Is Twitter Making Marketers More Important?

According to a new study, Twitter and Facebook are making marketing professionals more important. As a result, marketers have more influence on business decisions in today’s business world.

The study, which was developed by The Creative Group, shows that 61% of marketers and advertising executives now have more influence than they did three years ago. Only 23% of the respondents said that they have less influence.

“Many marketers are interacting directly with customers and clients through Twitter, Facebook and other social media,” said Megan Slabinski, The Creative Group’s executive director, “which gives them immediate, firsthand knowledge of how the firm’s products and services are perceived and can be improved upon.”

Many companies have slashed their marketing and advertising budgets as a way to combat the current economic downturn in the United States and around the globe. However, Slabinski points out how the economy has also made marketers more important.

Said Slabinski: “Companies increasingly recognize the value that marketing and creative teams can provide in terms of finding innovative solutions to business problems. In the current economy, especially, many businesses must reinvent themselves, and marketers can play an instrumental role in helping their firms identify and fill emerging needs.”

The study was based on 125 telephone interviews with advertising executives and 125 telephone interviews with marketing executives. The executives were selected randomly from the 2,000 largest advertising agencies and companies.

The Creative Group (creativegroup.com)