints of Forrester’s Affiliate Marketing 101 Report.
Data remains the crux and solution to marketers’ problem
Marketers have more technology and sophisticated solutions than ever before to help them improve messaging, targeting and consumer engagement. However, there remains the challenge of ‘too much data’ or rather, ‘not optimizing existing data.’
- More than a third of marketers (36%) want to improve data insights to better understand how and when best to connect with a consumer
While innovative technology investments are a No. 1 priority among marketers, resulting data points remain burdensome. Regardless of the marketing technology stack within an organization, the focus is clear – to remain dedicated to better understanding and engaging with people along their customer journey.
To learn more about how Pepperjam is resolving these challenges for marketers, check out its blog: https://www.pepperjam.com/blog
About Pepperjam
Pepperjam provides brands and retailers with the resources and confidence needed to promote their brand and grow their business. With products and services supported by decades of commerce experience, and the leading affiliate network in the world, it connects data and analytics across all performance channels and devices to generate creative solutions.
Headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Pepperjam is a global provider with offices in London, New York, Philadelphia, Santa Cruz, Tempe, and Toronto. Pepperjam is a portfolio company of Banneker Partners and the Permira Funds.
