Abstract
PurposeThe present study seeks to outline the role of marketing automation (MA) in measuring the return on marketing activities and the challenges associated with reaching accountability in marketing.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate the objective of the study, the authors adopted a qualitative approach, conducting an exploratory study among ten key informants located in Portugal.FindingsBased on the results of the qualitative analysis, a conceptual framework is proposed, which includes both strategic- and operational-level factors with the goal of creating a value-based agenda. In this agenda, executives such as the Chief Marketing Officer emerge as value creators, fostering business scalability, and further arguments are provided to justify budget allocation to MA activities.Originality/valueThrough careful research of the elements that characterize the phenomenon under study, the present paper ultimately contributes to a better understanding of MA and accountability within the current business paradigm.
Highlights
In a world governed by rapid technological changes and volatility, the creation of value and business survival is dependent on effective data gathering and analysis
4.1 The demand for accountability in marketing through marketing automation (MA) implementation Our findings reveal that firms consider it essential that marketing managers and their teams are held accountable for the activities undertaken and the direct results these activities have on profitability and sustainable competitive advantage
Manager 4 highlighted that the role of a marketer is “more and more (. . .) oriented towards metrics and measuring practically everything,” which reinforces the notion that marketing activities are increasingly dependent on analytics, which includes tracking and measuring, and data-driven decisions, as numbers are continuously compared to the past
Summary
In a world governed by rapid technological changes and volatility, the creation of value and business survival is dependent on effective data gathering and analysis. In such an uncertain environment, Vrontis et al In order to cope with the evolving environment, advancements in information technology (IT) have brought an increasing amount of data available to companies (Ku€bler et al, 2017). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
