Among specific study findings:

• Alignment of marketing with sales and demand generation is a top priority. Restructuring to achieve this integration was by far the most frequently mentioned accomplishment of marketers in 2006, named by 46 percent of respondents and 76 percent of those from companies with revenues above $500 million.
• The restructuring went beyond internal resources, as agency turnover was rampant. 64 percent of marketers said they dumped at least one agency last year, and over half plan further agency changes in 2007.  Public relations agencies got the ax most often, followed by web design & development and advertising agencies.
• There’s more money for marketing this year. 65 percent say their budgets increased in 2007, with 20 percent experiencing no change and 15 percent losing budget. 14 percent said their budgets will grow more than 20 percent.
• Chief marketers expanded their sphere of authority. In addition to managing traditional functions like branding, web sites, advertising and public relations, large minorities also reported jurisdiction over business development (44 percent), distribution & channels (37 percent), pricing (37 percent) and product management (30 percent).
• Those are among the findings of the 2007 Outlook Survey conducted by the CMO Council, a peer networking and thought leadership organization of more than 3,000 top marketing executives worldwide. The survey demonstrates clearly that marketing is undergoing substantial changes due to a mandate for chief marketing officers (CMOs) to improve the relevance, accountability and performance of their organizations.

To download the 2007 Marketing Outlook report, click here.

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