Press Releases

Cambridge, Mass. — January 21, 2008 — Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE) today revealed the results of its annual Interactive Marketing Survey. This survey is designed to understand how marketers are implementing and tracking campaigns, the challenges they face and how they plan to allocate marketing spend across channels in 2008. The national survey is based on 120 senior level respondents, all of whom are either directly or indirectly responsible for managing digital marketing budget allocation across multiple channels.

The Interactive Marketing Survey revealed that marketers lack the tools necessary to optimize their marketing efforts across the full spectrum of digital channels.  Specifically, more than half the respondents felt only ‘somewhat confident’ or ‘not confident at all’ in their organization’s abilities to track campaigns across multiple channels in real-time, with only 19 percent reporting the ability to make campaign changes in less than 24 hours.

While social networking was cited the least “trackable” digital channel, according to the survey, it was the channel with the largest anticipated increase in marketing analytics spend for 2008. Only 12 percent of respondents tracked social networking campaign performance in 2007; in 2008, 42 percent anticipate using analytics to track this increasingly important channel.

Other findings of the Interactive Marketing Survey include:

Marketers Confident in Tracking Search and Email Campaigns
Email (32%) and Search (30%) were cited as the two channels that marketers were most confident in their ability to track

Cross-Channel Measurement is a Major Concern
1. Nearly half the respondents said they do not believe campaign data provided to them evenly measures and compares performance across all digital channels
2. Difficulty in comparing metrics across channels is the most common hurdle to accuracy in this area, cited by 28 percent of respondents

Shifting Spend in 24 Hours – Not an Easy Task
1. Only 19 percent of respondents said they could make changes in campaign spend in less than 24 hours: the rest would need a couple of days or more. In the fast-paced social networking world, this inability to move quickly could become a big issue for marketing organizations, if not properly addressed

Recent Acquisitions Cause Concern
1. Marketers are concerned about the wave of acquisitions involving Microsoft, aQuantive, Google, Double Click and others. 41 percent of survey respondents fear being lost in the shuffle with thousands of other clients as a result of consolidation in the online advertising industry

“While marketers have developed an aptitude for tracking more traditional online channels, the emergence of social networking further complicates the interactive landscape,” said Sapient Chief Creative Officer Gaston Legorburu. “In 2008, marketers will seek the ability to seamlessly incorporate this medium with their other channels, including search and email, and the capability to monitor and measure performance to ensure they are achieving optimum results.”

Legorburu also noted that the most forward-thinking marketers are already investing in new marketing analytics tools that allow them to analyze, measure and ultimately improve all elements of their multi-channel marketing campaigns quickly and seamlessly.

“In 2008, analytics will become the new black – the absolute, must-have essential for all marketing teams,” said Legorburu. “Without an effective analytics tool that can measure and fine-tune all online marketing campaign channels, marketers will be left in the dark wondering if they actually reached potential buyers in the dynamic social networking world.”

For marketers interested in taking their analytics strategy to the next level, Legorburu recommends that they take a look at BridgeTrack 5.0 (www.bridgetrack.com) – the only digital marketing suite that delivers real-time analytics, reporting and optimization across all media channels, including social networking. 

A full research brief providing detailed information on the findings of the Interactive Marketing Survey can be obtained by contacting Gail Scibelli at gscibelli@sapient.com. 

About the Interactive Marketing Survey
The Interactive Marketing Survey is a national survey designed to provide insight into how marketers are implementing and tracking campaigns, the challenges they face and how they will allocate marketing spend across channels in 2008. Sponsored by Sapient, the survey was conducted via Zoomerang, an online survey services provider, and polled 120 respondents, all of whom are either directly or indirectly responsible for managing digital marketing budget allocation across multiple channels.

About Sapient
Sapient, a global services firm, operates two groups—Sapient Interactive and Sapient Consulting—that help clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Sapient Interactive provides brand and marketing strategy, award-winning creative work, web design and development and emerging media expertise. Sapient Consulting provides business and IT strategy, process and systems design, package implementation and custom development, as well as outsourcing services such as testing, maintenance and support.

Sapient’s passion for client success—evidenced by its ability to foster collaboration, drive innovation and solve challenging problems—is the subject of case studies on leadership and organizational behavior used by MBA students at both Harvard and Yale. Leading clients, including BP, Essent Energie, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton International, Janus, Sony Electronics and Verizon, rely on the company’s unique approach to drive growth and market momentum. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sapient operates across North America, Europe and India.  For more information, please visit www.sapient.com.

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Sapient is a registered service mark of Sapient Corporation.