MarOps: Data governance strategy
Ensuring the accuracy and privacy of marketing data is integral to the longevity and success of marketing teams. Leaders are under pressure to develop strategies that ensure compliance with data privacy regulations, while also ensuring that marketing data is accessible and accurate to the larger organization How are marketing leaders handling these nuances, and what challenges are they experiencing when executing their data governance strategies? One-Minute Insights on timely topics are available to Gartner Peer Community members. Sign up for access to over 100 more, and new insights each week.
One minute insights:
Just under half of marketers report their organization has experienced a breach of marketing data in the last 12 months
Data encryption, data segmentation and continuous monitoring are favored methods among marketing teams for protecting their marketing data
Nearly all respondents feel their organization’s data governance strategy is effective at ensuring compliance with data privacy laws
The most commonly selected challenge to implementing data governance initiatives is a lack of experienced personnel to do so
Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Data Officers are heading up data governance strategy and teams across organizations
Among respondents whose organization has a data governance strategy in place (n=92), nearly all (93%) say their organization also has a dedicated data governance team.
n = 92
Question shown only to respondents who answered ‘Yes’ to the question, “Does your marketing team have a data governance strategy in place for your marketing data?”
Of marketers who report their organization has a dedicated data governance team (n=86), 38% say the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is the individual who is primarily responsible for overseeing data governance of marketing data.
Who is primarily responsible for overseeing data governance of marketing data within your organization?
n = 86
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding Question shown only to respondents who answered “Yes” to the question, “Does your organization have a dedicated data governance team?” *Other includes: Chief Digital Officer 1%
Question: Do you have any final thoughts to share about building a data governance strategy for marketing analytics?
I believe that data governance is an essential part of any successful marketing strategy. It ensures data is accurate, ethical, and builds trust with customers. Leaders should develop a data governance strategy that is ongoing and reviewed regularly.
Marketing teams use data encryption, data segmen- tation and continuous monitoring to fight back against common data breaches
Have you experienced any breaches of your marketing data in the past 12 months?
Marketers are nearly evenly split when it comes to experiencing breaches of marketing data in the past 12 months. 51% report they have not experienced one, while 49% say they have.
n = 100
What processes do you have in place to ensure the security of your marketing data? Select all that apply.
Data encryption (61%) is the most selected process marketers have in place to ensure the security of marketing data. Data segmentation (56%), continuous monitoring (56%), data recovery plans (54%) and limited user access (51%) are the other top selected processes, reported by over half of marketing respondents.
Data backup contingency plans 48% | Compliance with privacy and legal regulations 48% | Data sharing agreements 38% | Regular software updates 27% | Standardized employee training 23%
n = 100
6% of marketing professionals report that their marketing data is fully transparent, and anyone in their organization can access it. Additionally, over a quarter (27%) say the data is very accessible, and anyone in marketing (and some additional personnel) can access it.
How accessible is your marketing data?
n = 100
The most commonly selected strategies deployed by respondents to ensure accuracy of their marketing data are standardized data requirements (53%) and implementation of internal analytics audits (53%).
Have you deployed any of the following strategies to ensure accuracy in your marketing data? Select all that apply.
n = 100 Deployed third-party data governance tools 38% | Implemented random data sampling 33% | Updated marketing team training 33% | Launched a data monitoring strategy 24%
Question: Do you have any final thoughts to share about building a data governance strategy for marketing analytics?
Data governance is an ongoing process that requires continuous evaluation, improvement, and adaptation to effectively manage and leverage data assets in support of your marketing goals.
Consider the entire lifecycle in your data governance strategy. The data acquisition, processing, analysis, archiving and disposal are all elements that need to be taken into consideration.
Marketers report their data governance strategy is mature across all elements, and most are confident in their organization’s ability to ensure data privacy compliance
Marketing professionals report their data governance strategy is fairly or very mature across the board. Nearly half (47%) say their data access strategy and data retention strategy are fairly mature, while 47% say their data recovery strategy is very mature, and 45% say their data archiving strategy is very mature.
How developed is your data governance strategy for the following marketing analytics elements:
Nearly half (45%) of respondents say they strongly agree that their organization’s data governance strategy for marketing analytics is accurate, transparent and efficient. Meanwhile, just 2% of marketers disagree or strongly disagree.
How do you feel about the following: “My organization’s data governance strategy for marketing analytics is accurate, transparent and efficient.”
How successful is your organization’s data governance strategy at ensuring compliance with data privacy laws for marketing analytics?
n = 100
Likewise, 94% of marketers say their organization’s data governance strategy is somewhat or very successful at ensuring compliance with data privacy laws, while just 1% say their organization’s strategy isn’t successful at all.
The top selected challenges to implementing data governance reported by marketers are a lack of experienced personnel (55%), data quality issues (53%) and integrating data across marketing resources (53%).
What challenges have you faced implementing data governance for your marketing analytics? Select all that apply.
n = 100
Lack of employee buy-in (i.e. no data governance culture) 40% | Lack of resources 35% | Lack of executive buy-in 20% | We haven’t started data governance implementation yet 5%
Question: Do you have any final thoughts to share about building a data governance strategy for marketing analytics?
Adopting a data governance strategy has led to more effective campaigns, increased sales, and revenue. We are also able to make better decisions with accurate data, using resources more efficiently and getting better returns on investment.
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Respondent Breakdown
Region
Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding Respondents: 100 marketing professionals whose organization has, or plans to have, a data governance strategy