Studies show leading companies spend nearly 25% of marketing budgets on marketing operations – oftentimes the result of inefficient, disconnected relationships between marketing services such as planning, creative, production, and distribution. This tangled marketing supply chain increases complexity and costs, while reducing speed and precision. A company’s marketing operations structure – or “marketing supply chain” – not only impacts speed-to-market and expenses but is often the difference between campaign success and failure. Yet, while other equally complex business processes have benefited from supply chain automation and centralization, only recently have these principles been applied successfully to marketing.

​One of the product categories in which global competition has been easy to track is in U.S. automotive sales. Three decades ago, there were only the big three: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Now, Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen are among the most popular manufacturers. Companies are on a global playing field whether they had planned to be global marketers or not. (Kotabe & Helsen, p.3)