Marketing Execs Struggle to Demonstrate ROI

• The Find: With budgets being squeezed from all directions, marketing executives are under increasing pressure to demonstrate return on investment and are struggling to do so, a new study concludes.
• The Source: A study by The Conference Board Research Working Group on measuring and managing return on marketing investment.
  

So what's making these execs' lives so difficult? Cultural resistance, lack of resources and lack of business infrastructure were among the most frequently cited frustrations.

• 55 percent said technological deficiencies were a primary reason for their problems
• 47 percent reported problems with data availability or integrity
• 39 percent were troubled by resource dedication
• 22 percent didn't have the methodology or know how to succeed with marketing ROI

Progress in this area has been difficult. Many of the expected returns from marketing efforts are intangible or long-term. Hence, measuring the return on investment in marketing is a more complex and less well-developed process than calculating investment returns in other business areas.

(Image of tangled measuring tape by TheTruthAbout..., CC 2.0)