• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 19, 2015

According to the results from IBM’s latest Global C-suite study, reported by Marketing Charts, 64% of CMOs around the world believe that Mobile Solutions and the Internet of Things (62%) will be the most important technologies in the next 3 to 5 years.

And from Marketo and the Economist Intelligence Unit, CMOs and senior marketers tabbed the Internet of Things (IoT) as the future trend having the most impact on marketers by 2020, with real-time mobile personalized transactions closely following.

The results from the study indicate that CMOs are slightly more likely than the C-suite as a whole to see the future impact of the Internet of Things (IoT). Research suggests they are already seeing some early benefits from IoT. According to a 2nd Watch survey of 500 marketing and IT decision-makers in mid-size and large companies, 40% are using machine data to support digital marketing. While they are in the beginning stages of doing so, 70% reported success in meeting or exceeding their IoT-based digital marketing goals, says the report.

Top uses in digital marketing included better understanding of customer preferences, powering campaigns and promotions, and to a lesser extent, driving customer-facing web and mobile apps.

The results of the IBM study show that C-suite executives the world over believe that technology factors (72%) and market factors (71%) are the biggest external forces transforming the competitive landscape. Unlike the C-suite overall, though, CMOs were more likely to see market (78%) than technology (74%) factors as buffeting their organizations, says the report.

Concluding, the report notes that 81% of C-suite respondents expect more digital/virtual interaction with customers by 2020, as opposed to 8% expecting more face-to-face interaction. Likewise, 66% expect a greater focus on customers as individuals, as opposed to 21% projecting a greater focus on customers as segments.

For additional information from IBM, please visit here… or, from Marketing Charts, visit here.