Adobe: Just 35% of marketers think their content pipeline is efficient

Dive Brief:

Only 35% of surveyed marketing professionals report their current content creation and delivery process is well-coordinated, according to an Adobe study shared with Marketing Dive. While most in the industry talk to outside teams at least weekly, many say the process doesn't result in collaboration.
Seventy-five percent of respondents said that their creative process is helping strategic objectives "very well" or "fairly well," indicating the situation isn't dire. But only half of surveyed creatives are currently involved in planning and strategy, with 71% saying they'd like to participate more. Forty-four percent of marketers report that creatives are involved in the early stages, though 57% of marketers want more creative involvement.
One of the challenges that creatives face is access to information: 28% cited not having enough insights and 40% said they'd like to see more reporting data. The study, which surveyed over 1,000 marketers, advertisers, creatives and IT employees, revealed that more than two-thirds of teams said more people are taking part in content creation, delivery and reporting than they have in the past.

Dive Insight:

Marketers today face pressure to deliver a unified customer experience through a proliferating number of touch points, including the convergence of digital and physical channels. Adobe's report highlights how a majority of professionals in the industry are still hitting snags as they look to develop a content development and delivery process that is efficient and consistent.

Many in the industry have worked for years to break down silos between departments, including creative, digital, social and search, in order to better coordinate their efforts. But the Adobe study suggests that key aspects of collaboration — sharing reporting data that can inform campaign development and strategy — come up short.

Adobe's findings arrive as many brands retool their creative processes and leadership. In-housing has become a popular move in recent years as companies try to cut costs and reduce complexity. But the in-housing approach, championed by top media spenders like Procter & Gamble, also has its issues.

A recent survey by trade body the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) found that 63% of marketers struggle to keep their in-house talent energized. Nearly 40% of ANA respondents were challenged in applying key marketing processes, and 19% cited issues with creative tensions.

Adobe's insight that 57% of marketing professionals want more creative involvement pushes against other industry trends as well. Traditional creative marketing duties have received less of a focus in recent years as organizations invest more in technology and other growth drivers — a shift that's been reflected in the retiring of the CMO or equivalent positions at several large brands.

The Adobe report indicates that re-centering more energy on creativity would be a welcome adjustment for marketers. Forrester shared similar findings in a June report. The research firm revealed that many CMOs have found themselves in a creative rut after too sharply cutting agency fess and instead putting that money toward working media and technology.