For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site User Experience 2010: Marketing Software Vendors

Forrester Applies Its Web Site User Experience Review Methodology To Four B2B Software Vendors

by Vidya L. Drego, August 25, 2010

Forrester evaluated the user experience of the Web sites of four large business-to-business (B2B) marketing software vendors: Alterian, Oracle, SAS, and Unica. Overall scores were mediocre: No site received a passing grade. SAS came out on top, standing . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Interactive Marketing Priorities For SMBs

by Shar VanBoskirk, August 13, 2010

Small and medium-size business (SMB) marketers, much like their enterprise counterparts, find that challenges — like limited budgets, resources, and customer insight — interfere with their ability to successfully execute interactive marketing programs. . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Online Testing, Q3 2010

Adobe And Autonomy Lead A Pack Of Strong Performers

by Joe Stanhope, August 13, 2010

In Forrester's inaugural evaluation of online testing vendors, we researched eight companies across 82 criteria. We found that Adobe and Autonomy lead the pack because of their consistent strength across the full range of capabilities and their support . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Demonstrate Marketing Accountability With Effective Dashboards

Dashboards Provide A Face For The Marketing Accountability Framework

by Joe Stanhope, August 3, 2010

The demands on Customer Intelligence (CI) professionals to demonstrate accountability and marketing success to support the case for continued marketing investments are intensifying. Forrester's marketing accountability framework provides a structural . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Consumer Goods Interactive Spend Outpaces Other Industries'

by Shar VanBoskirk, April 7, 2010

Consumer product goods (CPG) companies are expected to grow their interactive marketing spend by a 22% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) — more than any other industry. This shift occurs as marketers seek to combat recessionary effects, further engage . . .

For CMO & Marketing Leadership Professionals

The CMO's Role In Technology Decisions

Marketing Leaders Take On One Of Three Technology Leadership Roles

by David M. Cooperstein, Lisa Bradner, April 2, 2010

As technology becomes more intertwined with marketing efforts, marketing leaders must decide what their role should be in technology purchase decisions. Forrester identifies three roles that chief marketing officers (CMOs) can play in support of the use . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Defining Social Intelligence

Driving Customer Insight Through Social Media Data

by Zach Hofer-Shall, March 12, 2010

Listening platforms power marketers as they collect and track their brands, products, and customers through social media. But marketers struggle to fully make use of these insights from the masses of data available. Marketers must turn to Social Intelligence, . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Demystifying The DSP

How Demand-Side Platforms Will Optimize Online Media Buying

by Shar VanBoskirk, March 2, 2010

Current market conditions complicate the already difficult process of online media buying. But new technologies in the form of demand-side platforms (DSPs) are appearing to streamline and improve online media buying. DSPs allow marketers to discover, . . .

For Content & Collaboration Professionals

The Online Customer Engagement Software Ecosystem

Understand Your Options For Supporting Public-Facing Web Sites

by Stephen Powers, February 8, 2010

Information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals who support public-facing Web sites face a potpourri of product options from software vendors. Currently, persuasive content functions — such as content services, analytics, and more — remain . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

How Technology Supports Distributed Marketing Organizations

by Suresh Vittal, January 20, 2010

Most marketing organizations struggle to manage the burgeoning complexity associated with brands, regions, and channels and the resulting issues around brand consistency, program ownership, and speed-to-market. Few marketing applications are set up to . . .

For Business Process Professionals

Topic Overview: Social CRM Goes Mainstream

by William Band, Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., January 5, 2010

Forrester's customer relationship management (CRM) research helps business process professionals embrace best practices — from process optimization to technology implementation — to improve customer interactions and drive top-line growth. Our research . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Campaign Management, Q4 2009

Unica And SAS Are The Leaders, With Alterian, Aprimo, Neolane, And Oracle Commanding A Pack Of Strong Performers

by Suresh Vittal, December 14, 2009

Changing consumer behavior and the overall ineffectiveness of traditional marketing programs ensure that basic campaign management tools are set to go the way of the dodo. Marketers are therefore looking for cross-channel campaign management (CCCM) solutions . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Selecting An Attribution Vendor

by Emily Riley, December 3, 2009

As marketers look to move beyond the dated and ineffective last-click standard, attribution vendors serve a critical role in providing deeper and more complete insight into marketing performance. However, with attribution vendors offering vastly different . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Marketing Dashboards Advance Strategic Thinking Across The Enterprise

by Julie M. Katz, November 20, 2009

Dashboards allow Customer Intelligence (CI) professionals to better influence marketing strategy and drive corporate activities beyond marketing. But many firms don't use them. Absent a culture of sharing, sufficient resources, and clean data, dashboard . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

eBusiness Professionals: Plan Your Customer Intelligence Strategy Now

How To Develop A Focused Customer-Centric Approach

by Brian K. Walker, November 16, 2009

The importance of eBusiness professionals to the customer intelligence (CI) effort is clear. As owners of the online profit and loss (P&L), they must align with the CI command center to drive a true multichannel, multipronged approach, which Dave . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Adaptive Brand Marketing: An eBusiness Perspective

by Sucharita Mulpuru, November 13, 2009

Adaptive Brand Marketing is a flexible approach in which marketers respond quickly to their environment to align consumer and brand goals and maximize return on brand equity. We expect marketing professionals to embrace this new approach in order to keep . . .

For CMO & Marketing Leadership Professionals

Marketing Leaders Take On Technology

So What Happens Now?

by Lisa Bradner, October 28, 2009

Marketing leaders understand that technology is critical to their success &mdash 61% of marketers in our survey agree that "marketing technology is a key component in my marketing organization's success." To get the most from their technology investments, . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Interactive Attribution, Q4 2009

ClearSaleing, Visual IQ, And Atlas Lead, With [x+1] And Coremetrics Close Behind

by Emily Riley, October 20, 2009

In Forrester's 44-criteria evaluation of interactive attribution vendors, we found that while no vendor offers a fully formed solution, ClearSaleing, Visual IQ, and Atlas lead the pack. ClearSaleing, a standalone attribution tool with rich modeling, comes . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

The Online Testing Vendor Landscape

A Mature Discipline Offers The Next Frontier In Site Optimization

by John Lovett, October 20, 2009

Online testing is an underused technology solution in the burgeoning field of Web site optimization. Numerous methodologies and testing disciplines exist, each with evidence of success in improved Web site usability, increased relevance, and elevated . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

The Interactive Attribution Landscape

Understanding Emerging Offerings Across The Value Chain

by Emily Riley, October 20, 2009

Over the past year, a number of interactive marketing attribution offerings have emerged &mdash giving marketers insight into their marketing ROI and allowing vendors to create a more entrenched relationship with their clients. But early movers, such . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

The Intelligent Approach To Customer Intelligence

A Framework For Turning Customer Data Into Smart Business Strategy

by Dave Frankland, October 16, 2009

Marketers who measure the impact of their Customer Intelligence (CI) say that it not only boosts campaign-specific metrics but also improves customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction, as well as revenue, profitability, and customer value. Yet, . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

The Marketing And Customer Analytics Software Landscape

Unraveling A Potpourri Of Technology Options For Customer Analysis

by Suresh Vittal, October 16, 2009

Marketers recognize that Customer Intelligence is rapidly becoming a mission-critical discipline. This should come as no surprise — valuing, targeting, and retaining the best customers are skills in high demand. But few marketing organizations can muster . . .

For CMO & Marketing Leadership Professionals

Adaptive Brand Marketing

Rethinking Your Approach To Brands In The Digital Age

by Lisa Bradner, October 9, 2009

Today's brand marketing organizations are ill equipped to handle the world of "always on" marketing in the digital age. To remain relevant, marketing leaders will embrace Adaptive Brand Marketing — an approach encouraging rapid response to align consumer . . .

For Business Process Professionals

To Invest Wisely, Know The Business Value Of Diverse CRM Solutions

by William Band, September 30, 2009

To help customer relationship management (CRM) professionals make smart decisions and navigate the complex CRM technology landscape, Forrester surveyed 286 companies. The goal was to determine the business value-add adjusted for uncertainty of 19 types . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Adobe's Acquisition Of Omniture Rocks Online Marketing

by Suresh Vittal, John Lovett, September 24, 2009

On September 15, 2009, Adobe announced that it would acquire Omniture for $1.8 billion. Adobe's CEO, Shantanu Narayen, promised that the combined entity would help marketers "realize the full value of their digital assets." Forrester believes that while . . .