Marketing managers in Switzerland are guided by customer needs and data

According to the report, Swiss marketing managers place the consistent handling of data across teams at the top of their list of priorities. It is also crucial for them that the various sources are brought together.

They are also aware of the associated challenge of having to consistently comply with country-specific data protection regulations. This ranks third on the list of biggest challenges in Switzerland, while it is not listed in the top 5 in the overall survey or in Germany. The second highest priority is innovation, which is also classified as the second biggest challenge.

Since the pandemic, marketing experts believe that the workplace in particular has changed (58%). In addition, organizational challenges have increased (57%). The Swiss figures for this change are ten points above the global average.

Also, in Switzerland specifically, the importance of marketing strategies in the areas of content (52%), data management (46%) and digital engagement (46%) is increasing significantly.

"In less than a year, marketers have had to adapt to a shift in customer behavior that typically takes place over several years," said Bernd Wagner, senior vice president and head of cloud sales at Salesforce.

Accordingly, three quarters of respondents in Switzerland believe that it is more difficult to meet customer expectations than last year. To meet their increasing demands, marketers are continuing to drive the digital transformation they had already initiated before the pandemic. Almost all (97%) have changed their digital engagement strategy as a result of the pandemic, and 91 percent have adjusted their marketing channel mix.

But what do these changes mean for marketing?

The more digital the customer, the more digital the marketing

Almost all (97%) Swiss marketers surveyed say they have adapted their digital marketing strategy since Corona. Video (93%), digital advertising (86%) and digital content (79%) are the most widely used marketing formats in Switzerland.

In times of home office, collaboration is crucial

Because the office is no longer the only place to work, it is not only the interaction with target groups that needs to be redesigned, but also that in the workplace. Nearly half (48%) expect hybrid working to continue after the pandemic. At the same time, more than three-quarters (77%) say collaboration is more challenging today than it was before the pandemic. Connectedness to work colleagues* has also changed over the year: Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) have moved closer to their manager despite physical distance, and as many as 77 percent feel more connected to customers.

Metrics and KPIs in constant change

The strategic importance of marketing is increasing - and with it its value contribution to the company's results. This also has an impact on the measurement of success. More Swiss marketers measure their success in terms of customer satisfaction (86%) than in terms of revenue (80%) In this, Switzerland differs from all other countries surveyed, where most marketing departments measure their success in terms of conversion, revenue or customer acquisition costs.

Data is the new marketing gold

Because marketing data is necessary for targeted and personalized marketing, it is being pulled in from increasingly diverse sources. In fact, respondents estimate that the average number of data sources they use will increase from 8 in 2020 to 15 in 2022. Despite this increase of almost one hundred percent, Switzerland lags behind other countries in this aspect: for example, in Germany, no fewer than 25 data sources are expected to be combined by 2022.

The CRM provider Salesforce has published for the seventh edition of its annual State of Marketing Report conducted a survey of over 8,200 marketing managers in 37 countries and six continents. The latest report reveals changes, but also shows what has proven itself and remains.