Most marketers say it takes too long to turn data into actionable intelligence, and then too long for that actionable intelligence to be applied to campaigns, according to recent research from the CMO Council.

The report was based on data from a survey of 150 marketers as well as in-depth interviews with senior marketers.

Only 5% of respondents say they can go from data gathering to actionable intelligence immediately.

The rest say it takes short of real time but still fast (23%), longer than desired but still in good time (31%), a long time but the data is still useful (23%), far too long (15%), and so long that the output is irrelevant (3%).

Marketers say the lag between collecting data and producing actionable intelligence is largely caused by the complexity of the data (39% cite it as an issue), insufficient staffing (34%), and siloed data (29%).

Some 21% of respondents say they can move from gaining actionable insights to applying these to campaigns short of real time, but still within what they consider fast. The rest say it takes longer than desired but still in good time (26%), a long time but the insights are still useful (39%), far too long (12%), and so long that the insights are irrelevant (2%).

Marketers say the lag between producing actionable insights and applying them to campaigns is largely caused by differing priorities (56% cite it as an issue), disconnected systems (41%), lack of budget (41%), and lack of automation (38%).

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 150 marketers as well as in-depth interviews with senior marketers.