Canadian Marketers Behind in Research Spend

Canadian client marketers need to invest more in market research, according to the results of a survey conducted by Toronto-based marcoms specialist AgencyLink.

In the survey carried out among 620 agency heads from seven countries, Canadian client willingness to invest in market and communications research scored poorly compared with other nations.

In Canada, 38% of agencies regard marketers as being weak when it comes to investing in research, while only 16% say they are excellent or good in this area. This compares with the the US and UK where 24% of clients are rated weak while another 24% are rated excellent/good.

When asked to select the three most important areas for improvement of client performance in relation to their agencies, Canadian agency leaders rated strategic direction and briefings (71%); quality of decision-making process and streamlining approval levels (38%); quality of judgement and ability to understand agency's recommendations (34%); sharing information (33%); expertise, skills, and training for client marketers (25.5%).

However, Canadian client marketers rank the best among all the countries surveyed in their ability to inspire and motivate agencies, with 27% of Canadian agency leaders saying their clients are excellent motivators.

Dr Alan Middleton from York University's Schulich Executive Education Centre commented: 'This survey screams for more open and direct communications by clients with their agencies, for more investment in good marcoms research, and much stronger and earlier integration into marketing mix decisions.'

The survey of almost 40 questions was conducted online by AgencyLink, and simultaneously by SCAN International member companies in the US, UK, The Netherlands, France, Portugal, and Spain

Click here: www.agencylink.ca/documents/clientqualitysurvey.pdf for the full survey results.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.