Marketing departments today are under increasing pressure to keep costs down, improve the efficiency of their operations and show real value for their spending. Needless to say, the ad agencies they work with are feeling the same pressures. Many agencies are now answering the challenge with MRM (Marketing Resource Management) technology. In this introduction, we'll help you better understand what MRM is all about so you can choose the right solution for your needs.

What is MRM?

MRM software gives companies enhanced visibility into their marketing operations, enabling them to better manage the production and distribution of marketing assets. Capabilities vary greatly from system to system and may include everything from workflow management to budget management to campaign measurement tools.

For advertising agencies, there are a number of highly targeted MRM solutions that can increase agency efficiency, enabling you to handle more work with the same (or fewer) resources. A well-designed agency solution, such as Aprimo Marketing - Agency Edition, will provide the following capabilities:

automated workflow processes
streamlined communication
enhanced project and resource management
increased team/client collaboration
a central repository for job information and digital assets

Why your agency needs MRM

M Marketing is becoming increasingly complex, with more channels, more segmentation, more regulation, more globalization and localization, and more pressure to reduce cycle times. Agencies have to increase their efficiency to keep up.

R Resources are becoming more expensive. With marketing dollars being squeezed, agencies have fewer resources to handle more demands and must continually justify the need for those resources.

M Management Centralizing the management of agency information is key to achieving greater efficiencies in the way you operate, greater control over projects and greater insight into how your resources and dollars are being used.

Which MRM solution should you choose?

An MRM solution should seamlessly tie together all your agency's functions, enhancing workflow, collaboration, project management and information storage.

The MRM market is rapidly evolving. There are many suppliers touting many different solutions, which can make it difficult to make a decision. In addition, mergers and acquisitions have led to significant supplier consolidation. For potential buyers who'd like their supplier to be around as long as their software, this is an important consideration.

Aprimo Marketing - Agency Edition was carefully chosen by NAPC after evaluating numerous alternatives. This powerful workflow automation and project management software solves all of the major efficiency problems plaguing advertising agencies today. What's more, it's here today and ready to deploy, with a roadmap to integrate into the full Aprimo suite of marketing solutions.

Aprimo Marketing - Agency Edition:

A better way to manage workflow, resources and collaboration.

Gartner Group has praised Aprimo's "robust marketing resource management vision and solution" and consistently placed Aprimo in the leader quadrant of its MRM Magic Quadrant. Dozens of leading companies use Aprimo's solutions to streamline the way they operate and gain unprecedented control over their extended marketing team.

NAPC will seamlessly integrate Xinet's industry-leading asset management system with Aprimo Marketing - Agency Edition, allowing customers to manage and execute all aspects of their marketing projects and materials with one centralized system.