Dark MarTech sounds ominous and will prove to be for many companies.
So, what is “Dark MarTech”?
It is home grown marketing technology that Brands build themselves internally, ranging from simple spreadsheet applications to fully grown digital asset, campaign and content management solutions.
Often driven by a desire to develop a short-term solution for a business problem, the initial business case probably stacks up. Over time, however, an array of marketing technologies with no common platform will create longer term challengers around data aggregation, system integration and scalability.
An in-house solution developed by a Brand will rarely retain its competitive position, and ultimately will slow the organisation down. Without significant continuous investment and an effective change programme these technologies struggle to keep pace with the wider industry. These technologies are not core to the business and will fall from grace in the IT priority list fairly rapidly.
Businesses must consider a unified marketing technology stack and garner advice from vendors that are looking at integrated marketing solutions that tick a handful of the categories listed in TKMs MarTech Glossary of terms.
Even in 2017, Marketing Teams continue to adopt technology at a remarkably slow rate, due mainly to;
- legacy decisions around Dark MarTech that the new mobile and data generation of marketers are now having to live with and attempt to change.
- The number of technologies available to marketing teams is frightening. This may be overwhelming for many organisations where no decision is preferable to what could be a bad decision. However, as brands aim to stay relevant no decision is often a bad decision (sound familiar?)
- The skills shortage in marketing teams can inhibit successful user adoption, so Marketing departments have become a graveyard of failed implementations. No one, therefore, is willing to take on the role as champion and own the problem.
For many marketers retaining relevance is challenging enough. Many Brands struggle to compete unless they accept and prioritise the need for a more effective technology eco-system to drive customer acquisition, retention and reactivation.
Can homegrown solutions work? Of course, for a while, but eventually it will be time to move on, and planning for change now may save your brands relevance in the future.
Understanding how the marketing tech ecosystem fits together is non-negotiable for future success. Start planning now because in 2 years it may just be too little too late.
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TKM Consultants – Preparing for A Changing World
Anil Noorani
Managing Partner, TKM Consultants