• by Laurie Petersen , October 12, 2007

They see it all around them. More than 90% of the 250-plus marketers surveyed for a cross-industry study set for release at the ANA Annual Meeting say they plan to increase their digital spending. But plenty of obstacles stand in the way of fully embracing the new world disorder of fragmentation and personalization of media--culture being the biggest one.

While recognizing the importance of a digital culture, only 24% of the survey respondents think their organizations are digitally savvy. Among the barriers cited to making bigger digital investments are insufficient metrics (62%), lack of organization support (51%) and lack of experience in new media (59%).

In addition, almost 60% of participants believe creative, strategic and media capabilities should be rebundled--but there's no clear view of which type of agency should lead. Media partnerships--with both media companies and media agencies--are becoming more important to twice as many participants as traditional full-service agency partnerships.

The findings were part of a new "Marketing & Media Ecosystem 2010" study conducted by the Association of National Advertisers and management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. The study will be presented and dissected in a CMO roundtable on Saturday. The survey is the first in a multi-year joint partnership with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and American Association of Advertising Agencies.

As the media environment changes at an unprecedented pace, the study details how marketers and their agencies must change along with it. (See related story for the 11 qualities needed to succeed in the new world.)

"The impact of new media is changing the way marketers interact, target and distribute their marketing message," said Bob Liodice, president and CEO of the ANA. "As the marketplace shifts to a digital interactive environment, marketing organizations, agencies and media companies need to transform existing marketing agendas and capabilities to succeed."

"Now, consumers not only talk back to marketers and interact with marketing messages, but they also reshape and distribute those messages through global communities," said Booz Allen principal Andrea Rasmussen. "The mix of media channels has shifted from a one-way broadcast model to a set of dynamic two-way media forums."

Five key themes emerged from the study:

Marketing as Conversation: It's less about sending a message and more about conversing. More than half the marketers say they plan to increase their PR budgets to help in this regard.

Insight into Foresight: Technology enhances targeting capability and 80% of marketers surveyed place a high importance on behavioral targeting.

Media is the New Creative: Distribution and context rivals creative execution in importance. A new role of "communications integrator" is emerging that bridges the gap between media, creative and brand strategy. More than 80% of participants say communications planning capabilities will be critical moving forward.

Marketing + Math + Technology: Data quality, quantity and accessibility mean that math is everywhere. Leaders are more likely to have the metrics and capabilities to judge the effects of new media.

The Network Effect: Digital media requires a far higher level of collaboration and coordination across all players. Nearly 60% of survey respondents believe creative, strategic and media capabilities should be rebundled--but there is no consensus as to which type of agency should lead.

What's more, traditional creative partnerships are taking a back seat to media partnerships, with twice as many study participants saying that media company and media agency partnerships will become more important than traditional full-service agency partnerships.