A prime area many will focus on is big data. In fact, a large share of the 616 marketing and advertising professionals worldwide surveyed by Warc in October 2017 said big data will be an important area for their business. Nearly six in 10 (59%) agencies said so, as did 55% of brands.
And that's not surprising. The use of data to improve marketing efforts—and to measure them—is virtually universal.
But it's not just big data that many are prioritizing. Customer service is another important element of digital transformation that a majority of brands and agencies plan to focus on next year.
Organizational aspects, like restructuring the marketing team or changing the company culture, remain somewhat top of mind among marketing and advertising professionals. Meanwhile, investment in marketing technology lags behind these categories.
Only 16% of agencies said marketing tech will be important to their client's business, while almost as many brands said that it's something they will prioritize for their company in 2018.