if you were rating your
department’s ability to measure
the return on marketing spending
on a scale of 1 to 5, where would
you place it? The answer depends of
course on the difference between 1 and
5. You need to have a full perspective
to answer accurately.
In our conversations with marketers
about measurement proficiency,
we find them to fall into one of three
segments. From smallest-to-largest,
they are:
1. Those at the leading edge of measurement
intent upon staying there
2. Those at the trailing edge, unaware
anyone is actually looking and,
3. Those somewhere in between who
see the benefit of improving but are
slowed behind some obstacle(s)
to progress.
For those in the third group, the
obstacles are occasionally cultural in
that there are no “C-level” champions
of measurement progress. Sometimes,
even with C-level support, there are
organizational obstacles in the form of
skill gaps between current staff and
desired direction. But the most common
obstacle seems to be lack of perspective
- the absence of clearly defined
objectives, reverse-engineered into a
step-by-step path to progress. Simply
put, if you don’t know where you’re
going, any road will take you there.
In this issue we try to provide some of
that perspective by putting up the
Ladder of Insight to help you benchmark
your measurement proficiency
relative to others and help you set
specific goals for improvement.
True, effective measurement processes
vary widely and tend to be highly
customized to industry segment and
company-specific environment. But
there are some core capabilities which
differentiate between levels of proficiency
and can help illuminate the
path to greater perspective. If you’re
looking for a comprehensive discussion
of all the variables, we offer some
suggested resources. But if you just
want a glimpse of how the other half
lives and how you can get from
here to there, this issue is for you.
Elsewhere in this issue you’ll...