State of Agile Marketing Report Tetralogy by AgileSherpas

Annual

STATE OF AGILE MARKETING REPORT

REVOL AGILE MARKETINGUTION THE EVOLUTION OF THE

Wanna hear something cool? You’re reading the 1st Annual State of Agile Marketing Report, and that title isn’t an accident. It’s so named because we’re committed to doing a second annual State of Agile Marketing study. And a third. And a fourth. Because we believe Agile marketing is here to stay, and we want to help track its inevitable march across the marketing world. For our inaugural study, we asked hundreds of marketers whether they consider themselves to be Agile, what made them take the leap into agility, and what good stuff they found on the other side of that change (among many other things). And the results are, in my opinion, striking. To be honest, when we sent this little survey out into the world I wasn’t sure what we’d get back. I’ve debated with other Agile leaders on how rapidly Agile has been spreading in the world of marketing, and I always seem to be on the optimistic side. Fortunately for marketers everywhere, these results corroborate several earlier studies that put adoption in the 21-30% range 12-18 months ago. We’re now at

adoption, and I couldn’t be more excited.

But here’s the catch: the Agile marketing revolution is not quite what like we expected. What I see in these numbers is something unique. Our methodologies, practices, maturity levels —none of it perfectly mirrors our counterparts in the development world. We can learn from them, but we can’t follow directly in their footsteps. And if you ask me, that’s just fine. We’re marketers. We’re quite used to doing things our own way. I can’t wait to see what we come up with. Agile always, Andrea Fryrear President and Lead Trainer AgileSherpas

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first annual State of Agile Marketing study shows rapidly growing adoption of Agile principles and practices among marketing teams. Groups practicing some form of Agile marketing were far more likely (81%) to be satisfied with the way their department handles work than those using traditional waterfall processes (44%) or who handle their work in an ad hoc fashion (27%). Agile marketers also report a higher emphasis on producing quality work than their more traditional counterparts.

37 %

of marketing teams are using an Agile process

Following an Agile transformation, marketers use a wide variety of practices. The most common are user stories (51%), frequent releases (47%), and retrospectives (43%). When it comes to methodologies, no single approach seems sufficient for Agile marketing teams. Relatively few report using Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban, and Lean; the most popular choice (44%) is a combination of multiple methodologies. Agile marketers enjoy a host of benefits from their updated process. The ability to change gears quickly (55%), better visibility into project status (52%), and higher quality work (47%) were the three most widely reported. Marketing teams who have not yet made the switch to Agile report two big barriers: a lack of training or knowledge about Agile approaches (38%) and a belief that their current process is working well enough (26%). Despite these hurdles, 30% of traditional marketing teams are currently considering an Agile experiment, and 14% are experimenting with Agile in pockets of their department. Nearly two-thirds of traditional marketers (61%) report plans to begin an Agile implementation sometime within the next year.

44 %

of Agile marketers report using a hybrid methodology

61 %

of traditional marketers report plans to go Agile within 12 months

Top 3 Benefits of Agility

Change gears quickly

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

Better project visibility

Higher quality work

#StateofAgileMarketing

CONTENTS 01

The Evolution of the Agile Marketing Revolution

04-07

Executive Summary

Section 1: Process, Priorities, and Purpose

08-09

Section 2: Agile Marketing Teams

10-14

Section 3: Agile on the Rise

PROCESS

PRIORITIES

PURPOSE Which of the following most accurately describes your marketing team’s process? 40.3%

Traditional

4.6%

None of the above

18.4%

Ad hoc

36.7%

Agile

Traditional

We plan our work in advance using a lot of detail and try to stick as closely as possible to that plan.

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

Ad hoc

We don’t make long term plans. We work on what seems right from day-to-day and don’t have a well-defined process for managing incoming work.

Agile

We use at least some parts of an Agile marketing approach to manage our work, such as daily standups, a backlog, sprints, kanban board, etc. We have plans, but they’re flexible and change often.

#StateofAgileMarketing

How satisfied are you with the way your marketing department currently manages its work?

3.2% 2.7% 2.4%

1.1% 21.6% 3.2%

51.6% 48.6% 13.5%

34.7% 21.6% 59.5%

9.5% 5.4% 21.4%

Our process is the worst.

We don’t manage work well at all.

Could be better, could be worse.

We have a good handle on our work.

We’re a well-oiled marketing machine.

Traditional teams

Ad hoc teams

Agile teams

80.9% of Agile marketers are satisfied with how their teams manage work, compared to 27% of ad hoc teams and 44.2% of traditional teams. Traditional teams

44.2%

27%

Ad hoc teams

80.9%

Agile teams

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

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Which of the following is a high priority for your marketing department in 2018? Check all that apply. 53.3% 44.8%

44.4%

35.9%

30.4%

39.5% 20.3%

Releasing marketing work more quickly

Ability to change gears in response to feedback

Producing higher quality work

Better alignment with organizational goals and objectives

Increased employee satisfaction and morale

.3%

Agility and quality go hand in hand.

Increased productivity of marketing teams

Prioritizing the most important work

Producing higher quality work is a priority for: 6%

o Ad h

A g il e

46.

ams

68.3% of Agile teams place priority on quality work, compared with only 46.3% of traditional teams.

io n

tea

T r a dit

44.

te am s

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Why GO AGILE? What were the most important reasons for adopting Agile within your marketing department? Check all that apply. 48.4%

Increase innovation

44.4%

Accelerate delivery of campaigns

35.7%

Improve project visibility

64.3%

23.8%

Improve productivity

Better manage distributed teams

26.2%

48.4%

Enhance predictability of campaign delivery

36.5%

Enhance ability to manage changing priorities

Improve team morale

46%

Improve alignment with other teams/business objectives

What benefits does your marketing department get from using an Agile process? Check all that apply.

Ability to change gears quickly and effectively based on feedback

Roadblocks and problems are identified sooner

Faster time to get things released

Improved team morale

Better visibility into project status

40.5%

34.9% More effective prioritization of work

54.8% 51.6%

Better alignment on business objectives

Higher quality of work

42.9%

46.8%

More productive teams

38.9%

31.7% 37.3% AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

AGILE

Marketing Teams

How long has your marketing department been practicing Agile?

31.7% 29.8%

16.7%

15.9%

Less than a year

3-5 years

1-2 years

5+ years

Which of the following have been the most valuable during your adoption of Agile marketing? External Agile consultants or trainers

26.2%

Consistent practices and processes across teams

48.4%

External classes or workshops

33.3%

Implementing an Agile project management tool

42.1%

Online training and webinars

43.7%

Company-provided training program

24.6%

Executive sponsorship

19.8%

Internal Agile coaches

23.0%

Internal Agile support team Other

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

19.0% 1.6%

#StateofAgileMarketing

Which Agile methodology to you follow most closely?

Scrumban 10.7%

Kanban 12.7%

Hybrid (multiple methodologies) 44%

Lean 12.7%

Scrum 17.9%

Agile marketers

Other 2%

are not content to use a single methodology. Many respondents (44%) have combined one or more existing methodologies to create their own system.

What Agile techniques and practices does your marketing department use? Check all that apply. 50.8% 39.7%

46.8% 42.9%

34.1% 32.5%

34.9%

27.8%

32.5% 22.2%

Daily standup

Kanban board

User stories

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

Planning Retrospectives Sprint/ poker/ iteration estimation planning

Frequent releases

Short iterations

Work in Progress (WIP) Limits

Sprint/ iteration review

Other

#StateofAgileMarketing

AGILE ON THE RISE

A 2016 study conducted by Wrike reported that 21% of marketers were “using an Agile approach to manage our work today,” and a similar 2016 survey from Workfront found that 30% were using Agile. The average of those two data points is 25.5%. Our 2018 study indicates solid growth in Agile adoption, with 36.7% of our respondents calling themselves Agile.

How Marketers Get Things Done The State of Agile Marketing in 2016

21%

21% indicated using an Agile approach (2016 study by Wrike)

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

30%

Annual

STATE OF AGILE MARKETING REPORT

25.5% 36.7%

30% indicated using an Agile approach (2016 study by Workfront)

25.5% represents the average of those two data points

36.7% of our respondents referred to themselves as Agile

#StateofAgileMarketing

How would you rate your marketing department’s Agile maturity? 29.5% of traditional marketing teams are considering an Agile experiment

29.5%

13.7% are experimenting with Agile in pockets of their department

13.7%

Ad hoc teams are farther away from an Agile transformation, with only 20.3% considering an Agile initiative

20.3%

2.7% are experimenting with Agile in some way

2.7%

44.4% of Agile teams say while they’re using Agile practices, they’re still maturing

44.4%

19.8% assign themselves a “high level of competency” with Agile practices

19.8%

7.9% say their Agile practices are “enabling greater adaptability to market conditions”

7.9%

What is the biggest barrier preventing your marketing department from more completely implementing an Agile approach? Our current process is working well enough 26.0%

Lack of training or knowledge about Agile approaches

We don’t have time to try something new

We’re already completely Agile 2.5%

6.4%

We don’t have the right tools to support an Agile approach 5.3%

I don’t know 16.7% No support from management or executives 5.3%

37.9%

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

When does your marketing department plan to implement Agile? 23.7%

35.8%

22.9% 14.7% 2.9%

Traditional teams Within the next 6 months

Next month

Within the next year

2-4 years from now

No plans to implement

Ad hoc teams 3.4%

2.4%

3.9%

14.2%

68.5%

Time to Make a Change 61.3% of traditional marketing teams have plans to start down the Agile path within the next 12 months, while 35.8% have no plans to go Agile any time soon.

On the other hand, only 27.6% of ad hoc teams are planning Agile transformations in the next year, with 68.5% reporting their teams don’t plan to to change their approach. AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

METHODOLOGY/

Demographics

The first Annual State of Agile Marketing survey study was conducted in December 2017. It was produced by AgileSherpas and sponsored by Kapost. The study was conducted via online survey and includes responses from 693 marketers, most of whom (96.4%) were based in the United States. Responses from non-marketers were excluded from survey results. Respondents represent a wide variety of company sizes, industries, and marketing specializations. Which role below best describes your current (or most recent) position?

Marketing associate: 5.0% Marketing manager: 10.8%

Director: 43.0%

President or senior vice president: 21.0%

CMO or other executives: 20.2%

Which of the following most closely describes the industry you work in?

Advanced Manufacturing Business Services

22.1%

Consumer and Retail Financial Services Health Care and Life Sciences Information Technology Other

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

7.1%

17.3% 8.2% 7.2% 13.2% 24.9%

#StateofAgileMarketing

Would you classify your organization as primarily B2B or B2C?

B2B

B2C

25.5 %

27.6 %

MIX OF BOTH

46.9 %

How many total employees, including freelancers, are in your company’s marketing organization? How many employees are in your entire company? 10 or fewer 43.3%

100499 16.7%

Less than 100 50.1%

5001,000 15.3%

11-20 12.3% 21-30 8.8%

1,0015,000 10.5%

31-50 11.5%

More than 5,000 7.4%

51-70 6.8% More than 70 17.3%

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

AgileSherpas and Kapost thank everyone who took the time to complete this survey, as well as the team at SurveyGizmo for helping to make this project possible.

AgileSherpas is the leading global Agile marketing training and consulting organization focused on helping cutting-edge marketers get better results by applying an Agile mindset to their process. Co-founded by Andrea Fryrear and Peter Martin, AgileSherpas offers public workshops, online learning, customized private training, and coaching to marketing teams of all sizes, from Fortune 100 brands to startups. Visit agilesherpas.com to take the first steps on your own Agile journey.

Kapost enables B2B marketers to thrive in the age of the customer and consistently tell rich, resonant stories across channels and at scale. We work with leading companies, from IBM to GE to FedEx, who are transforming their content operations in order to elevate content out of functional silos and meet demands for greateragility and quantifiable impact. Through services and software, Kapost helps marketers build and manage a content operation that produces the right content for the right customer at the right time. Make marketing matter more. Learn how at kapost.com.

AgileSherpas.com | Kapost.com

#StateofAgileMarketing

State of Agile Marketing Report SECOND ANNUAL

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

1 | INTRODUCTION

What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There “ The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein Whether Einstein actually said the above remains a point of debate, but the sentiment (and its applicability to twenty-first century marketing) is accurate regardless of its source. The energy and enthusiasm around moving to Agile marketing models have exploded in the past year. In the Second Annual State of Agile Marketing Report that follows (produced in partnership with the project management heroes at CoSchedule), you’ll meet several types of marketers. We have ad hoc marketers, a group that embodies the frantic, interrupt-driven marketer stereotype. This group is twice as likely as traditional or Agile marketers to report that they’re dissatisfied with how they manage work, but nearly two thirds of them told us they have no plans to try for a more Agile approach. Then there are our traditional colleagues, a group that focuses heavily on up-front planning. These folks are pretty happy with their current approach (55% say they’re satisfied or very satisfied), yet half of them plan to head down the Agile marketing path within a year. And then, of course, we have our Agile marketing cohort. These forward-thinking marketers revealed their go-to Agile practices (user stories and daily standup for the win!), along with the three biggest drivers of a successful Agile adoption (consistent practices and processes, online training, and the right project management tool).

While the way they work varies, all three groups share a commitment to higher quality work, prioritizing important projects, and getting things released faster. Those goals all sound nice, but for most marketing teams they’re highly aspirational (read: borderline impossible). Most of us are stretched too thin to bother with quality. We can’t say no to external requests, so prioritization boils down to who’s yelling at us the loudest. And with under-resourced teams, external dependencies, and undiagnosed bottlenecks plaguing us, we’re much more hare than tortoise. Here’s the deal: we can’t expect to transform marketing by managing our work the same way we always have. We can’t do the right work at a higher quality and a quicker pace without making some serious changes. You’ll find insights into what those changes look like in this report, including the prevalence of hybrid frameworks, but you’ll also hear that many of us aren’t making a change because things seem to be going “well enough.” Different results require a different process. Modern digital marketing demands agility. If you want to get to a different place, you need a different path. My hope is that the data we’ve compiled for you can illuminate that path, or at least its first few steps. Andrea Fryrear, Agile Marketing Coach and Co-Founder,

AgileSherpas

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

Executive Summary Adoption Levels and Barriers

50% of traditional marketers plan to adopt Agile within a year

Agile marketing appears to have taken hold in about one third of marketing teams, with 32% of respondents claiming this label. Another 50% label themselves “traditional,” meaning they focus on up-front planning and then try to stay true to that plan. The third group, ad hoc marketers who do little planning and try to work on what seems best from day to day, make up another 15% of marketers. Traditional marketers are the most likely to make the move to Agile, with half saying they plan to start transitioning within a year. Twenty-seven percent of the 400+ marketers we surveyed told us that they weren’t more Agile because their current processes are “working well enough.” This adoption barrier is now a close second to the top hurdle, a lack of education (cited by 31% of respondents).

Agile Marketing in the Wild Within Agile marketing teams, hybrid frameworks—those that draw from multiple frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban—remain the dominant choice, with 54% of Agile marketers using some combination of Agile approaches. This is a significant gain over 2018, when only 40% of Agile marketers said they were using a hybrid framework. It’s becoming increasingly clear that copying and pasting existing Agile frameworks isn’t the right approach for marketing, which means a familiarity with all approaches is vital to marketing agility. Additionally, our respondents cited the consistent use of processes and practices across teams (45%), online training and webinars (33%), and the implementation of an Agile project management tool (32%) as the top drivers of success when making the switch to Agile marketing.

54% of Agile marketing teams use a hybrid framework

Overcoming Barriers and Realizing Benefits

31% of marketers cite lack of education as top barrier to adopting Agile

While executive sponsorship and tools may seem like significant hurdles, far more respondents cited a lack of education (31%) and a belief that current processes are doing OK (27%) as their biggest barriers to agility. Agile marketing is well worth the effort, however, as teams that have made the switch say they’re able to change gears quickly and efficiently (53%), get better visibility into project statuses (44%), and identify roadblocks and problems sooner (40%).

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

3 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS Around a third of marketers have adopted Agile processes of some kind, and education is the most often cited reason for delayed adoption. Despite hurdles, half of traditional teams say they plan to make the move to Agile within a year.

BUILDING AN AGILE ENVIRONMENT Small, scrappy teams are often associated with being Agile by necessity, and while the data supports this view, it also reveals that Agile can flourish in the enterprise, too. In fact, marketers in the enterprise tend to be the most in need of a process overhaul.

HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS There are three crucial pillars to a successful adoption: education, consistent practices and processes, and tools. Recall that education remains the most commonly cited barrier to agility; you’ll see below that training of all kinds is the best way to counteract this.

WHY AGILE MARKETING RULES Marketers of all kinds share similar priorities, including quality, prioritization, and speed. Comparing these to the benefits of Agile marketing, we see that Agile teams are far more likely to achieve their goals. They use a variety of tools to get it done, but tend to be far more satisfied with processes than their ad hoc colleagues.

DEMOGRAPHICS Most respondents to our survey were US-based. They work in both B2B and B2C organizations of all sizes, primarily as marketing associates, managers, or directors.

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

4 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

Which of the following most accurately describes your marketing team’s process? 50% Traditional We plan our work in advance and try to stick as closely as possible to that plan.

32% Agile We use at least some parts of an Agile marketing approach to manage our work, such as daily standup, a backlog, Sprints, kanban board, etc. We have plans, but they’re flexible and change often.

Agile marketing adoption continues to hover around the one-third mark, with a slight decline from 2018 data (37% reported themselves Agile last year).

15% Ad hoc We don’t make long term plans. We work on what seems right from day to day and don’t have a well-defined process for managing incoming work.

3% None of the above Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

How long has your marketing department been practicing Agile? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

30%

AGILE IS A YOUNG MOVEMENT

46%

of those who practice Agile marketing report they have been doing so for 2 years or fewer.

27% 23%

20%

19%

18% 13%

10%

Less than a year

1-2 years

3-5 years

5+ years

Don’t know/not fully Agile

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

5 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

What is the biggest barrier preventing your marketing department from more completely implementing an Agile approach? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

A lack of understanding is still holding us back, but a belief that current processes are working “well enough” comes in a close second. Unfortunately in the highly volatile, hyperdigital world we all work in, “well enough” is no longer good enough.

40% 30%

31% 27%

20%

16%

10%

11% 6%

t s to ile ge try si en ls h Ag ed es es gh m ves to ew l o c c e y o e l w h a t o u ag ti te im g n pr no no ac ht pro an cu e t thin ple nt ll e r k pro rig ap v m exe e o m p a r e e e r o m or h ile ng ile a ’t h m cu g w yc e t Ag fro ini on so ur rkin av an ad rt ra t Ag d e t h O o t e alr of ou pp wo n’t or W su ck ab ’re do upp e o e La s N W W

’t on

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When does your marketing department plan to implement Agile? Next month

Within the next 6 months

Within the next year

2-4 years from now

No plans to implement

THERE IS A LOT OF INTEREST IN AGILE

50% of traditional teams plan to implement Agile within a year.

Traditional teams

Adhoc teams

13%

12%

24%

13% 5%

46%

15% 4%

25%

62%

50%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

75%

80%

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

6 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

Top 3 Drivers for Marketing Agility

Improve productivity (56%)

What were the most important reasons for adopting Agile within your marketing department? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

60%

56% 40%

Able to change priorities (45%)

42%

37%

36%

Accelerate delivery of campaigns

Improve project visibility

20%

Increase innovation (42%)

45%

Improve productivity

Enhance ability to manage changing priorities

Increase innovation

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

3 Steps to Overcoming Barriers & Going Agile

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

Dispel Agile Myths

Understand Your Options

Start a Pilot

Make sure your whole organization understands what Agile marketing really means (it’s not just about speed).

Don’t automatically default to Scrum. Explore Kanban, Lean, and Theory of Constraints to design your own custom approach.

Choose some excited team members and start experimenting. Document their successes and failures, then spin up more teams over time.

RESOURCE: What Is Agile

RESOURCE: Agile Marketing

RESOURCE: 3 Steps to Agile

Marketing

Certification via ICAgile

Marketing

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

7 | BUILDING AN AGILE ENVIRONMENT

How many employees are in your entire company?

Percentage of respondents who labeled their marketing team as Agile

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

Small, scrappy teams are often associated with being Agile by necessity, and while the data supports this view, it also reveals that Agile can flourish in the enterprise, too. In fact, marketers in the enterprise tend to be the most in need of a process overhaul.

50%

45%

40% 30% 20%

18%

13%

10%

18%

0% Fewer than 100

100-499

5001,000

1,001 5,000

More than 5,000

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

How many total employees, including freelancers, are in your company’s marketing organization?

Percentage of respondents who labeled their marketing team as Agile

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

40%

40% 30% 20%

22%

10%

20% 10%

0% 10 or fewer

11-30

31-50

51-70

More than 70

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

8 | HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS

Which of the following have been most valuable in your adoption of Agile marketing?

Most valuable in adopting Agile:

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

Consistent practices and processes across teams (45%)

50% 40%

45% 13%

30%

33%

32%

20%

Online training and webinars (33%)

24% 20%

18%

10%

16%

14% 10%

0% t s s rs ip m es ps nt am se ec ra ch ina rsh ta ers oj ool sho te g es ms l a r b o t c o u o r s e a o pr e p t t ork ns ain po on pr s te d w ec gil en r w co r tr sp n ing up gil A nd ros a m e s n o o A e l i a n e s e iv s ac ing gi al tra g a nag sse gil ut rn lA n ice d c n i A i a a e t a e a e l l t t c r a rn In Ex ra en m al c vid et rn m xte ro tp te rn lin e E p l n n e n I t p e O ny Ex ist Im pa ns m Co Co

Implementing an Agile project management tool (32%)

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Which Agile techniques and practices does your marketing department use? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

50% 44%

40%

42%

30%

32%

31% 28%

20%

27%

26%

22% 16%

10%

13%

0% up

ily

rie

sta

to rs

s ro

t Re

o W

s es gr

i rk

tiv

c pe

its

s n rd ns ing se io iew io oa at nn ev b lea at r a r m e l n r e n sti ba np nt t it tio r/e an or ra ue tio e K h e a q k t r S e o te t/i Fr gp t/i rin n n i p i r n S Sp an Pl m

li P)

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

9 | HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS

Which Agile methodology do you follow most closely? 54% Hybrid (multiple methodologies) 11% Lean THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO DO AGILE

4% Scrumban

54%

21% Scrum

of Agile marketers are using a hybrid approach

9% Kanban 1% Other

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

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What benefits does your marketing department get from using an Agile process? Agile marketers using a hybrid methodology

All other Agile marketers

80% 60% 40%

61% 45%

47%

47% 30%

20%

23%

0% Ability to change gears quickly and effectively based on feedback

Higher quality of work

Faster time to get things released

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

10 | WHY AGILE MARKETING RULES

Which of the following is a high priority for your marketing department in 2019? (Check all that apply) Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

60%

52% 40%

43%

41%

39%

38%

20%

23%

Producing higher quality work

Prioritizing the most important work

Releasing marketing work more quickly

Ability to change gears in response to feedback

Better alignment with organizational goals and objectives

Increased productivity of marketing teams

Increased employee satisfaction and morale

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What benefits does your marketing department get from using an Agile approach?

Top Benefits of Agile Marketing Teams:

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

60%

Change gears quickly (53%)

53%

40%

44%

40%

39%

36%

Visibility into projects (44%)

33% 28%

20%

28%

25%

Roadblocks identified sooner (40%) 0% s s s k d es rk ed ale m m tu or an tiv as or ea wo c e sta ly ack ble ner of w t l f e m k t o e e r o b bj ic y ec no sr tiv am lit d p so qu ed oj so io uc te ing at rs n fe o pr an fied qua es d h d z a t n i s o i i e e r o t rit er nt ck ent us ov ge e g ed ep io lo yi gh pr nb or pr to ng bas bilit db re id m Hi o a I e M a e t i a ch ely tiv is Ro en tim ec rv to tiv r nm eff te tte g ity ffec i s l l e i e r B e Fa ra Ab Mo tte Be

Higher quality of work (39%)

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

11 | WHY AGILE MARKETING RULES

What is the current primary method of managing work in your marketing department? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

50%

MARKETERS ARE OLD SCHOOL

40%

26%

42%

30%

26%

20%

of marketers are using spreadsheets as the primary way of managing work in their department

10%

17% 9%

0% Spreadsheets A single Physical project board(s) management and/or sticky tool notes

We don’t have any work management tools in place

Several different tools

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What is the current primary method of managing work in your marketing department? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

50% 46% 46%

40% 37%

30% 30% 26%

20% 10%

15% 11% 9%

23%

20%

12%

10%

Physical board(s) and/or sticky notes

Spreadsheets

A single project management tool

Traditional teams

Agile teams

Several different tools Ad hoc teams

We don’t have any work management tools in place

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

12 | WHY AGILE MARKETING RULES

Are your work management tools used consistently across the entire marketing department?

62% Yes, everyone uses the same set of tools 4% Unsure 34% No, different teams use different tools Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

How satisfied are you with the way your marketing department currently manages its work? Agile teams

Traditional

Ad hoc

58% either satisfied or very satisfied

11% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied

55% satisfied or very satisfied

11% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied

32% satisfied or very satisfied

25% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

When it comes to the processes being used to start making progress toward teams’ top priorities, Agile and Traditional teams have similar feelings about how their work management approach measures up. Ad hoc teams, however, aren’t pleased with how things are going.

AgileSherpas.com | CoSchedule.com

13 | DEMOGRAPHICS

The Second Annual State of Agile Marketing survey was conducted in January 2019. It was produced by AgileSherpas in partnership with Mantis Research, and sponsored by CoSchedule. We collected responses from 447 marketers via online survey. The majority of respondents (96%) were based in North America. Responses from non-marketers were excluded from these published results. Respondents represent a wide range of company types and marketing roles, as outlined in our demographic data below.

How many employees are in your entire company?

Which role below best describes your current (or most recent) position?

50%

40%

50%

40%

30%

32%

31%

30% 20% 20%

18%

20%

10%

13%

15%

10%

1% Bu s O ine w s ne s r

ct or Pr es i Vi de ce n Pr t/S es en id io en r C t M O o ex r ec oth ut e iv r e

More than 5,000

ire

1,0015,000

5001,000

100499

M a M rke an ti ag ng er

Fewer than 100

M As ark so et ci ing at e

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

How many total employees, including freelancers, are in your company’s marketing organization?

How would you classify your organization?

50%

40%

46% 30%

30% 20%

20%

19% 10%

17% 12%

24%

21%

10%

11%

0% 10 or fewer

11-30

31-50

51-70

More than 70

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

B2B

B2C

A mix of both

Nonprofit Government

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2019 | AgileSherpas and CoSchedule

About AgileSherpas: AgileSherpas is the leading global Agile marketing training and consulting organization focused on helping cutting-edge marketers get better results by applying an Agile mindset to their process. Serving marketing teams of all sizes, from Fortune 100 brands to startups, AgileSherpas provides public workshops, online learning, customized private training, and coaching services. Visit agilesherpas.com to take the first steps on your own Agile journey.

About CoSchedule: CoSchedule is the only way to organize your marketing in one place. As a family of agile marketing products, CoSchedule serves more than 7,000+ customers worldwide, helping you stay focused, deliver projects on time, and keep your entire marketing team happy. As one of the top 15 leading software providers on the Inc. 5000 list and recognized in Gartner’s 2019 Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms, CoSchedule is the fastest-growing solution for mid-market and enterprise companies seeking a unified marketing platform. Visit CoSchedule.com to learn how implementing a unified project management platform facilitates your agile marketing process.

RD EDITION

STATE OF AGILE MARKETING REPORT

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

2 | INTRODUCTION

Climbing Toward the Next Peak of Marketing Agility

While the buzz around Agile marketing has been undeniable for years, our Third Annual State of Agile Marketing marks a turning point in many ways. This year, we collected responses from 637 marketers, most of whom hail from North America. They showed us that not only is Agile adoption accelerating (Agile marketers outnumbered all other groups this year!), ever-higher numbers of Agile marketers report enjoying key benefits of agility. We can also see crucial Agile practices are spreading to more and more teams as the maturity of Agile marketing teams steadily increases. For long-time Agile marketing nerds like myself, there’s a lot to be excited about. But the journey toward marketing agility is, in many ways, just beginning. Some of the biggest hurdles we now face are our own attitudes. In the coming months and years, I suspect the battle we’ll see is agility versus inertia. Traditional marketers are still enamored with the status quo, feeling that their processes are good enough to get along. Ad hoc marketers, those who operate without a long-term plan and struggle with incoming requests, are deeply dissatisfied with how they work. Yet, they report the lowest likelihood to transition to Agile in the immediate future. There’s no denying we’re making our way towards the peak of marketing agility, but there’s still a lot of mountain ahead of us. Let’s keep climbing.

Andrea Fryrear, AgileSherpas Co-Founder

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Marketers’ interest in Agile is stronger than ever. 41% of marketers report currently using Agile and, of non-users, 42% plan to adopt it. Of these, the vast majority would like to do so in the next year.

42% of traditional marketers plan to adopt Agile within a year

Lack of training and a feeling that current processes are working “well enough” remain the two most commonly cited barriers to marketing agility. However, when we compare the differences between Agile teams and their non-Agile counterparts, it becomes clear that processes that are “good enough” fall short of Agile ways of working.

Agile marketers are more likely than other groups to be satisfied with how their team is working and the results they can achieve. 74% of Agile marketers are satisfied, compared with just 58% of traditional marketers and 34% of ad hoc marketers. Two-thirds of Agile marketing teams have been practicing for at least 3 years, but most admit that while they are using Agile practices, they’re “still maturing.”

75%

of Agile marketers are satisfied

Hybrid frameworks continue to be the most common ways for marketers to embrace agility. Most hybrid Agile marketing teams say their choice came from their unique activities that didn’t fit with traditional Agile approaches.

47%

of Agile marketers use a hybrid approach

Proper training remains critical in successful Agile adoption. In-person and online training are cited as some of the most valuable elements in an Agile marketing transformation. The most popular training methods are Agile marketing-specific certification courses and in-person team trainings.

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

4 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

MARKETING PRIORITIES AND HOW AGILE HELPS

Marketers who label themselves as Agile now outnumber both traditional and ad hoc groups. Non-Agile marketers cite a lack of education and relative satisfaction with their current processes as the biggest barriers to greater agility.

Quality, productivity, and alignment with business objectives top the list of priorities for all kinds of marketers, but Agile teams report greater success in achieving these ends.

AGILE VS. TRADITIONAL VS. AD HOC MARKETING TEAMS Ad hoc marketing teams are by far the unhappiest with how they manage work. Agile teams, on the other hand, enjoy operations and feel prepared to deal with the changing digital landscape.

WHAT AGILE MARKETING LOOKS LIKE

DEMOGRAPHICS

More marketers than ever report using key Agile practices like daily standup and kanban boards. They also continue to favor hybrid frameworks rather than traditional ones like Scrum.

Most respondents were from North America, but they represent a wide variety of organizations.

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

5 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

Which of the following most accurately describes your marketing team’s process? 42% Agile We use at least some parts of an Agile marketing approach to manage our work, such as daily standups, a backlog, Sprints, kanban board, etc. We have plans, but they’re flexible and change often.

More marketers are labeling themselves Agile than ever before. This year, we see a jump of ten percentage points in the Agile category, paired with a 9 point decline in those who identify their teams as traditional.

41% Traditional We plan our work in advance using a lot of detail and try to stick as closely as possible to that plan.

16% Ad hoc We don’t make long term plans. We work on what seems right from day to day and don’t have a well-defined process for managing incoming work. n=637 Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

How long has your marketing department been practicing Agile? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=259

40%

66% OF AGILE MARKETING TEAMS HAVE BEEN PRACTICING FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS.

40%

30%

10%

26%

24%

20%

10%

0% Less than a year

1-2 years

3-5 years

5+ years

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

6 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

How would you rate your marketing department’s Agile maturity? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=266

60% Over half of Agile marketing teams note they have room to improve. Very few say they have a high level of competency, despite the increase in teams using Agile for multiple years.

53% 40%

20%

18% 9%

Using Agile practices but still maturing

High level of competency with Agile practices

Experimenting with Agile in pockets

Agile practices are enabling greater adaptability to market conditions

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What were the most important reasons for adopting Agile within your marketing department? n=267

60%

58% In 2020, marketers are more likely to turn to Agile ways of working to help with changing priorities, improving team morale, better managing distributed teams, and enhancing predictability of campaigns.

54% 49%

40%

44%

42% 36%

32%

31% 26%

20%

s e n le of of th ity ag ra tio am wi its ty ry ry ns bil i o e i l t e t an ities ova i s e m d liv aig vi m r en un d ab liv n te m ess de mp ct ct de to prio e in am ro i u n e e p j e y d b t g a n t o e it g e as tri ra c ali usin ove pr pr aig bil gin ov re dis ve s/b ele pr ve ce amp pr e a han nc c e o I o n r c h m g r I t c p m a Im A p ha c Im r tea ce an Im En m an e r h h e t tt o En Be ty

ivi

t uc

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

7 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

Which other teams in your organization are using an Agile methodology? n=265

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

60% Agile marketing teams looking for allies should turn to their colleagues in Sales and IT/ Software, the two groups most commonly cited as fellow Agile functions.

52%

49%

40%

31% 20%

28% 17%

Sales

IT/Software development

Finance

Human resources

None of the above

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Plans and Hurdles for Non-Agile Teams Does your marketing department plan to implement Agile marketing?

When does your marketing department plan to implement Agile marketing? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=368

43% Yes

n=152

50% 40%

46%

49%

30%

25% No

20% 10%

32% I don’t know Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

0% Within the next 6 months

Within the next year

2-4 years from now

Interest in Agile marketing is high among those not already using it, and there’s a strong sense of urgency to change ways of working in the immediate future. Last year, only 32% of non-Agile marketers said they’d make the switch within the next 6 months.

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

8 | AGILE MARKETING ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

What are the biggest barriers preventing your marketing department from more completely implementing an Agile approach? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=368

50% COMPARED WITH 2019, MORE THAN

40%

44%

43%

30% 20%

AS MANY MARKETERS BLAMED THEIR DELAY IN AGILE ADOPTION ON NOT HAVING THE RIGHT TOOLS IN 2020.

22%

10%

21%

16%

15%

0% s o o m ge try si tt st fro ves es gh to ew led hes ol ach en gile t c l o r u i e w a n o t c t ro po cut im g tt oA pr no no oa e t thin igh app up exe gh m t nt ell e r k ppr i r s v e r o r a e e a ha me ur w he te No t or th gil ng le n’t so r c king k t the n ini Agi ve an A o u c e a a r r a d t t O o h t m e e l rm w of ou ge W n’t or W sfo na ck ab do supp n a a e La m tr W

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

No Excuse Not to Train ONLINE

SELF-DIRECTED

Multiple training organizations offer accredited workshops to allow attendees to become a Certified Professional in Agile Marketing (ICP-MKG):

No time to travel? You can still get certified with AgileSherpas’ online version of the ICP-MKG certification workshop:

Webinars, podcasts, books, articles, and online classes on Agile marketing are just a simple search away. We’ve collected a ton for free here:

http://bit.ly/agile-mktg-cert

https://agilesherpas. getlearnworlds.com/

agilesherpas.com/resources

IN-PERSON

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

9 | MARKETING PRIORITIES AND HOW AGILE HELPS

Which of the following will be a high priority for your marketing department in 2020? Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=633

60%

51%

48%

40%

47%

Marketers are increasingly focused on increasing productivity (+10%), aligning with their organization’s goals (+9%), and improving team morale (+9%), all benefits enjoyed by Agile teams.

46% 38% 31%

31%

20%

0% l r t e n rk er na os si ou ye wo kly m ork igh ork ar ack lo rale tio ives of ams h e p a g e c y g db h w g w iz t it te tin qui em mo g t nt an jec cin lity tiv g ing ee ke rg ob ing and ar ore zin orta uc etin du qua ng to f o i s t d a o d a i m m r n e th n ro ark Pr Ch nse io imp cr io wi als a ing ep m Pr o In fact as th e ing go sp l s i e n g t r Re lig sa sin a a r e cr tte In Be

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What benefits does your marketing department get from using an Agile approach? n=267

Agile adoption delivers on expectations for marketers more than ever as the adoption of practices continues to expand. Twice as many Agile marketing teams reported improved productivity in 2020, and those enjoying better prioritization nearly doubled as well.

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

60% 53%

53%

51%

51% 46%

40%

46% 40%

36%

20%

0% s s s d rk ale tu ive an lem er ta or wo ct s b ly ack f e m n t k o j r o b b ic yo ec iv am lit g d p so oj io so ct qu ed te at pr ua es an fied rs n fe du hin d z q n a i t s o o i i e e o t s rit er nt ck ent pr ov ge io bu e g ed lo yi gh re pr o pr ng bas db re id m ilit Hi on I e a a et Mo b t i v a ti is ch ely im Ro en ec rv rt to tiv nm te eff ty ec t g ste i i l l e a e i r F B eff ra Ab Mo tte Be d

a ele sr

e et

fw no

Diff Pri: Chnaging Gears

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

10 | MARKETING PRIORITIES AND HOW AGILE HELPS

Diff Pri -Pri the mos imp work

Differing Priorities: While marketers share many priorities, regardless of how they get things done, there are some stark differences between what traditional, Agile, and ad hoc marketers are focused on:

Traditional teams

Agile teams

Ad hoc teams

g Gears Changing gears in response to feedback Diff Pri -Pri the mos imp work Prioritizing the most important work 30%

ng Gears

37%

52% 45%

Diff Pri: Better Align

Better alignment with organizational

mos imp goals work and objectives

Diff Pri: Better Align

16%

mos imp work

39%

Producing higher quality work

Diff Pri: Prod higher quality work 44%

52%

51%

56%

42%

38%

Diff Pri: Prod higher quality work Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

Q11: Satisfied/Very

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

11 | AGILE VS. TRADITIONAL VS. AD HOC MARKETING TEAMS

How satisfied are you with the way your marketing department currently manages its work? Traditional

Q11: DIS -Satisfied/Very satisfied/very satisfied

Ad hoc

Agile

dissatisfied/very dissatisfied

58%

34%

16%

74%

Agile marketers are far more likely to be satisfied with their processes than those on either traditional or ad hoc teams. Dissatisfaction is twice as common on ad hoc teams.

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Different Views on Alignment and Adaptability My marketing team can handle fast-paced work

Our marketing team’s strategy is aligned with our organization’s vision

I’m confident our marketing team can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Agree/strongly agree

70%

79%

81%

82%

86%

89%

48%

56%

65%

Traditional

Agile

Ad hoc

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

12 | WHAT AGILE MARKETING LOOKS LIKE

Which Agile methodology do you follow most closely?

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=266

50% Hybrid frameworks remain the popular approach for marketers looking to go Agile, with nearly half of teams citing this way of working as their preferred method.

40%

47%

30% 20%

17%

10%

14%

11%

Kanban

Scrumban

0% Hybrid

Lean

Scrum

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What factor(s) lead you to using a hybrid Agile approach?

Most Agile marketers using a hybrid approach do so because they have unique needs that traditional frameworks can’t satisfy. Many tried an “out of the box” approach and evolved from this starting point.

We have unique marketing activities that didn’t fit with traditional Agile approaches

50%

We tried traditional Agile approaches (e.g. Scrum) and adapted them based on what worked and what didn’t

43%

We were part of a larger organization-wide Agile transformation and adapted the Agile approaches being used by other groups in the transformation

24%

Our organization’s culture wasn’t a good fit for traditional Agile approaches

20%

We’re in a highly regulated space that made traditional Agile approaches difficult to follow

19%

We didn’t have the right people with the right skills to follow a traditional Agile approach

15% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

*Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=125

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

13 | WHAT AGILE MARKETING LOOKS LIKE

Which Agile techniques and practices does your marketing department use? (Top 10 responses) *Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=267

60% 58% Every item on this list increased in adoption compared to 2019. Agile practices are being adopted more completely inside the marketing function, an excellent indicator of the growing maturity of the movement.

46%

40%

43%

41%

38%

37%

34% 30%

28%

20%

22%

0% up

ta yS

rie

s er

tro

ive

e sp

eq Fr

ele tr Di

a git

nin

b an

r ite

rin

io at

n pla

i ing

es gr

its

iew

io at

) li

r ite

rin

i at

t t/i

v re on

l ica

b an

or W

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Which of the following have been most valuable in your adoption of Agile marketing? *Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=267

60% 51%

40%

44%

44% 39% 32%

20%

25%

22%

rs ip ks ile ile ng nd ina oo ing rsh Ag ool Ag ers ini s a ms b l b a o e n r a s t t a ic we nd ke rn ain nt g a nt on ct te s a mar Exte or tr ra oss sp nd tin me rso e a p l n e e r e e s iv nt c tic le -p m ag ing ut he te s a In Ar Agi ple man ain ec ac t sis sse r x o t u n m E e I ct c o e Co roc e ab lin oj p On pr

Want to ensure a strong rollout of Agile in your marketing organization? Consistency and training are the keys according to Agile marketers.

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

14 | WHAT AGILE MARKETING LOOKS LIKE

How are you training yourself in Agile marketing techniques?

*Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

n=175

Get your marketers training in their area of expertise. Marketers prefer courses tailored to their profession, as well as options that can serve their entire team.

60%

56% 40%

56% 43% 38%

34%

20%

c or ns .g. ire io cifi es ” f rs nt ns , e er t r e s e a e p s n c e io se in de -s ur th cat tifi ur t Ow ra lea r t r o it ng n co e fi e e fo rti n c uc tc th gil ke o ing t ce ar cati tio rod ou in al A n a a h i m P r t u c fi i n t r fi ra o w ile rti n “ ter rti r o n t ith Ag ce so in ing ce ste so r w r r n e e i a e o il M -p tra -p h Ag In In , wit ne er crum i l h am On Ot d S te fie rti Ce

AgileSherpas.com | Aprimo.com

15 | DEMOGRAPHICS

Demographics The Third Annual State of Agile Marketing survey was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020. It was produced by AgileSherpas in partnership with Mantis Research, and sponsored by Aprimo. We collected responses from 637 marketers and business owners via online survey. The majority of respondents (96%) were based in North America. Marketers reported a range of professional experience, with 28% on the job for 5 years or less, 49% in marketing for 6-15 years, and 22% working in the field for more than 15 years. Responses from non-marketers were excluded from these published results. Respondents represent a wide range of organizations and were drawn primarily from senior marketing professionals, as outlined in the the demographic data below.

Estimated Annual Revenue*

Current Position*

Number of Employees in Your Marketing Department*

40%

30%

38% 30% 24%

25%

20%

13%

10%

11-50

51-100

ct or S en M O i or Pre or V sid ic ot he e e r e nt xe cu tiv e t/

50%

25%

20%

19%

30%

100+

Pr es Vi ce

Industry*

43%

1-10

ire D

sin Bu

g in ar

ke t

or m or e

m ill io n

99 9. 9 to

50 0

m ill io n

1b ill io n

m ill io n

m ill io n to

99 .9 10 0

m ill io n

49 9. 9

m ill io n 9. 9

15% 10%

21% 10%

Nonprofit

Government

nc ia na Fi

Bu sin

C *Source: State of Agile Marketing 2020 | AgileSherpas and Aprimo

0% O

B2B & B2C

ce s

B2C

B2B

10%

11%

s d um re e ta r il es ss er vi ce s M an uf ac tu H rin ea g lth ca re sc and ie li nc fe es

22%

ls er

m ill io n

1m ill io n 1m ill io n

18%

Type of Organization*

20%

40%

31%

10%

Un de r

20%

23%

20%

31%

20%

30%

About AgileSherpas: AgileSherpas is the world’s leading Agile marketing training, consulting, and coaching organization. We guide marketing departments toward high performance by translating successful Agile practices to work inside the marketing profession. Our highly-trained coaches take organizations from zero to Agile in less than 18 months using the Marketing Agility Ascension©, our proprietary transformation model proven with over a thousand marketers at dozens of organizations. This journey blends AgileSherpas’ coaching and consulting expertise with world-class certifications from the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile), so every member of the transforming organization receives opportunities for professional development while discovering more effective ways of working together. Visit AgileSherpas.com to start your own ascent toward marketing agility.

About Aprimo: Aprimo provides technology solutions for content, operations, and performance that enable enterprises to optimize their brand experiences and the resources they use to deliver them. Our platform gives enterprises the advantage by streamlining and governing all the behind-the-scenes activities – from ideation to distribution – involved in delivering exceptional brand experiences.

STATE OF AGILE MARKETING REPORT

TH ANNUAL

Survey conducted in partnership with

2 | INTRODUCTION

Agility Brings Resilience to Marketing This time last year, as I sat down to draft the introduction to the 3rd Annual State of Agile Marketing report, I was on a return flight from Switzerland. It was the second of what was supposed to be many, many trips spent working with clients, attending industry events, and visiting friends and family in 2020. As I reflect on the data for this year’s report, I haven’t boarded a plane in 13 months. To say that 2020 didn’t go as planned would be a laughable understatement.

Andrea Fryrear President and Co-Founder, AgileSherpas

When considering a partner for this (most unprecedented) year’s study, Forrester Research represented the perfect pairing. We’ve been both thankful and honored to work with their team of experts this year to better understand just how marketers are getting amazing work done in a climate that’s been, ahem, interesting. But despite the myriad challenges, as I review the insights from hundreds of fellow marketers, I see positivity and resilience. A whopping 84% of the Agile marketers we surveyed said Agile was important in navigating 2020. They continue to be optimistic about their department’s or organization’s ability to handle the ever-increasing pace of digital marketing work. They believe they can act quickly when new opportunities arise. And, perhaps most importantly after a year of extreme imbalance, our Agile respondents remain happy with how their team handles work. Traditional marketers are twice as likely as Agile ones to be dissatisfied; ad hoc marketers, who forgo planning to work on whatever seems best at the moment, are more than six times as likely to rate themselves as dissatisfied. This is the real reason I’m excited to learn that, for the first time ever, over half of participating marketers labeled themselves as being Agile. In a profession often marked by long hours, unrealistic expectations, and unsung heroism, the growing adoption of a framework that emphasizes sustainable pace and empowered teams is a beautiful thing. Read on to learn how marketing departments are supporting the long-term adoption of Agile through training and coaching, project management tools, and changes in the way they plan and budget. Dig through the data to see the high majorities of marketers — focused on digital, demand, ABM, social media, and more — using Agile to manage their work. Revel in the continued prevalence of a hybrid approach, as marketers accelerate the evolution of Agile frameworks. But I hope you’ll join me in becoming emboldened and appreciative when you consider the collective tribe of individual marketers around the globe who, thanks to Agile, can truly “log off” to focus less on marketing, and more on living.

AgileSherpas.com

Executive Summary

Agile marketing has stepped resolutely out of buzzword territory and toward a best-in-class way of working. Total adoption jumped 10 percentage points this year to land at

51%.

While 65% of marketers cite the need to manage shifting priorities as a key driver for Agile transformation,

44%

continue to struggle with unplanned work after implementing it.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption plans for 38% of our respondents.

84%

of those already using Agile found it important or very important in handling the volatility of 2020.

Agile ways of working are most prevalent in the following marketing functions: Compared to their Ad Hoc and Traditional counterparts,

Agile marketers are far more optimistic about the team’s ability to handle the pace of digital marketing, respond to emerging opportunities, and stay aligned with business objectives.

76%

demand and ABM

72% website

77%

creative services, content creation, and operations

66%

social media

62%

portfolio and product marketing

AgileSherpas.com

Agile marketers continue to favor the use of hybrid frameworks rather than strict adherence to Scrum or Kanban, and they most often use daily standup and sprint planning to manage their work.

4 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHICH MARKETING TEAMS ARE EMBRACING AGILITY For the second year in a row, Agile marketing adoption jumped ten percentage points. Marketers in general are flocking to Agile ways of working in greater numbers, with the highest concentration in B2B marketing.

WHY AND HOW MARKETERS ARE GOING AGILE Marketers are turning to Agile to help them manage shifting priorities (unsurprising in a pandemic year) as well as improve their productivity and get their work into the market sooner. For those teams who haven’t already shifted to Agile, most plan to make the change within a year.

BENEFITS AND BATTLES FACING AGILE MARKETERS For the fourth year running, insufficient knowledge about Agile is the biggest barrier to greater marketing agility. Once marketers adopt Agile, they may continue to struggle with managing unplanned work, but a high level of responsiveness remains a topcited benefit of agility. Eight-four percent of Agile marketers cited their framework as important in handling the uncertainty of 2020.

REAL TALK ABOUT HOW MARKETING AGILITY WORKS

WHAT TO DO WITH THIS DATA

DEMOGRAPHICS

While adoption is accelerating every year, the Agile marketing movement is still young; 54% of Agile marketers say they’ve been using Agile for two years or less. Within all Agile marketing teams, hybrid frameworks are far and away the most popular (again). For the first time we asked how planning and budgeting have changed post-Agile, with fascinating results.

Information is good, but action is better. Here we break down how to apply the insights from this report based on where you are on your Agile marketing journey. Find out what to do if you’re just thinking about agility, how to improve if you’re in the early stages of adoption, and what optimization options exist for more mature Agile marketers.

This year’s report broadened its reach, hitting slightly more marketers working within larger enterprises, and located outside of North America than previous years. We’ve collected responses from marketing organizations of all sizes and types, as noted in our demographic overview.

AgileSherpas.com

5 | WHICH MARKETING TEAMS ARE EMBRACING AGILITY

Which of the following most accurately describes your marketing department’s work management process? 51% Agile

We use at least some parts of an Agile marketing approach to manage our work, such as daily standups, a backlog, Sprints, kanban board, etc. We have plans, but they’re flexible and change often.

Agile adoption continues to accelerate. This year’s report shows another jump of ten percentage points, the same increase we saw from 2019 to 2020.

36% Traditional

B2B marketing teams are the leaders in Agile adoption in 2021, with just over half (52%) reporting use of Agile ways of working. Only 12% of B2C teams, on the other hand, say they’re Agile. A slightly higher number of teams that represent a blend of B2B and B2C are using Agile at 20%.

We plan our work in advance using a lot of detail and try to stick as closely as possible to that plan.

13% Ad hoc

We don’t make long-term plans. We work on what seems right from day to day and don’t have a well-defined process for managing incoming work. n=580

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

///// / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////

Within what specific activities in marketing is Agile being used? (Top 10)

76%

Demand and ABM

72%

Website

66%

Social media

62%

Portfolio and product marketing

56%

Channel marketing Advertising

54%

Customer engagement

54% 52%

Events Brand management 0% n=298

AgileSherpas.com

77%

Creative services, content creation, and operations

20%

44% 40%

60%

80%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

6 | WHICH MARKETING TEAMS ARE EMBRACING AGILITY

How important is Agile to your company? Agile is one of the most important initiatives across the company

21%

Agile is major initiative across the company, but not the most important

26%

Agile is a priority within one or more functional areas (e.g., IT, product development, marketing) Agile is not a priority I don’t know 0%

42%

3% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

Which other functions in your organization are using an Agile methodology?

Marketing, with its role as the conduit between the customer and the business, is an ideal Agile entry point. With 10% of Agile marketers indicating that no other departments are Agile yet, we can expect to see more business agility transformations that begin here.

60%

53% 40%

20%

18% 13%

Product development / management

n=298

AgileSherpas.com

44%

Sales

I don’t know

10% Finance

10%

Human No other resources department

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

7 | WHICH MARKETING TEAMS ARE EMBRACING AGILITY

Does your marketing department plan to implement Agile marketing? 47% Yes

17% No

35% I don’t know n=282

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

When does your marketing department plan to implement Agile marketing? 60%

59% You have to ”love” how many marketers don’t know if Agile is in the cards at their organization. We suspect many of them will encounter a transformation they weren’t expecting in the very near future, as 93% of respondents who are planning to implement Agile would like to do so within the coming year.

40%

34% 20%

5% 0%

Within the next 6 months

n=298

AgileSherpas.com

Within the next year

2 to 4 years from now

3% I don’t know

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

8 | WHY AND HOW MARKETERS ARE GOING AGILE

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your plans for Agile marketing adoption? 17% It has greatly accelerated our plans 21% It has slightly accelerated our plans 14% It has slightly delayed our plans 3% It has greatly delayed our plans 45% No impact n=282

This data reflects what we’ve witnessed firsthand with clients at AgileSherpas. Many marketers who’ve long been eyeing agility have jumped on the unprecedented volatility of 2020 as their catalyst for change. The 17% who report delaying adoption due to COVID-19 are, unfortunately, likely to fall even further behind as their colleagues accelerate their use of Agile in the immediate future.

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

What were the most important reasons for adopting Agile within your marketing department?

Enhance the ability to manage changing priorities

Improve productivity Accelerate delivery of campaigns / programs / tactics Improve the quality of campaigns / programs / tactics

44%

Improve alignment with other teams / business objectives

44%

0% n=298

AgileSherpas.com

20%

40%

65% 58% 56%

60%

80%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

9 | WHY AND HOW MARKETERS ARE GOING AGILE

Which of the following have been the most valuable during your adoption of Agile marketing? 55%

Implementing an Agile project management tool

Consistent practices and processes across teams

As remote work exploded in 2020, marketers were far more likely to cite the importance of project management tools this year (55% in 2020, compared to 39% in 2019). Of course, using a tool, no matter how awesome, doesn’t make you instantly Agile. True adoption comes from changing mindsets and practices as well as using the right tools.

32%

Executive sponsorship

30%

Online and/or in-person training External Agile coaches or trainers Articles or books about Agile marketing Conferences & webinars

43%

23% 20%

13%

20%

40%

60%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

n=298

What educational steps are being taken in your organization to support the rollout of Agile marketing? Agile marketing-specific courses (in person or online)

“Train the trainer” programs for internal Agile leaders and coaches Other Agile courses (e.g., certified scrum master or product owner)

n=298

AgileSherpas.com

10%

40%

23% 21%

Long-term coaching for Agile teams

43%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

10 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

How important have your Agile ways of working been in responding to the uncertain, volatile climate of 2020? 44% Extremely important 40% Somewhat important 9% Minimally important 6% Neutral / no difference 1% Not important at all n=298

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

How satisfied are you with the way your marketing department currently manages its work? Very satisfied

Agile marketers are the most likely to label themselves as satisfied with their work at 67%. Traditional marketers are almost as satisfied: 63% of them say their ways of working are satisfactory. Our poor Ad hoc marketers, however, report satisfaction one third as often as Agile marketers at just 21%.

Agile

Traditional

Ad hoc 3%

0% n=580

AgileSherpas.com

Satisfied

Neutral

14%

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

53%

21%

27% 5% 1%

42%

24%

10%

18% 41% 34% 4%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

11 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

How do marketers feel about their work? I have a clear plan for what I need to get done each day I have a clear for whatagree I need Neither to getagree done Strongly agreeplan Somewhat noreach disagreeday

Somewhat disagree

35%

Agile

53%

37%

Traditional

19%

Ad hoc I have 0%

Strongly disagree

47%

53%

a clear plan for what I need to get done 25% 50% each day

10%

7% 4% 1%

9% 5%

15%

75%

100%

Too much of my team is spent communicating with others about marketing projects. Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester n=580

How do marketers feel about their work? Too much of my team is spent communicating with others about marketing projects. Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

Too much of my team is spent communicating with others about marketing projects. style causes team friction. 38% Agile Our work 15%

23%

Traditional

15%

Ad hoc 0%

36%

25%

n=580

Our work style causes team friction. AgileSherpas.com

24%

47%

50%

20%

14%

75%

17% 6%

15% 6%

22%

100%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

12 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

How do marketers feel about their work? Our work style causes team friction. Our work style causes team friction. OurStrongly workagree style causes team friction. Somewhat agree Neither agree nor disagree

Agile

22%

16%

Traditional

20%

0%Our

Strongly disagree

30%

21%

11%

Ad hoc

Somewhat disagree

25%

34%

20%

21%

23%

18%

15%

16%

marketing department’s strategy is aligned with our organization’s vision.100% 25% 50% 75%

n=580

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

Our marketing department’s strategy is aligned with our organization’s vision.

How do marketers feel about their work? My marketing department can handle fast-paced digital marketing work. My marketing department can handle digital marketing Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neitherfast-paced agree nor disagree Somewhat disagree work. Strongly disagree

Agile My marketing department35% can handle fast-paced digital marketing work. 41% 12%

Traditional

Ad hoc 0% n=580

20%

15%

21% 25%

43%

16%

50%

75%

14%

40%

10%

8% 100%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

I am confident our marketing department can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

AgileSherpas.com

I am confident our marketing department can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

13 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

How do marketers feel about their work? Our marketing department’s strategy is aligned with our Our marketing department’s strategy is aligned with our organization’s vision. organization’s vision. Our marketing department’s strategy is aligned with our organization’s vision. Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agile

52%

15%

45%

Strongly disagree

35%

44%

Traditional

Ad hoc

Somewhat disagree

35%

8% 4%

11%

16%

21%

My marketing department can handle fast-paced digital marketing work. 0%

25%

50%

n=580

75%

100%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

My marketing department can handle fast-paced digital marketing work.

How do marketers feel about their work? I am confident our marketing department can take advantage of emerging opportunities. I am confident our marketing department can take advantage of emerging opportunities. Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

I am confident our marketing department can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Agile

38%

35%

Traditional

Ad hoc 0% n=580

AgileSherpas.com

44%

12%

25%

37%

32%

14%

21% 50%

12% 6%

30% 75%

5% 100%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

14 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

What are the biggest barriers preventing your marketing department from fully implementing an Agile approach? Lack of training or knowledge about Agile approaches Our current process is working well enough

29%

We lack the right talent to transform the team to Agile

29%

Lack of support from management or executives

2 4%

We don’t have the right tools to support an Agile approach

23% 21%

We don’t have time to try something new

10%

43%

20%

30%

40%

n=282

50%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

What challenges, if any, have been experienced as a result of using Agile? (Top 5)

36%

People reverting to old (non-agile) approaches Challenges with agile teams interacting with non-agile teams

Difficulties in estimating team capacity and velocity

n=298

10%

31% 28%

Plans changing too often

AgileSherpas.com

44%

Difficulties managing unplanned work

That pesky “unplanned work” is the biggest fly in our Agile ointment. Coming in at a close second are non-Agile teams. The reality is that unplanned work isn’t going away, and marketers need to create (hybrid) frameworks designed to deal with this unavoidable challenge.

27%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

15 | BENEFITS AND BATTLES OF AGILE MARKETERS

What are the benefits to your marketing department of using Agile? (Top 5) 38%

Ability to change direction quickly and effectively based on feedback

36%

More effective prioritization of work

30%

Better alignment on business objectives

26%

Better visibility into project status

24%

Optimize use of resources

10%

20%

n=298

30%

40%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

How are you measuring the results of adopting Agile marketing? Effectiveness (e.g., increased engagement, greater pipeline/revenue contribution, etc.)

53%

Efficiency (e.g., faster cycle time, greater output per cycle, etc.) This is our first year investigating Agile marketing measurement, and it’s exciting to see most marketers looking at both efficiency and effectiveness. We should be changing our ways of working to do more work that makes a bigger impact, so looking at both sides of the coin is crucial for continuous improvement.

Management value (e.g., ability to meet goals, data-driven decision making, etc.) Team value (e.g., knowledge and application of Agile concepts, improved capacity, etc.) Stakeholder value (e.g., increased customer satisfaction, increased resource utilization, etc.) We do not measure Agile marketing results 0% n=298

AgileSherpas.com

50% 44%

36%

29%

14%

20%

40%

60%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

16 | REAL TALK ABOUT HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS

How long has your marketing department been practicing agile? Currently in pilot/ trial stage Less than 1 year

18% 29%

1-2 years

28%

3-5 years

14%

5+ years

Don’t know

10%

20%

n=298

30%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

Which Agile methodology does your marketing department follow most closely?

60%

53% 40%

Hybrid frameworks continue to be the preference of marketers, with an increase of 6 percentage points this year. Kanban and Scrum, however, both saw jumps in adoption as well, with 13% fewer marketers identifying as Lean practitioners.

20%

19% 14% 0%

Hybrid (multiple methodologies)

n=298

AgileSherpas.com

Scrum

Kanban

Scrumban

Lean

2% Other

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

17 | REAL TALK ABOUT HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS

Which Agile techniques and practices does your marketing department use?

Sprint/iteration planning Daily standup

Sprint/iteration review

Digital kanban board

User stories and / or epics

57%

45% 44%

42% 41%

Retrospectives Short iterations

58%

37%

Frequent releases

31% 26%

Work in progress (WIP) limits Physical kanban board

13%

Planning poker/ estimation

13%

20%

40%

n=298

60%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

What changes has your marketing organization put in place to sustain the adoption of Agile?

Implemented standardized project management tools

37%

Experimented with marketing planning cycles

37%

Established training and coaching for agile team managers Provided ongoing resources for agile marketing training and coaching

22%

Established training and coaching for agile team special roles (e.g., scrum master, product owner) Established a centralized project/program management office (PMO)

Agile marketing transformation isn’t easy, so for the first time we asked marketers what they’re doing to make sure their changes stick. There’s no clear winner on this list, which seems to indicate that marketers are, happily, looking to shore up their Agile ways of working with multiple supplemental process improvements.

Created agile onboarding for new hires Established standardized measurement of Agile results Established agile coaching for executive leadership No changes have been made to sustain Agile adoption 0% n=298

AgileSherpas.com

10%

26%

21% 20%

18%

17% 16% 15% 20%

30%

40%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

18 | REAL TALK ABOUT HOW AGILE MARKETING WORKS

How has the adoption of Agile marketing changed marketing planning? 8%

Annual planning is no longer sufficient, and plans are now routinely reviewed and revised semi-annually

Annual planning is no longer sufficient, and plans are now routinely reviewed and revised quarterly

26%

Annual plans are reviewed and revised based on feedback from quarterly or monthly business reviews

39%

Big room / program increment planning has been adopted at routine intervals (e.g.,

15% six- to eight-week windows) to support marketing program and tactic execution 11%

There has been no change in our marketing planning approach

10%

20%

n=298

30%

40%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

How has the adoption of Agile marketing changed marketing budgeting?

6% Annual budgeting is no longer sufficient, and budgets

The increased pace of agility is impacting not only daily execution, but also planning and budgeting cycles. Agile marketing organizations are setting aside traditional annual budgets and plans for more dynamic systems.

are now routinely reviewed and revised semi-annually

Annual budgeting is no longer sufficient, and budgets are now routinely reviewed and revised quarterly

27%

39%

We dynamically reallocate budget on an ongoing basis

There has been no change in our marketing budgeting approach

0% n=298

AgileSherpas.com

10%

26%

20%

30%

40%

Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

19 | WHAT TO DO WITH THIS DATA

If you’re considering getting started with Agile marketing: • Don’t pigeon-hole your pilot. Agility isn’t just for website development, as you can see from the high percentages of marketers reporting that they use it in creative work, product and portfolio marketing, and channel marketing (just to name a few). There are many options for how and where to apply marketing agility, so get creative in finding one that best fits your needs. • Remember that Agile isn’t your why. While Agile marketing nerds may get excited about Kanban boards for their own sakes, we need to take a step back and focus on what’s in it for our stakeholders. Review the benefits you see in this report and compare them to your own pain points. How can agility help make your work better? Identify that shortcoming first, then position Agile as the solution. • Budget for the right support. Successful change requires investment in tools, training, and talent. Figure out what knowledge your teams are missing (which has been the top challenge every year we’ve published this report, then determine how best to get it to them. That might be certification workshops, hands-on coaching, or self-paced learning. Ensure their tools are supportive of agility and not hindering it (but don’t simply rely on a tool to make you Agile!). And make sure you have the right Agile champions standing by. Somebody needs to own a transformation for it to really take hold. Believe in Agile but need some help getting started? Our 90-Day Jumpstart program will help you identify a project and team to pilot Agile marketing, provide the necessary training and coaching, measure its impact, and make a data-driven case for larger adoption.

If you’re new to Agile ways of working: • Embrace the 70/20/10 learning model. This theory points out that only 10% of our knowledge retention happens during structured learning time. Twenty percent takes place when we learn from others, and the remaining 70% happens when we’re learning from experience. So while you’ll see in the data above that training is key, you need to support ongoing practice outside of structured trainings to make things stick. •P lan for the unplanned. Marketers won’t ever be able to predict everything that’s coming their way, which is why we see impromptu work showing up as a big challenge. Proactively plan for how to handle the unplanned work by teaching your partners and stakeholders how to engage with your Agile model. Focus on what’s in it for them, rather than insist they blindly follow your new ways of working. • Hold retros religiously and apply what you learn. Put retrospectives on your calendar and do not skip them. Talk about what’s not working, then create cards in your backlog to address the issues. Hybridize your framework if you haven’t already (strict Scrum and marketing just don’t mix, as our respondents always tell us). And, last but not least, don’t fall in love with any part of your process. Be willing to experiment on anything. Want to equip yourself or your team for the most effective climb possible? Getting certified as an Agile Marketing Professional gives you a robust toolkit for identifying the right starting point and iterating from there.

AgileSherpas.com

20 | WHAT TO DO WITH THIS DATA

If you’re an established agilist ready for the next summit: • Measure and iterate everywhere. As you see in the report, it’s ideal to track both effectiveness and efficiency. Don’t just do more work; ensure you’re doing more of the right work. You can also look at how much of your work is aligned to key goals or OKRs, and strive for the highest possible percentage. • Expand agility’s influence outside of daily practices. Go beyond standups and kanban boards, and begin introducing agility to planning and budgeting cycles. This creates greater flexibility and adaptability at the project and initiative levels, allowing Agile marketing to have a bigger impact across the marketing function. • Evangelize business agility to help deal with non-Agile teams. Many marketing teams get frustrated when their internal partners aren’t as Agile as they are. Help those partners along and make everyone’s lives easier. Agility works for everyone; encourage them to get educated and adopt the pieces of Agile that work for them, just like marketers have done. Hit an iteration plateau and can’t figure out how to resume your climb? AgileSherpas coaches can observe your teams and provide specific optimization recommendations. Book time with a Sherpa to learn more.

AgileSherpas.com

21 | DEMOGRAPHICS

The 4th Annual State of Agile Marketing survey was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021. It was produced by AgileSherpas in partnership with Forrester Research and Mantis Research. We collected responses from 580 marketers and business owners via online survey. The majority of respondents (79%) were based in North America. Responses from non-marketers were excluded from these published results. Respondents represent a wide range of organizations and were drawn primarily from senior marketing professionals, as outlined in the demographic data below.

How many years have you worked in marketing?*

5 years or less

Current Position*

13%

Associated

16%

30%

Manager

28%

6-10 years

24%

Director

11-15 years

18%

Vice president/

senior vice president 12%

CMO or other executive

38%

More than 15 years

12%

Business owner/general manager 4% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Contractor/consultant/freelancer 2% Other 2% 0%

*N=580, Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

AgileSherpas.com

10%

20%

30%

22 | DEMOGRAPHICS

Company Revenue*

Size of Marketing Team*

18%

$0-$10MM

17%

$11-$50MM

11%

$751-$2B

501+

10%

15%

20%

Type of Organization*

12%

10%

20%

Information technology

15%

Financial services

B2B2C 12%

30%

40%

33%

18%

Business services 16%

Mix of B2B and B2C 22%

Healthcare & life sciences 13%

Non-profit 2% Government 2% 10%

17%

Industry* 47%

B2B

14%

More than $10B

B2C

31%

12%

$2.1B-$10B

10 - 50

101 - 500

12%

$251-$750MM

31%

51 - 100

15%

$51-$250MM

1 - 9

20%

Consumer and retail 5% 30%

40%

50%

Manufacturing 5% Other 9% 0%

*N=580, Source: State of Agile Marketing 2021 | AgileSherpas and Forrester

AgileSherpas.com

10%

20%

30%

40%

About AgileSherpas AgileSherpas is the world’s leading Agile marketing training, consulting, and coaching organization. We guide marketing departments toward high performance by translating successful Agile practices to work inside the marketing profession. Our highly-trained coaches take enterprise marketing organizations from zero to Agile in less than 18 months using the Marketing Agility Ascension©, our proprietary transformation model proven with over three thousand marketers at dozens of enterprises. This journey blends AgileSherpas’ coaching and consulting expertise with world-class certifications from the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile), so every member of the transforming organization receives opportunities for professional development while discovering more effective ways of working together. Visit AgileSherpas.com to start your own ascent toward marketing agility. AgileSherpas would like to thank the team at Forrester Research for their amazing partnership on the 4th Annual State of Agile Marketing report. Particular shoutouts to Marcia Trask, Principal Analyst, Marketing Operations Strategies, and Jessica Smith, Director, Primary Research. We’re deeply grateful for your help on our quest to continuously improve this report, and the opportunity to work together to evolve the way that marketers work.

AgileSherpas.com