Good morning, do you spend as much on management tech as operational tools? 

Nearly 60% of marketers surveyed by Merkle report they spend more on data and analytics management tech than operational solutions such as campaign and decision management tools. In fact, 29% said they invest only in management technology solutions versus spending on both. Less than a fourth (24%) of the 400 marketers Merkle surveyed said they spend about the same on both management and operational tech. 

The survey findings highlight a potential disconnect for marketers — with many putting a focus on martech platforms that collect and manage data, while ignoring operational tools that can leverage customer data to deliver effective campaigns. 

Nearly half of the marketers surveyed said they spent as much as 21% to 25% of their marketing budget on identity tech. And nearly all (94%) of the marketers had purchased a personalization solution, but had only applied personalization to three or fewer channels within the first year of using the technology. Fortunately, half the marketers polled said they had implemented personalization on, at least, five channels to date — so, while the marketers may have been slow to apply their personalization capabilities to four or more channels, they eventually were able to expand their efforts.  

Twitter has bought Chrome Labs, the company behind the Chroma Stories app — a short-form video and photo creation tool for creating Stories on various social sites. The company is shutting down immediately and its team will be joining Twitter’s design, product and engineering groups. Unlike Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, Twitter doesn’t have a Stories-creation feature, but this acquisition may change that, giving marketers a new tool to jazz up their Twitter content. 

Keep reading for a Pro Tip from GBH Insights President Jeremy Korst on putting the customer at the center of your product strategy. 

Amy Gesenhues,
Senior Editor