50% of UK Marketing Execs predict major transformation in 2012

Are you all geared up for the new year ahead? According to a new survey, most of the marketing folk are done with the plans for 2012 and their predictions are worth noticing.
More than half of the 3,357 marketing executives polled, or 53%, believe that their departments will take on a new shape over the next 12 months, as they face a number of challenges, ranging from the economy to the growth of digital media.

Nearly one in six surveyed say that a downward revision of the budget for 2012 is the major factor that causes restructuring, while 14% see the boundary between marketing and other departments blur, thus causing remodelling in shape and function.

Apparently, the transformation processes started back in 2010, when almost two in three marketing departments intended to make changes. As markets started to reshape, so did a number of companies, including British Gas, News International, Everything Everywhere and ITV, which all made structural adjustments in 2011, trying to improve their efficiency and to respond adequately to new trends.

The study also gave an insight into salary status in the sector, with the average salary for marketing directors rising 4.2% last year on an annual basis, while marketing managers saw a 10.7% drop. Those in charge of digital and e-commerce operations registered 5.2% growth on the same measure and heads of insights and research teams saw a 5.6% increase.