Almost two in three marketers have expanded their responsibilities beyond marketing to include managing the customer experience.

However, the same proportion still struggle to meet basic brand governance expectations, new research from Simple and the Australian Marketing Institute has found.

A significant majority (59 per cent) of marketers report responsibility for managing the customer experience now rests with the chief marketing officer or marketing team at their organisation, according to the study, Marketing Resource Management in the Age of Intelligence.

And almost nine in 10 (87 per cent) rate brand consistency as extremely or very important.

But a majority of marketers rate their own brand consistency poorly across key attributes:

• 59 per cent rate their messaging as only moderately consistent at best
• 56 per cent rate their brand’s visual appearance as moderately/somewhat or not at all consistent
• And 51 per cent rate brand personality as moderately/somewhat or not at all consistent

Simple chief executive officer Aden Forrest said, “Managing the customer experience is looming as the key challenge chief marketing officers face in the next few years, but marketing teams must get their upstream planning and brand governance right so they can broaden their remit effectively.”

The study examines how marketing teams are managing the customer experience and using people, partners and technology to plan and create marketing content efficiently, drive agility and improve the return on marketing investment – operational issues traditionally referred to as marketing resource management.

The research shows marketers, hampered by the use of static tools to manage increasingly fluid processes, are struggling to obtain a big-picture view of marketing activities in areas such as planning, budgeting, governance and workflow:

• Only 13 per cent easily monitor their spending against budget
• Just 10 per cent say their primary planning tool provides an up-to-date view of their marketing plan
• 41 per cent have no formal process to manage compliance and governance issues
• 51 per cent don’t monitor their marketing process at all.

Despite this, marketing teams are pursuing agility through their work processes, the study revealed, with 26 per cent of marketing teams adopting at least some agile marketing practices.

Australian Marketing Institute chief executive officer Lee Tonitto said, “In order to remain agile, process optimisation should be a priority for marketers.

“It’s essential to take a disciplined approach to marketing resource management as marketers broaden their remit to managing the customer experience.”

When it comes to artificial intelligence, the research showed marketers are excited by the opportunity to use their own data to improve outcomes.

• Three in four (74 per cent) would use AI to suggest the most effective insights based on previous campaigns
• A similar proportion (72 per cent) would use it to improve the return on marketing investment
• This is made difficult by the fact that one in two (51 per cent) cannot capture campaign results in their planning tool.

Modern marketing teams, assisted by new technology, will be less encumbered by process, Simple head of product Michael McKerlie said.

“AI introduces the ability to reduce friction and free up marketers’ time so marketers can make a beeline for that sweet spot where insights meet creativity and generate amazing customer experiences,” he said.

Simple’s Intelligent Marketing Platform helps marketers gain more agility, insights and control to manage and create profitable customer experiences.

Simple is headquartered in Sydney, with offices in Melbourne, Brisbane and Chicago.

For detailed results, download the full report.