SAN JOSE, CA: Many marketers are struggling to adapt their content for different media destinations and geographical locations, according to research from the CMO Council, the executive network.

Based on a poll of 150 marketers – conducted with HH Global, a procurement and creative-production solutions provider – the CMO Council discovered that firms are finding it hard to localize content and tailor their output for individual media platforms.

Only 36.2% of interviewees, for instance, agreed they were performing "well" or "extremely well" when it comes to translating creative strategies across all the necessary physical and digital touchpoints.

Similarly, just 32% believed they are currently "doing well" or are "very advanced" in adapting branded content for the "markets, audiences, partners, and geographies" served by their companies around the world.

Resolving these issues is a "critical challenge" for brand custodians aiming to truly meet evolving shopper needs in the markets they play in.

"Increasingly discerning consumers expect – if not demand – that the materials brands present across sales, marketing and service touchpoints are timely, relevant and reflect the customer's unique context," the study said. (For more details, read WARC's exclusive report: Marketers fail the adaptation test.)

But 47.7% of respondents to the survey stated that "localization demands" – language, cultural values, religion, and ethnic sensitivities, for example – were "putting pressure" on creative teams to deliver "production-ready" creative at scale globally.

Some 43.9% also cited "new digital formats, device types, and dynamic content needs" as a hurdle in this space, and 43.2% referenced a "need for visually enriched and engaging content pieces".

The risks of falling short in such areas, the analysis warned, include potentially losing customers. And this is a real possibility for the marketers that are not moving fast enough at present.

"For today's consumer, choices are endless, and marketers that don't take the time to capitalize on speaking to the consumer in a way that feels personal are sure to experience brand defection," the study continued.

"Unfortunately, our findings indicate that, while the pain level is very high, too many marketing organizations are failing to take the steps necessary to remedy this problem."

Data sourced from WARC