The top 5 important factors highlighted are clarity, accuracy in forecasting, actionable insights, transparency and customisation.

• 9 out of 10 agree that agencies should offer more transparency in their reports.

ASK BOSCO^®, the leading AI marketing platform for retailers, brands and marketing agencies, has partnered with OnePoll to survey 100 UK marketing managers to reveal industry insight on digital marketing reporting.

The research found the industry’s need for transparency, accuracy, and actionable insights in digital marketing reporting and revealed significant challenges faced by businesses in their interactions with digital marketing agencies.

The survey, which included respondents currently or previously using digital marketing agencies and engaging in online advertising, uncovered the following startling statistics:

• 62% of respondents have stopped or considered stopping their collaboration with a digital marketing agency due to insufficient transparency in reporting.

• 73% have ceased or contemplated ceasing their partnership with an agency because of a poor level of analysis and actionable insights.

• 95% have experienced situations where their digital marketing agency selectively highlighted positive metrics (“nice numbers”) while downplaying challenges or less favourable outcomes.

• 90% of respondents agree that digital marketing agencies should offer more transparency in their reports by providing easily accessible data and clearer insights.

• 77% have identified inaccuracies in reports due to human error.

• The top five most important factors when considering reports from digital marketing agencies are Clarity, Accuracy in forecasting, Actionable insights, Transparency, and Customisation to specific needs.

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These findings highlight a profound trust deficit in the digital marketing industry. Businesses are increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of transparency and the quality of insights provided by their agencies.

The practice of selectively reporting favourable metrics undermines trust and hampers businesses’ ability to make informed decisions based on a complete and accurate understanding of their marketing performance.

Discussing the finding, Emily Hakner, Head of Product at ASK BOSCO^® said; “The digital marketing industry is at a critical juncture.

“Data from the survey indicates a strong demand for greater transparency and more insightful reporting. The survey results underscore an urgent need for reform in the digital marketing industry. Businesses are calling for greater transparency and accountability, with a clear preference for reports that provide easily accessible data and clearer insights.”

Remeny Armitage, Founder of Brilliant and Human, who helps agencies understand what their clients need and want, shared her insight on the findings: “One of the key components of having happy and loyal clients is trust. And a large part of this begins with what they read in the reports provided by digital marketing agencies. The 100s of agency client interviews I’ve undertaken back up the important findings from ASK BOSCO^®.

“The issues highlighted in the report – such as the 95% showing that results may have been “massaged” to show positive information or the 77% making human mistakes – lead to a breakdown of trust that can start to erode the entire relationship between the agency and client.

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“By utilising transparent, impartial and most importantly accurate reporting with platforms such as ASK BOSCO^® – it can give agencies and their clients confidence in the reporting. At the same time giving agencies more time to build more human, engaged and trusted relationships with their clients; will lead to loyalty and long-term relationships.”

The research follows the launch of the ASK BOSCO^® AI Reporting Suite, a powerful feature within the ASK BOSCO^® AI platform that centralises all marketing, e-commerce, and B2B data with a no-code setup. This one-stop solution enables customized reporting and dashboard creation plus instant data insights through advanced AI search functionality.

ASK BOSCO^®’s AI Reporting Suite saves users hours spent manually reporting. Its user-friendly dashboard and AI highlights empower team members, regardless of technical expertise, to access data insights and contribute to data-driven decisions, enhancing transparency across the business and client/agency relationships.