The current view and outlook for the future of marketing automation

Abstract

The purpose of the following paper is to provide an overview of the current state of marketing automation the methodology by which process design and technology may be harmonised to enhance both efficiency and effectiveness of marketing execution creating a framework through which to view the papers within this issue of the Journal. Given the increasingly complex marketing environment, challenged by channel complexity and consumer fragmentation, marketers are turning to a more sophisticated set of marketing technologies to manage the campaign planning and execution process. The purchase and implementation of these tools has appeared in a multitude of varieties, however. Some marketers have chosen to host the tools remotely, whereas others retain control on premise; some selected single point solutions whereas others invested in full suite solutions, requiring complex integration into legacy custom solutions or into their larger web of business information systems. Further complicating this purchase process is the constantly shifting vendor landscape comprised of several hundred companies that are in a state of near continuous consolidation. © 2009 Palgrave Macmillan.