• by Ray Schultz , April 1, 2019

Email systems are the most effective types of martech being used by brands, according to Marketing Technology Utilization, a study published on Monday by Ascend2.

Of the marketers polled, 53% rate marketing automation/email/CRM systems as effective, making them the leader. Only 27% say they are difficult to implement.

In contrast, 43% report that marketing data/dashboard/analytics are effective. And 39% feel they are difficult.

Optimization, personalization and testing technologies are seen as effective by 35%, and 50% believe they are difficult. 

There’s no question that martech budgets are going up to some extent: 63% plan to moderately increase their budgets, and 26% plan to significantly add to them. In comparison, 11% will decrease their spending, and 3% plan to increase them significantly. 

The study also shows that firms will add to their martech stacks quarterly, 28% monthly, 22% semi-annually and 12% annually or more. 

Companies turn to martech to achieve the following goals: 

• Improving marketing ROI — 61% 
• Increasing marketing ROI — 57%
• Improving decision making — 38%
• Gaining competitive advantage — 34% 
• Attributing revenue in marketing — 32%
• Improving data security — 24%
• Integrating disparate systems — 20% 

• Increasing marketing ROI — 47%
• Improving marketing efficiency — 40%
• Attributing revenue to marketing — 39%
• Gaining competitive advantage — 35%
• Integrating disparate systems — 33%
• Improving data security — 31%
• Improving decision making — 29% 

But they face several critical challenges:

• Increasing marketing ROI — 47%
• Improving marketing efficiency — 40% 
• Attributing revenue to marketing — 39%
• Gaining competitive advantage — 35% 
• Integrating disparate systems — 33% 
• Improving data security — 31% 
• Improving decision making — 29% 

Of the firms represented, 43% rate themselves as successful or best-in-class, and 52% rate themselves as somewhat successful. Only 5% say they are unsuccessful.

Ascend 2 and its Research Partners surveyed 245 marketing influencers. Of those, 24% work at companies with more than 500 employees, 34% in firms with 50 to 500 staffers and 42% with fewer than 50. The sample was split between B2B (40%) B2C (41'% and B2B and B2C equally.