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Investment in martech, customer data, measurement systems, and AI is no longer new, yet many marketing leaders still feel their technology is not delivering the expected results. For Vietnamese marketers, this is a notable signal because the core issue may not be buying more tools, but rather how data is connected, decisions are made, and insights are turned into action.
According to a new survey cited by MarTech from eClerx, 78% of marketing leaders said their martech stack does not adequately support business goals, despite significant investment over the past few years. At the same time, only 25% described their organization as fully data-driven. These figures show a clear gap between the level of technology investment and actual business results.
Businesses have more tools, but not more confidence
The survey shows that marketers may now have more dashboards, reports, and AI-generated analyses than before, but that does not mean they are more confident when making decisions. Three-quarters of respondents said their investment decisions are only partially based on data. In addition, 47% have only a moderate level of confidence in their ability to truly measure ROI by channel.
Notably, only 24% use media mix modeling to reallocate budgets based on real-time performance data. In other words, the problem is not just a lack of data, but a lack of trust in the quality and practical applicability of that data in day-to-day operations.
This is a point worth serious reflection for marketing teams that are pushing automation and AI. If the input data is still in doubt, then no matter how fast the output is, it is difficult for it to become a strong enough basis for budget allocation, message optimization, or campaign expansion decisions.
Fragmented data is slowing decision-making
MarTech says 68% of survey participants reported that data is still only partially unified or remains fragmented across marketing, sales, customer, and analytics. Nearly half rated their martech stack as only moderately effective because data is still split across systems and working groups.
The consequences of this situation go beyond reporting. In retail and consumer goods, a customer who browses online but buys in-store may still be treated by the system as two different people if online and offline data are not connected. In technology companies, product data and marketing data often run in parallel, leaving the customer journey picture fragmented.
The key point emphasized in the article is this: technology itself is rarely the biggest problem. Most businesses already have sufficiently sophisticated tools, but they have not organized them into a data ecosystem that can be shared across departments.
AI creates more insights, but does not turn them into action on its own
As AI becomes increasingly embedded in marketing operations, the ability to generate insights has become much faster and cheaper. Businesses can receive forecasts, allocation recommendations, audience analysis, or performance assessments almost instantly. However, the survey shows that many companies still do not have strong enough processes to put those insights into operation.
eClerx said 86% of respondents viewed fragmented data, inconsistent reporting, limited real-time visibility, or weak attribution frameworks as the main barriers to improving performance. That explains why many organizations can generate more information than ever before but still fail to turn that information into concrete action.
The real issue lies in the “activation gap” — the distance between having insight and implementing it. A campaign may show positive signals, but if the approval process is slow, reporting systems are disconnected, or there is no mechanism for rapid testing, the opportunity is gone before the marketing team can respond.
What this means for the Vietnamese market
For Vietnamese businesses, the important lesson is not to chase more AI platforms or new martech tools, but to reassess the operational capability of their existing data infrastructure. Many brands are facing similar issues: sales and marketing data are not truly connected, cross-channel reporting is inconsistent, and decisions still depend heavily on individual experience.
As marketing budgets increasingly need to prove their effectiveness, businesses should prioritize three things: standardizing input data, aligning measurement across channels, and shortening the process from insight to action. If this operational layer is not addressed, investment in AI will only speed up report generation, not necessarily improve business performance.
In short, the problem with martech is not necessarily a lack of technology. The question is whether businesses have enough trust, enough data connectivity, and enough processes to actually use that technology.
Source: MarTech, the article “The real martech problem is not technology” and the eClerx survey cited in the article.
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This article focuses on the real martech problem with a perspective on the Vietnamese market.
