CANNES — Brands and agencies have more data thane ver before – so why is it getting more difficult to prove the real outcomes of marketing?
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Wavemaker global head of strategy Stuart Sullivan-Martin says proving value is getting harder, not easier, as two imperatives of marketers come together in a clash.
“Accountability, understanding of what’s working, what’s not working … that sounds easy, right?,” he says. “But of course it’s not. It’s almost never been harder because there are so many layers of metrics and some of them don’t tell the truth, and you have to find the truth through the story in terms of what properly delivers to the brand in the short, medium and the long term.”
The time factor is a critical one, and now more than ever, because Sullivan-Martin says agencies are facing two competing demands.
“A lot of my clients at the moment are facing down short-term quarterly pressures in their business – and all businesses around the world, let’s face it – at the moment, to understand the true value of marketing,” he says.
The problem? That quest to understand value is a short-term one because those same pressures are short-term – but, Sullivan-Martin says, the value of marketing can often only be seen over the long term.
“There’s a tension point there which is something we’re having to work with our clients or trying to help resolve at the moment,” he adds.
