• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 8, 2016

According to survey data compiled from the DMA/Winterberry Group Quarterly Business Review, U.S. marketers reported record levels of confidence in the practice of data-driven marketing (DDM) and its prospects for growth following the second quarter of 2016, even as they signaled that the revenues generated by their data-driven efforts grew at slower pace.

Confidence levels reached an all-time high in Q2 2016, indexing at 4.44 on a 1-to-5 scale (with 5 indicating that panelists feel very strongly that “the practice of DDM is well positioned for future growth”). By comparison, similar panels reported scores of 3.87 and 4.00 over the last two calendar periods.

On a similar 1-to-5 scale (with 5 indicating DDM revenue increased “substantially”), panelists indexed their revenue growth at 3.31 in Q2, down from 3.39 last quarter and 3.59 one year ago.

Neil O’Keefe, DMA Senior Vice President, says  “… Q2 QBR (Quarterly Business Review) reveals bullishness… in prospects and profitability for data-driven marketing… substantiated across several data points… DDM’ers… (will) focus on new customer acquisition… their highest organizational priority…”

Marketers are investing across nearly all addressable channels, bucking a long-term trend that has seen only digital channels posting consistent gains in the media mix. Their investments grew across every one of 11 addressable data-driven channels with the exception of direct response TV, says the report

Marketers are also leaving their comfort zones by “evaluating new/emergent marketing technologies” and “integrating/activating new data sources,” both of which were cited by 52% of panelists as a coming priority.

This report confirms DMA’s recently released 2016 Response Rate Report, which showed that marketers are increasingly “multichannel” in their campaigns. The report showed that the number of marketers relying on a single channel dropped from 35% in 2015 to 27% in 2016, with impressive spikes in year-over-year response rates across social media, email, display and search marketing.

O’Keefe concludes by noting that   “… these findings are positive news for solution providers to whom marketers… are turning to for guidance… (as a) growing amount of Web content being accessed via mobile devices… investing in or planning to invest in technologies that can deliver seamless cross-channel consumer experiences…”

For additional information from the DMA, please visit here.