ZHAW establishes MarTech Lab

Since 2019, the IMM has been offering the "CAS Marketing Technology" and, building on this, has successively expanded its activities in this area. In addition to the CAS, since 2021 the module of the same name has also been available for students in the master's program "Master in Business Administration - Major Marketing". In addition, the study "Swiss MarTech Study 2021" was published in 2021. 

Overview missing

With the founding of the MarTech Lab, the IMM is now going one step further. The results of the study and previous experience with the participants and students had shown that companies need support in the area of MarTech. After all, marketing technologies are changing rapidly, and the number of possible tools is growing exponentially. Today, marketers can use 9,932 different tools - not counting proprietary, low-code and no-code tools - to launch marketing initiatives. Companies, on the other hand, face the challenge of increasingly dynamic and complex markets. "This and the answer to the question of whether small, specialized solutions or all-in-one solutions should be preferred is now almost impossible for companies to answer," specifies Marcel Hüttermann, head of the MarTech Lab.

Independent consultants as a success factor

On the one hand, wrong decisions in the use of marketing technologies result in a large financial outlay, but on the other hand, the tools used have a high relevance for the satisfaction of employees and consumers.

Interestingly, most companies today nevertheless try their hand at developing a MarTech strategy themselves (43.9 percent), although decision-making, strategic thinking and goal focus are usually lacking among companies, according to the findings of the 2021 study mentioned above. Companies also hardly ever use independent consultants such as universities (4.2 percent).

The MarTech Lab as a solution

Scientifically sound and neutral to all tech vendors, IMM's MarTech Lab aims to help companies reach the next level in terms of MarTech. "It is obvious that the foundation comes at an opportune time, as the study reveals that 78.9 percent of experts believe that the use of marketing technologies continues to rise. In contrast, only 2.82 percent believe that Switzerland is a leader in this field," Hüttermann concludes.