Brands' biggest problems? Lack of unified vision, finds study

The State of Marketing 2012 found:

• 60% of respondents indicate there is a lack of IT alignment and integration
• 71% say integration through owned, earned and paid channels 'is important'
• Less than one-third (20%) are actually integrating these channels effectively
• 41% believe they need to stay abreast of social media and mobile adoptions
• 51% are not using social media data to 'make informed decisions' about marketing options

"This research indicates that as new channels continue to mature and consumer habits evolve, marketing and IT have no alternative but to emerge from their traditional silos and form a strong partnership that puts the business in a position to succeed," said Yuchun Lee, Vice President, IBM Enterprise Marketing Management Group. "CMOs and CIOs, an 'odd couple' in some respects, will be the catalysts in forging this union and enabling the types of personalized multichannel brand relationships that today's customers demand."

Over the next year many brands may make large strides in social and mobile, which may help - assuming strides are also made in communication between departments like marketing and IT. According to the report 34% believe they'll be offering mobile ads, 45% report they're already in the mobile space via mobile site and 45% via mobile apps.

Tags: brand marketing, IBM State of Marketing 2012, marketing efforts, online advertising