Marketers in Hong Kong and on the mainland are struggling with a lack of senior executive support and skill shortages in digital marketing, a research by Adobe Systems Inc and the CMO Council revealed on Wednesday.

The report noted that senior executives in Hong Kong and mainland marketers have failed to provide strong support for digital marketing.

Only 22 percent of respondents from the mainland said they have a senior leadership responsible for digital marketing, while 64 percent marketers in Hong Kong are questioning digital's ability to reach and engage audiences and marketers using analytics.

Hong Kong and the mainland also lag behind the Asia Pacific on average regarding data measurement and analysis. Some 30 percent of mainland respondents are not using analytics and reporting technologies at all, which is up nine percentage points from a year earlier. As for Hong Kong, 73 percent are using analytics and reporting tools, down seven percentage points.

"Hong Kong ranks second from the bottom in terms of marketing readiness, which suggests trainings on technologies and analytics are urgently required for Hong Kong marketers," said Adobe's Asia Pacific president Paul Robson.

The study was compiled through quantitative surveys with more than 800 marketers across Asia Pacific. Marketers from the mainland, Hong Kong, Australia, South Korea, India, Singapore and New Zealand were covered.

Australia, Singapore and India, according to the report, have emerged as leaders in digital marketing in the region.

"Skill gaps and executive support will continue to widen the gaps in digital marketing maturity across the Asia Pacific," said Robson.

However, he noted that all countries, including the leading nations, can do more to leverage the vast amounts of data they collect to drive business growth and revenue.

"Marketers have never been in a better position to drive business results and revenue. Opportunities exist for marketers to leap ahead by using data to track and map customer insights and behavior," he added.

Few have seen leveraging data as a competitive advantage in the region, whereas globally, advancing the customer experience with deep personalization and smart adaptive engagements is driving revenue gains and measurable advantage, noted Liz Miller, vice-president of marketing at the CMO Council.

amandahua@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 10/23/2014 page8)