Left Brain Marketing Planning: a Forrester Research^® viewpoint

Abstract

Purpose

This viewpoint, based on research undertaken by Forrester Research, aims to assess the impact of technological change on consumer behaviour, especially media habits, and the implication this holds for marketing planners. Currently, it is believed that marketing planners are out of step with new customer behaviours growing out of the changing consumer technological environment. Left Brain Marketing Planning emphasises the need, opportunity and the means by which planners can adopt more analytical procedures to improve marketing planning by greater use of data‐driven approaches that permit the selection and allocation of marketing resources based on an holistic picture of customers across all points in the buying process.

Design/methodology/approach

A two stage approach adopted by Forrester Research. First, a marketing allocation tool was devised using Forrester's Consumer Technographics^® data to understand how consumers interact with 13 media. These were used to index each medium against four marketer inputs: business goals, target audience, product type, and targeting approach. Second, interviews were conducted with marketers and agencies to understand current marketing planning processes and best practices and their response to the marketing allocation tool. Interviews were also held with marketing planning experts for additional perspectives around how they anticipate marketing planning will change over the next five years.

Findings

Principally, current marketing planning processes are based on traditional approaches that take too little account of the new realities brought about by technological change. The media selected in the marketing planning process do not reflect the media habits of today's consumers. New technology has changed customer behaviour and new technology holds the means by which this can be monitored and evaluated to assess the effectiveness of marketing plans as they are implemented. Changes need to be made, and the means are at hand to achieve such changes, that allow more analytical approaches to marketing planning in understanding what is happening in today's marketplaces and not just an emphasis on marketing metrics for the purpose of meeting internal financial imperatives.

Originality/value

There is much debate about the dynamics in marketing planning between creative approaches and a greater emphasis on marketing metrics to ensure greater marketing accountability. This paper highlights the importance of analytical approaches that do not, of themselves, limit creativity. While encouraging the use of measurement and analytical tools, the paper emphasises the need to use these throughout the planning process and exploit the facilities enabled by new technology to assist in the process of better understanding consumers and communications and buying processes.

Citation

Pickton, D. (2005), "Left Brain Marketing Planning: a Forrester Research^® viewpoint", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 537-542. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500510624101