Research Study Reports: Collaboration Consumes Marketing People.

Business Editors

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2000

A new research report sponsored by Magnifi, Inc. finds that marketers spend 69% of their workday collaborating with others - communicating and networking, creating strategic plans, and developing marketing/advertising materials.

"While collaboration has always been critical to brand-management, in the Internet age, it is absolutely essential," comments Hunter Hastings, ceo of Magnifi, Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.), the marketing services and consulting firm which sponsored the research. "To be competitive, brand-owners clearly need to allow more time for collaboration by applying technology to streamline and accelerate the creative process."

According to Magnifi's research, 38% of respondents say that tracking down paperwork, materials and approvals is the most inefficient activity when collaborating, followed by communicating and networking (21%) and strategic planning (16%).

At the same time, when working independently, 22% of respondents feel that monitoring the progress of collaborative projects is inefficient. Working on documents such as memos, budgets, and evaluations also comes in at 22% and developing new product efforts runs a close second (17%).

Magnifi's report is based on the first of a series of surveys designed to determine how high-level marketers visiting the Magnifi website spend their time, and what elements and activities of their workday prove most inefficient and/or frustrating.

BHC Consulting (http://www.bhcconsulting.com), a marketing strategy company that provides solutions for global companies and entrepreneurs, conducted the survey for Magnifi, Inc. Magnifi, Inc. provides business to business marketing applications and services for Global 2000 companies, advertising agencies and marketing partners. Magnifi's hosted service, Magnifi.net, available for a monthly fee, provides a secure and private single point of access for content, projects, people, news and resources, all through a web interface.

Magnifi, Inc. (http://www.magnifi.com) specializes in helping global brand-owners and agencies manage their marketing information and improve their marketing processes. Subscribers include TBWA/Chiat/Day, McKessonHBOC, Americast, E*TRADE, Sun Microsystems and BBDO.