Making the marketing department more accountable and bottom-line driven has brought business intelligence and analytics software into even the most creative departments in an organization. Any process can be made more effective when top management supports efforts to measure and create repeatable successes.
Citing research from Aberdeen Group that said “companies that invest in analytics platforms with the support of senior management have greater success in executing on their corporate goals.” Blogger Brent Dykes explores who should be an executive sponsor, what their responsibilities should be, and what it takes to be effective.
His entry from CMO.com (Chief Marketing Officer) is a series of blog entries from Adobe Corp. detailing steps that smart companies are using to get executive support for business analytics and the kinds of tools that show results. He also describes the duties of an executive sponsor as follows:
Executive Sponsor Responsibilities
The duties of the executive sponsor are fourfold:
1. Prioritization: In order to be successful, the Web analytics program needs to be aligned with the business. The executive sponsor provides crucial direction to the team so it is always in line with the corporate strategy and top priorities.
2. Protection: The executive sponsor plays an important role in protecting the Web analytics team from other conflicting initiatives or corporate politics.
3. Problem resolution: Using their clout or influence within the organization, the executive sponsor steps in to remove any problems that could impede the success of the program, such as resource or budget constraints.
4. Promotion: The executive sponsor plays a key role in championing the benefits of the program and promoting its successes within the organization, especially among other executives.
Dykes worked in the analytics field before becoming director of industry consulting when Adobe acquired Omniture.
David Wallace
Spotfire Blogging Team
