As Agile marketing adoption accelerates, companies are experiencing improved productivity and innovation

Aprimo, an industry-leading provider of digital asset management and work management software, announced the results of the third annual State of Agile Marketing survey, in conjunction with AgileSherpas. Sponsored by Aprimo, the State of Agile Marketing in 2020 survey aims to measure marketers’ implementation of, and success with, Agile marketing.

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According to the survey results, marketers across the globe are implementing Agile practices at an accelerated rate and twice as many Agile marketing teams have experienced improved productivity as a result. Yet even with Agile adoption rising, some are more comfortable maintaining the status quo of their operations, showing one of the biggest hurdles to adopting a new way of working is organizational inertia.

“We’ve seen an uptick in interest in Agile adoption over the past few years, but as an industry, marketers are still in the early stages of implementation,” said Ed Breault, CMO, Aprimo. “As Agile marketing becomes the de facto way of working for digital and marketing operations teams, we are also seeing that each company adopts Agile uniquely to their way of working, requiring a flexible core of agile technology – not a single template – to make it work.”

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Key findings from the survey include:

• Marketers’ interest in Agile is stronger than ever, with many perceived benefits.
  • 41% of marketers report currently using Agile and, of non-users, 42% plan to adopt it.
  • Marketers cite improved productivity (58%), enhanced ability to manage changing priorities (54%), and increased innovation (49%) as the top reasons for implementing Agile.
  • Twice as many Agile marketing teams reported improved productivity in 2020, and those enjoying better prioritization nearly doubled as well.
  • Among marketers not already using Agile marketing, there is a strong sense of urgency to implement it in the next six months (46%). Last year, only 32% of non-Agile marketers said they’d make the switch within that timeframe.
• Agile marketers are more likely than other groups to be satisfied with how their teams are working and the results they can achieve.
  • 74% of Agile marketers are satisfied with their teams and results, compared to just 58% of traditional marketers, and 34% of ad hoc marketers.
  • Ad hoc marketers, those who operate without a long-term plan and struggle with incoming requests, are deeply dissatisfied with how they work. Yet, they report the lowest likelihood to transition to Agile in the immediate future.
• Although two-thirds of Agile marketing teams have been practicing for at least three years, many admit they are “still maturing” with Agile practices and a few key barriers remain in the way of full adoption of Agile Marketing.
  • Proper training remains critical in successful Agile adoption. In-person and online training are cited as some of the most valuable elements in an Agile marketing transformation.

“In some ways, the journey toward marketing agility is just beginning,” said Andrea Fryear, co-founder of AgileSherpas. “It will be critical to educate non-Agile marketers about the value of agility, then support them as they implement its practices. With this support, we may see quicker adoption and a stronger marketing business unit fully embracing and understanding of its benefits.”

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