Data is becoming the competitive advantage for B2B marketing, but its power is stilllargely untapped. B2B organizations use tools like CRM to manage their customer data but are less sophisticatedin their use of the technologies and platforms that unlock that data’s value—such as a datamanagement platform (DMP) or customer data platform (CDP). The big challenge with data is actually getting to it and using it. Asked about their top obstacles to data-driven marketing success, a third of marketers pointed tosiloed or inaccessible customer data, and a similar number cited the integration of marketing andsales platforms. Separately, half of respondents agreed that data silos in their organizations arehaving a negative impact on their data-driven marketing efforts.Account-based marketing starts to take hold.ABM is a critical way for B2B marketers to use data to gain an edge in understanding the complexcustomer journey. 37 percent are currently doing ABM and another 22 percent say it is in their2019 plans. A knowledge gap may be slowing ABM’s adoption. When it comes to the hurdles keeping them from embracing ABM, B2B marketers pointed toan unclear ABM strategy (35 percent), lack of time and resources (31 percent) and lack ofunderstanding about ABM (29 percent). Programmatic use is holding steady. In the 2019 outlook survey, 63 percent of B2B marketers said they are buying or sellingadvertising programmatically. That fgure is the same as last year and essentially fat from 2017.B2B programmatic ad spend will rise. Looking ahead to 2019, 61 percent of B2B marketers said they plan to increase theirprogrammatic spending, with 20 percent saying they will be increasing it by more than 25 percent.Summaryof Findings ILL US TR AT ION S:KO UZ OUSA KA I |FO LIOAR T METHODOLOGY The information in this report is based on the results of a global survey of B2B marketers and theiragencies conducted by Adweek Branded on behalf of Dun & Bradstreet in September 2018. All 237respondents were involved in B2B marketing and had a job title of manager or above.cov er,spo t an d ch artill ust rat ionsbybria n h urs t I t’s hardly a secret that marketingexecutives of all types are usingmore data than ever to empowertheir decision-making and buildtheir campaigns. This kind ofdigital transformation has upendedtraditional marketing approachesand added greater layers ofaccuracy, targeting, analytics andmeasurability to create customerexperiences that are personalizedand effective. But transformation comeswith growing pains, and manymarketers are still getting theirsea legs on the data-driven voyage.They’re facing a data deluge andthey are being challenged to turneverything they now know abouttheir customers and prospects intoactionable insights. But their jobsare complicated by data that is insilos and of questionable accuracy. Ifthat isn’t enough, they also need tocomply with new privacy regulations,tightening data protection rules andthe resulting consumer pushbackaround collection and use of data.And then there are marketingtechnology solutions that they mustcontend with. Every marketer hasseen the bloated Lumascapes ofvendor logos. Back in 2012 therewere maybe 250 or so martechvendors; today that figure isapproaching 7,000. So, choosing theright solution and the right partnercan be pressure-packed because it iscritical to long-term success. Spending on marketing technologycontinues to soar. According toForrester Research’s April 2018outlook, U.S. spending on marketingtechnology and services is forecastto top $96 billion in 2018 and grow toover $122 billion by 2022. The areasthat are expected to see the greatestgrowth Data, ad tech and marketingautomation, the segments that arelinked most closely to programmaticadvertising. Overall, marketers aredevoting 30-plus percent of theirbudgets to marketing tech. These challenges—and theirsignificant payback—are as real toB2B marketers as they are to theirconsumer counterparts. Data has thepotential to speed up B2B’s longerbuying cycle and provide insightsinto its more complicated customerjourney. Today, many B2B marketershave embraced data-driven tacticslike programmatic ad buying,frequently relying on the expertiseof their ad agencies to manage theseefforts. They are also starting toexplore tactics like account-basedmarketing that need the powerof data-driven tools to identifyinsights for account selection, leadgeneration and customer-journeymapping throughout the long B2Bbuying process. To gain a deeper understandingof how B2B brands are approachingdata-driven marketing, AdweekBranded, on behalf of Dun& Bradstreet, conducted acomprehensive survey of B2B brandmarketers and their agencies inSeptember 2018. This is the fourthannual report conducted on thistopic, and while prior versionsfocused primarily on programmaticbuying, this year’s edition takes adeeper dive on data-driven marketingtactics. It also shines a light on someof the differences between how B2Bbrands and agencies approach theirdata strategies.DATA TODAY’S MAJORMARKETING CHALLENGE F or B2B marketers (as is true for their B2Ccounterparts), data has become a critical componentof building a competitive advantage in the marketplace.That has always been the case, but the customerinformation that resides in CRM systems and is managedand analyzed by martech platforms can shed new light onthe needs and desires of customers and prospects. Thiscan help drive the kinds of personalized experiences thatare essential in today’s customer engagement framework.Unfortunately, data’s power is still largely untapped byB2B marketers. The challenge, it appears, is not a matterof having customer data. Rather, B2B marketers needto be focused on the process of managing that data andunlocking its value. This year’s survey asked marketers about their use ofdifferent technologies in their marketing stacks. (Fig. 1)Today, over 80 percent of B2B marketers use customerrelationship management (CRM), many with advancedfunctions. So, having data available is not a challenge. But the technologies and platforms that unlock that data’s value—such as a data management platform (DMP)or customer data platform (CDP)— are far less prevalent. It’s interesting to note the difference between howbrands and agencies use these data tools. Agenciesappear to be more sophisticated in their ability tomanage and analyze data, with 31 percent of B2BFig. 1 How are you currently using thefollowing technologies in yourorganization’s marketing stackNot using, but plan to be in next 12 months No plans to use Use with basic functions Use with advanced functions 12% 36% 26% 23% 24% 30% 48% 33% 48% 31% 18% 28% 42% 46% 32% 6% 20% 46% 27% 15% 22% 10% 23% 14% 21% 13% 3%3% Customer data platform (CDP) Marketing automation platform (MAP) Content management platform (CMS) Customer relationship management (CRM) Data management platform (DMP) Demand side platform (DSP) Web analyticsMIND THE B2BDATA GAP 。。。。。。