Mapping the marketing analytics landscape: unveiling the diverse proficiencies in marketing and technical know-how among practitioners

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the resource-based theory (RBT), this research paper aims to analyze if different types of analytics personnel exist in the context of Big Data Marketing Analytics (BDMA) and to profile the discovered personnel clusters. The study adopted the survey method to collect data in Canada and the United States among the marketing personnel working in firms with at least limited experience in the deployment of BD. The collected data were analyzed with ANOVA and a two-step cluster analysis procedure. The cluster variate included technical, technology management, business/marketing, and relational knowledge constructs with their relevant indicator variables. The profiling of the clusters was also completed. The findings indicate the existence of two sufficiently large clusters among the marketing personnel. They had very different profiles regarding their gender, decision-making role, BD deployment level in their respective firms, and experience level. This research sheds light on the types of marketing analytics personnel required to implement BDMA successfully. The personnel active in BDMA deployment must have relevant experience in technical, technology management, business/marketing, and relational knowledge and possess higher decision-making abilities, which enables their firms to proceed successfully to more advanced levels of BDMA deployment.