Where do U.S. marketers stand in terms of data sophistication?
They're ahead of their global counterparts in technical knowledge but trail in other areas, including a surprising one: list and data purchasing, according to a new survey by Alterian.
That chore was described as a headache by 41% of all U.S. marketers polled, compared with 32% for the United Kingdom and European Union and 37% for companies worldwide.
How can that be when the United States has such a robust list industry?
“The headache is brought on by data volume,” said Alterian CEO David Eldridge. “The North American market has physically larger lists, with more consumers and businesses to select from.”
The problem is made worse, he added, because there are “more lists in general and companies that maintain, rent, broker or resell them.”
As for the top DM-related difficulty, almost 60% of the U.S. marketers cited customer insight and analysis, compared with slightly lower percentages overseas.
But only 41% of U.S. execs were worried about data hygiene, vs. 53% in the United Kingdom and European Union (where it was the top problem), and 45% around the globe.
Why the disparity?
“Firms like Acxiom and Experian have invested heavily in the data hygiene process, and we're seeing the fruits of that investment,” Eldridge said. “In the United Kingdom we're not at that level of investment, although some of that U.S. technology is now coming to the U.K.”
U.S. marketers seemed to lead the pack in technical knowledge, with 47% saying they are “extremely technically aware.” In contrast, just 28% of the U.K. and EU responders claimed great awareness. The number was 39% for the global firms.
Regarding privacy, 22% of all U.S. respondents admitted they “do not have a full understanding” of data legislation and best practices.
That number was 15% in the United Kingdom and European Union and 19% worldwide — yet less than a third of all marketers surveyed claimed they had a full understanding. And over a third listed privacy as a headache.
Alterian polled 687 individuals (292 marketers and 395 service providers). Also included were 392 U.S. participants questioned in person at DMA05 last October.
