In a Gartner survey of 400 marketing leaders, 81% claim a contingency plan to respond to disruptions. However, just 21% of respondents said they follow these plans, as marketers weather the storm of continued economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Conducted in November and December 2022, the survey also revealed that 44% of digital marketing leaders who enacted a contingency plan during an economic disruption event exceeded the organisation's year-over-year profit growth.
“With ongoing economic and geopolitical disruption, contingency plans are more important than ever,” said Greg Carlucci, senior director analyst in the Gartner marketing practice. “Having a plan is a good first step, but following through on that plan when disruption occurs is what really matters.”
Fighting disruption with budget agility
Nearly all respondents reported adjusting their marketing budgets in response to the current economic environment.
Positive budget adjustments effectively counter disruption: Respondents who increased spending relative to their contingency plan were nearly twice more likely to achieve year-over-year profit growth than those who decreased spending or did nothing.
In contrast, just 5% of respondents decreased their spending, reflecting marketing leaders’ increased appetite for the budget to deliver against their organizational objectives.
The three most utilised digital channels for B2B marketing organizations executing their 2022 marketing strategy were email marketing, social advertising, and SEO, highlighting these channels' effectiveness during disruption.
