Marketing for a New Age: Being Digital vs. Doing Digital

To thrive in an increasingly technology-dominated world, marketing organizations need to adopt a unique set of traits that are helping the world's top digital companies dominate the competition—traits we call their "Digital DNA." These traits should be at the heart of everything an organization does. Yet a recent study by Facebook and Deloitte found that most marketing organizations surveyed are still at the stage of "doing digital" rather than "being digital"—using digital technologies to make incremental improvements to the status quo, but not yet weaving digital into their DNA. This finding is consistent regardless of company size, industry or geography. Through ongoing research and surveys over the last three years, Deloitte identified 23 DNA traits that characterize a digitally mature organization. To see how marketing organizations around the world are progressing on their journey, Facebook and Deloitte conducted this latest follow-up study, including a survey of 383 marketing executives and managers across a wide range of industries and geographies, along with in-depth interviews of top marketing executives. The study revealed nine Digital DNA traits that are particularly important for marketing. In six of these areas, marketing organizations are generally still at the stage of "doing digital"—leveraging digital technologies to extend their capabilities, but still relying largely on traditional business, operating and talent models. In the other three areas, marketing organizations are further along the maturity curve and are actually "becoming digital" at their core, not just dabbling with it around the edges. DNA traits: 'Doing digital' In these areas, marketing organizations have begun to develop their Digital DNA and are making significant progress, but still have a long way to go. Although they are building digital capabilities, they have not yet woven them into their everyday business, operating and talent models. DNA traits: 'Becoming digital' In these areas, marketing organizations are becoming more synchronized and less siloed, and are actively weaving digital capabilities into their business, operating and talent models. Although most have just crossed the threshold from simply doing digital, they are on a strong trajectory to making these digital traits part of their DNA. Tackling the top barriers to digital To move up the digital maturity curve, marketing organizations need to become more agile. According to the study, nearly half (46%) don't believe they currently have the ability to manage unplanned change without it slowing them down. Training is another key issue, with 48% of study participants saying they don't believe their digital skills training is effective. Organization structure is also a significant barrier, with more than half of marketing organizations (51%) still constrained by traditional hierarchies that revolve around formal roles and levels. In the end, success or failure often comes down to culture. At the moment, 41% of marketing organizations do not believe their culture supports digital adoption. By weaving Digital DNA into their underlying fabric, marketing organizations can lay the groundwork for being truly digital and position themselves for success in an increasingly competitive business environment. Activating the digital organization Marketing organizations don't have to address everything at the same time, and they shouldn't. Rather, they should think about the short-term need to stay competitive and the long game for sustainability. As it relates to these barriers, a review of current governance structures and tweaks to the decision-making process could remove some formal barriers to agility. Additionally, enabling employees to form the right networked teams based on business need rather than on formal and traditional functional ownership can yield intuitive new solutions for how the business can best be organized for success. This intentional infusing of Digital DNA into a current organization is crucial to building the desired Digital Organization—it's about organizing, operating and behaving in a new way. And when game-changing technologies combine with the right DNA, the sky's not even the limit anymore. About Deloitte Digital At Deloitte Digital, we are guided by an aspiration to elevate the human experience. Together with all of Deloitte, we connect creativity, technology, people, and ecosystems to make an impact that matters to our clients and to society across the globe. We imagine, deliver, and run the future to deliver on the promise of digital transformation and create sustainable business futures. Learn more at www.deloittedigital.com

Marketing for a New Age: Being Digital vs. Doing Digital

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