The Marketing Tech Lab in Hamburg presented the results of its latest Marketing Tech Monitor on Wednesday. The study sheds light on the level of technological maturity in marketing, sales and service in the DACH region. According to the study, only 3 percent of the companies surveyed achieve a high level of integration in their MarTech infrastructure.

Companies with a high level of maturity are characterized by defined strategies, structured project procedures and cross-functional collaboration. These so-called "leaders" work with roadmaps, systematically analyze customer journeys and use advanced CRM and CX systems. On the other hand, there are laggards who fail due to unclear responsibilities, a lack of target images and too many different tools.

Projects between power play and passion

In addition to technical and organizational hurdles, the study also highlights interpersonal tensions as a stumbling block for digital transformation. Over 60 percent of failed projects lacked either experienced project managers or clear documentation of requirements. Power conflicts between departments were identified as a key obstacle. "Successful transformation requires less 'PowerPoint romanticism' and more resilient methodology and content," the report states.

Data management as a gold mine

There are still major deficits in the area of data management. Only a few companies have established consolidated data structures. A lack of integration, poor quality and limited access are slowing down progress in personalization and the use of AI. Companies with a higher level of maturity are making targeted investments in data lakes, quality assurance and access concepts.

CX as a business priority, faltering AI implementation

Although the importance of customer experience is recognized, implementation remains fragmented in many cases. Only around a third pursue a systematic, cross-channel approach. The report emphasizes that CX initiatives are only effective if they are based on a solid database and a clear target system.

The picture is also mixed when it comes to artificial intelligence: although more than 50% of companies have an AI roadmap, operational implementation is rare. Only 11% actively use AI, and this is mainly in the areas of content management and conversational AI. Higher-value applications such as causal AI or marketing mix modeling remain the exception. The development of internal skills is considered a prerequisite - but is only a priority for around 2 percent of respondents.

"Our analysis this year clearly shows that without clean data, clear responsibilities and a well thought-out roadmap, projects for data-driven customer interaction will be a gamble," says Dr. Ralf Strauss, Managing Director of Marketing Tech Labs. "However, those who think strategically and focus on people can successfully shape the digital transformation."

German communications consultant Thomas Mickeleit, formerly Director of Communication at Microsoft, presented the "CommTech Index Report 2025" in Zurich last week. This study is based on a survey of corporate communications practitioners from companies and agencies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

In a podcast discussion with Christoph Soltmannowski from Text Akademie, Mickeleit explains why the euphoria surrounding digitalization and AI does not automatically lead to real innovation: Investment skews, skills gaps and regulatory risks - keyword EU AI Act - are slowing down progress.

Data competence is becoming a critical factor for budget defense and creative stakeholder journeys. Failed newsroom concepts call for holistic change processes instead of pure technology implementation.

What counts now? Retraining offensives, balanced budgets and experimentation spaces for data-driven dialog communication. Communication professionals must master the marathon of digital transformation in order to be able to use artificial intelligence for stakeholder-centered communication.

The CommTech Index Report 2024/2025 is available here download.

Although the index is stagnating, digitalization projects are taking place across the board, as other data from the survey shows. Large PR agencies in particular have understood that GenAI has a massive impact on their traditional business model and have therefore invested heavily. This has enabled them to increase their index score from 44 to 48 and overtake all companies. In a country comparison, Switzerland is clearly ahead with an index score of 49, while Austria, with an index score of 44, is slightly below Germany with 45 index points.

Digitization as a marathon

The realization that digitalization is not a sprint, but a marathon, is spreading and is reflected in the self-assessments of where companies and agencies stand in their digitalization. The most startling figure is the percentage decline in the large communication departments that see themselves as "innovators" in digitalization. While 12% still believed they had practically completed their digital transformation in 2023, this year it is only 1%. "There is a growing realization that digitalization requires more time and greater effort, especially because technological leaps - namely GenAI - are significantly raising the bar once again," explains Thomas Mickeleit, head of the CommTech working group.

At the same time, there is movement among small organizations in particular. While 36% still considered themselves to be "latecomers" in the previous year, this figure has now fallen to just 20%. This suggests that small organizations have also taken steps towards digitalization. "But one thing is clear: the large communication departments are pace-setters for digitalization. This can be seen across all the dimensions surveyed," says Caren Altpeter, Co-Chair of the Digital Working Group of the German PR Association DPRG.

Increasing investments in AI

If the respondents, who do not all decide on budgets, have their way, there will be more investment in AI tools, training and education in particular. At first glance, the willingness to invest in process automation, owned media and content creation is encouragingly high. However, a comparison with the previous year is sobering: In all topics except AI tools and training, the willingness to invest is falling, in some cases drastically. "This could become a problem. The strong focus on investment in AI is slowing down digitalization across the board. However, to reap the full benefits of AI, you need a digital infrastructure on which AI tools are based," warns Dr. Andreas Jäggi, Managing Director of the Swiss CommTech initiative ComImpact.

Biggest obstacles: System integration and lack of skills

The biggest barrier to digitalization remains the integration of different systems. The larger the organizations are, the more important this factor becomes. However, the respondents consistently rated the barriers as lower than in the previous year. Many of the hurdles are attributed to a lack of expertise and skills in the team. The respondents' self-assessment of their ability to identify technologies that are useful for communication work differs greatly from this finding. A majority of 54% believe that they are well or very well equipped for this. It is therefore all the more important for communicators to take a close look at their team and close any potential skills gaps

AI is not yet being used strategically in communication

There is great interest in AI and communicators are much more positive about the topic than the population as a whole. 81% of respondents in this survey see AI as an opportunity for their work. However, this is not yet reflected in its actual use. Although more than half (57%) use generative AI in the workplace "occasionally", only 38% have established AI as a daily, integral part of their work. This figure is slightly higher for PR agencies at 44%. It is not yet possible to speak of a strategic use of AI.

At 90 percent, the "production of texts" is currently the most frequently used application for generative AI. 71 percent see a great or even very great benefit in the use of generative AI. Not a single respondent stated that they did not see any benefit.

Impact measurement remains a work in progress - but there is hope

According to the survey, only 56% of all communications departments are aware of the tone with which they are reported on. This means that almost half of communications managers are unable to say whether their company is being talked about well or badly. Key figures that come much closer to success reporting - such as reputation, share of voice or brand value - are only used by a minority. "There is therefore a lot of catching up to do here, which can be done very quickly and with a low budget thanks to artificial intelligence. The necessary AI tools have been developed and are "on the shelf", says PRVA President Ingrid Gogl. This also seems to have reached those responsible, because when asked which key figures should be collected in 12 to 18 months, reputation (14%), return on investment (12%) and brand value (14%) are on the rise. Still low values in the end, but a glimmer of hope for further positive development.

The CommTech Index is an indicator of the digitalization of communication departments and PR agencies in Germany. It was surveyed for the second time in 2024, including Austria and Switzerland for the first time. 352 participants took part in the survey. The CommTech Index Survey was supported by Convento, Dentsply Sirona, the Institute for Management and Economic Research (IMWF), E.ON Deutschland and SwissRe.

The 2024/2025 report can be can be downloaded free of charge from the AG CommTech website.

The initiative, supported by the association ComImpact, wants to make the key competence Commtech quickly, broadly supported and uncomplicatedly accessible to the Swiss marketing and communication people; for this purpose it plans a series of events, a training offer as well as a symposium for effective communication, which will take place on June 10 at the Six Convention Point.

The founding of Comimpact has met with a very positive response so far, according to those responsible. The association is currently negotiating with numerous other possible partner companies and organizations that want to contribute their commtech expertise to the network. "I am pleased that we can announce such notable and weighty additions in a short period of time, and that we will be able to conduct regular learning opportunities for interdisciplinary, data-driven approaches to communications management and success measurement, whether live or online, starting this summer," continues Cyril Meier, chairman of Comimpact's board of directors.

The association is open to additional partners and aims to have reached a dozen active partner members and educational partners by the end of the year.

The program for the "Comimpact 21 - Key Competence Commtech" conference on effective communication has also been finalized. Speakers include Frank Bodin, President of ADC Switzerland, and Jon C. Iwata, former President of Marketing and Communications at IBM and mentor of the Page Society. Participants can also expect interactive labs in which they can explore CommTech in 70-minute sessions using one of three real-life examples. Four best practice cases will round off the half-day program.