MarTech has

become an

amplifier for

creativity

Technology and creativity are no longer at odds. Most marketers now say marketing technology (MarTech) tools empower them to make their marketing more creative.

Question 01

To what extent do you feel that MarTech, or your MarTech stack empowers or hinders your ability be more creative with your marketing?

Expert Perspective:

Can MarTech really help us be more creative?

Katie Colbourne

Senior Manager, Global Demand Generation, Basware

It’s not always about having differentiated content. By using MarTech creatively, you can give the customer personalised and even dynamic experiences. That’s only going to grow as more technologies come into the market.

You can adapt at a company or industry level, speaking to challenges in that sector. Or you can respond at a personal level, for example following up something they’ve read before, or comparing their company to one of their competitors. Technology is what enables us to scale this approach and make it possible.

It’s about being empathetic – using the data in your tech to understand where customers are in their journey, anticipate what they might want, and provide something you know they’ll be interested in.

It might be hard to personalise one-to-one beyond top accounts, but you can still think back to your ideal customer profile – plotting out what the synergies are and how the changes in the industry are affecting their job.

“It’s about being empathetic – using technology to understand where customers are in their journey, anticipate what they might want, and provide something you know they’ll be interested in.”

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Chapter 05: Key Findings

Last year, half the marketers we spoke to told us their work was dominated by marketing technology at the expense of creativity. Today, the two things go hand in hand.

Almost two thirds of marketers now say MarTech empowers their creativity. And just 6% believe it’s a hindrance. So what’s changed?

Previously, respondents from smaller enterprises disproportionately said their marketing was technology-dominated (61% v 37% among enterprises). And while this year’s results show small business marketers are catching up, marketers in enterprises with £100m+ turnover are still 36% more likely to cite MarTech as a creativity boost.

This suggests a picture where – with limited resources and possibly no dedicated Marketing Operations function – marketers were so busy working on the machinery that they had no time to use it in innovative ways.

Twelve months on, those systems and processes are likely to have bedded in, and some of the kinks will have been ironed out. And the resulting time savings, data insights, and channel orchestration possibilities could be opening up new options and ideas.

65% of marketers say MarTech empowers their creativity.

Marketers in £100m+ turnover enterprises are 36% more likely to feel MarTech empowers creativity.

Just 6% believe MarTech hinders their ability to be more creative.