Definition

Marketing benchmarking can be defined as the process of comparing and evaluating a company’s marketing performance and strategies against industry standards and competitors to identify areas for improvement and best practices.

Description

Marketing benchmarking is a strategic process that involves comparing and evaluating a company’s marketing performance and strategies against industry standards and competitors. 

The purpose of this process is to identify areas for improvement and best practices that can be used to enhance a company’s marketing performance and achieve its goals.

Importance of Marketing Benchmarking

Marketing benchmarking is essential for any business looking to improve its marketing performance and stay competitive in its industry. Here are some of the key reasons why marketing benchmarking is essential:

1. Identifies areas for improvement: By benchmarking their marketing performance against industry standards and competitors, companies can identify areas where they are falling short and need to improve. This can help refine their marketing strategies and tactics to achieve better results.
2. Enhances marketing effectiveness: Marketing benchmarking can help companies identify best practices and strategies used by their competitors that can be adapted and implemented in their marketing campaigns. This can lead to greater marketing effectiveness and a stronger competitive position in the marketplace.
3. Provides a clear understanding of market trends: Through marketing benchmarking, companies can gain insights into market trends and changes in customer behaviour. This can help them to stay ahead of the curve and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.
4. Helps with goal setting and tracking: Marketing benchmarking provides a clear understanding of what constitutes good marketing performance in a particular industry. This information can be used to set goals for a company’s marketing performance and track progress over time.
5. Enables better decision-making: Marketing benchmarking provides companies with a comprehensive view of their industry and competitors, which can be used to inform strategic decision-making. This can help companies make better decisions about allocating resources, developing new products or services, and entering new markets.

Process of Marketing Benchmarking

The process of marketing benchmarking typically involves the following steps:

1. Defining the scope of the benchmarking process: The first step in marketing benchmarking is to clearly define the scope of the process. This involves identifying the marketing areas that need to be benchmarked, such as advertising, branding, pricing, product development, and customer service.
2. Identifying benchmarking metrics: Once the scope has been defined, the next step is to identify the metrics that will be used to benchmark the company’s marketing performance against its competitors. This could include metrics such as market share, customer satisfaction, brand awareness, customer retention rates, and conversion rates.
3. Gathering benchmarking data: After identifying the metrics, the next step is to collect data on the company’s marketing and competitors’ performance. This could involve conducting surveys, analysing sales data, and researching industry reports and trends.
4. Analysing benchmarking data: Once the data has been gathered, it is analysed to identify areas where the company’s marketing performance falls short of its competitors or industry standards. This analysis helps to identify best practices that can be used to improve the company’s marketing performance.
5. Developing an action plan: Based on the analysis of the benchmarking data, the company develops an action plan to improve its marketing performance. This could involve implementing new marketing strategies, improving customer service, or enhancing product development processes.
6. Monitoring and updating the benchmarking process: Finally, the company continues to monitor its marketing performance and update the benchmarking process as needed. This helps ensure the company remains competitive and achieves its marketing goals.

The Future Aspect of Marketing Benchmarking

The future of marketing benchmarking is likely to be shaped by a number of factors. Here are some of the key trends and developments that may impact marketing benchmarking in the coming years:

1. The growing importance of data: With the increasing availability of data, marketing benchmarking will likely become more data-driven. Companies must collect and analyse data from various sources to gain insights into their marketing performance and competitors.
2. Emphasis on customer experience: As companies focus more on customer experience, marketing benchmarking must incorporate metrics that measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. This will help companies understand how to improve the customer experience and stay competitive in the marketplace.
3. Use of new technologies: With the rapid pace of technological innovation, marketing benchmarking will likely incorporate new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies help companies automate data collection and analysis and identify patterns and trends that might not be immediately apparent.
4. Integration with other business processes: Marketing benchmarking will become more closely integrated with other business processes such as strategic planning, product development, and customer service. This will help companies to develop a more holistic view of their business and make better decisions across all areas of their operations.
5. Focus on sustainability: As sustainability becomes a more critical concern for consumers and businesses, marketing benchmarking will likely incorporate metrics that measure a company’s sustainability performance. This will help companies understand how to improve their sustainability practices and communicate their sustainability credentials to customers.

Types of Marketing Benchmarking

Companies can use several marketing benchmarking types to evaluate their marketing performance and compare themselves to their competitors. Here are some of the most common types:

1. Internal benchmarking involves comparing a company’s marketing performance against its historical data. This can be useful for identifying trends and changes in performance over time and setting internal targets for improvement.
2. Competitive benchmarking involves comparing a company’s marketing performance against its competitors. This can help companies understand how they stack up against their peers and identify areas where they may fall behind.
3. Functional benchmarking involves comparing a company’s marketing performance against other companies in the same industry or sector. This can help companies identify best practices and strategies their peers use that they can adapt and implement in their marketing campaigns.
4. Generic benchmarking involves comparing a company’s marketing performance against companies in other industries or sectors. This can help companies gain a broader perspective on marketing trends and best practices and identify innovative strategies they can apply to their marketing efforts.
5. Global benchmarking involves comparing a company’s marketing performance against companies operating in different regions or countries. This can help companies to understand how their marketing strategies and tactics may need to be adapted for other markets and cultures.

Example

One example of a brand that has successfully used marketing benchmarking is Coca-Cola. The company has a long history of using benchmarking to stay competitive in the marketplace and improve its marketing performance.

One way that Coca-Cola uses benchmarking is by comparing its marketing campaigns to its competitors. For example, the company has used competitive benchmarking to evaluate its advertising and promotional efforts against PepsiCo, its main competitor in the soft drink industry. By analysing the strengths and weaknesses of PepsiCo’s marketing campaigns, Coca-Cola has identified areas where it can improve its marketing efforts, such as by focusing more on social media and digital marketing.

Coca-Cola also uses internal benchmarking to track its marketing performance over time. The company regularly collects data on its marketing campaigns, including metrics such as brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales. By comparing this data to historical benchmarks, Coca-Cola can identify trends and changes in its marketing performance and adjust as needed.

FAQ

What is marketing benchmarking? 

Marketing benchmarking is comparing a company’s marketing performance to industry standards or competitors’ performance to identify areas for improvement and develop more effective marketing strategies.

Why is marketing benchmarking important? 

Marketing benchmarking is essential because it helps companies to evaluate their marketing performance, identify areas for improvement, and stay competitive in the marketplace. By comparing themselves to industry standards or competitors, companies can gain valuable insights into their strengths and weaknesses and develop more effective marketing strategies.

What are the different types of marketing benchmarking? 

There are several types of marketing benchmarking, including internal benchmarking, competitive benchmarking, functional benchmarking, generic benchmarking, and global benchmarking. Each type of benchmarking compares a company’s marketing performance to different standards or competitors.

What metrics are commonly used in marketing benchmarking? 

Metrics commonly used in marketing benchmarking include brand awareness, customer engagement, lead generation, conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and sales. In addition, companies may also use qualitative metrics, such as customer feedback and brand perception, to evaluate their marketing performance.

How can companies use marketing benchmarking to improve their marketing strategies? 

Companies can use marketing benchmarking to identify areas for improvement in their marketing strategies, such as by analysing the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors’ marketing campaigns, evaluating their own historical performance, and studying best practices and strategies used by successful brands in the industry. Then, by adjusting their marketing strategies based on these insights, companies can develop more effective campaigns and stay competitive in the marketplace.