A Marketer’s Guide to managing Martech Innovation and Disruption

Chasefive Management

The Essential Checklist for Avoiding Costly Martech Pitfalls and Prepare for Emerging Tech

Business leaders and marketers know that the current pace of innovation in the Martech sector is unprecedented. The latest Martech Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic highlights over ten thousand products spanning over twenty marketing categories. Remarkably, over two thousand new marketing software products, many powered by artificial intelligence (AI), were added in just the second half of 2023 alone.

The drive towards adopting new martech solutions is emphasised by significant financial investment; data from industry analysts reveal a global increase in marketing tech spending. According to a Forrester report, a multi-year martech boom is expected, with global spending projected to rise from $131 billion in 2023 to over $215 billion annually by 2027.

With such a pace of development in marketing software, navigating the complexities of technical, operational, and regulatory compliance can be overwhelming. The risks of misalignment between the intended purpose of marketing technology and its actual use can result in significant costs for organisations of all sizes.

This guide offers a practical checklist to help you avoid issues related to suitability and compliance, ensuring your marketing organization remains protected in a constantly changing environment.

Businesses feel urgency to adopt new martech solutions, while customers expect more.

The convergence of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation has sparked an acceleration in marketing technology, compelling businesses to swiftly adapt to compete and thrive. As technology evolves, companies recognise the need to stay competitive. Investing in martech allows marketing teams to deploy more advanced strategies, enhance capabilities, and keep pace with industry trends. Martech solutions enable businesses to understand customer behaviour and tailor marketing efforts accordingly. At the same time, consumers demand personalised experiences, seamless interactions, and relevant content, all of which requires martech to execute.

Businesses feel urgency to adopt new martech solutions, while customers expect more.

Marketing technology shelf life getting shorter amid ‘time to value’ uncertainty.

Organisations aiming to maintain a competitive edge in marketing face the dual challenge of extracting maximum value from their martech investments and keeping pace with swift technological advancements.

The challenge marketing and tech budget owners need to address is understanding the time-to-value periods of new technology and the longevity of the current marketing technology stack. Sectors like artificial intelligence (AI) are driving rapid progress in marketing technology, with AI startups leading the way with quick, innovative solutions that promise short time-to-value (TTV) periods.

Cost of inaction in martech adoption.

In a highly competitive marketing landscape, the speed of technological innovation means budget owners recognise the potential costs of inaction and loss of competitiveness as significant concerns.

Achieving value from martech requires balancing swift deployment with the assurance of substantial returns on investment.

Marketing decision-makers are squeezed between a push for quick results and the risk that hesitation to adopt new martech solutions can result in missed opportunities, such as revenue loss, decreased customer engagement, and eroding brand relevance. Inactivity undermines a brand's competitive edge, impacting market share and customer loyalty.

Chasefive Martech Evaluation Checklist: Choosing the Right Software for Your Marketing Organisation.

With the number of options available in the market, each promising to revolutionise your marketing efforts, selecting the perfect fit can feel overwhelming. However, making an informed choice is crucial to effectively harness the power of martech, driving growth and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

The Chasefive "Martech Evaluation Checklist" guides you through the process of selecting a martech solution that aligns with your organisational goals. This checklist helps identify must-have features and integration capabilities. It involves four stages: assessing business needs, conducting research, selecting vendors, and making an informed decision for future success.

1. Needs Assessment & Feasibility Stage

The journey to selecting the ideal martech solution begins with a thorough Needs Assessment & Feasibility stage. At this early stage, it’s important to clearly define your marketing objectives and ascertain how a new solution can support these goals, whether by enhancing customer engagement, boosting lead generation, or improving personalisation efforts.

This step requires a deep dive into your company’s specific needs, evaluating how the desired functionalities will impact the marketing team and other functions such as sales and customer service operations.

A critical assessment of how each potential tool aligns with your strategic objectives is essential, focusing on its ability to enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and drive revenue growth, starting from defining your marketing needs.

Key steps in the Needs Assessment & Feasibility Stage are:

Defining Marketing Needs: When choosing a marketing technology solution, clarify your objectives for the new tool. Consider functionality, impact on other departments, and ability to enhance customer experience, boost operational efficiency, and contribute to revenue growth. Choose a solution that aligns with your business objectives to achieve marketing goals effectively.

Evaluate current marketing systems: Evaluate your current marketing systems by assessing your existing marketing technology tools. Understand their functionalities, strengths, and limitations. For instance, evaluate whether your current solution supports your objective.
Conduct feasibility check: Establish your budget for new marketing software. Ensure your company has necessary resources (e.g., IT support, training capacity) for effective implementation and management.

2. Research Stage

The Research Stage of selecting a martech solution involves a detailed examination of potential vendors and their offerings. This involves identifying and shortlisting vendors based on features, pricing, scalability, and industry reputation. This stage is vital for narrowing down choices to solutions that offer the right tools, support, and potential for growth alongside your business.

Key steps in the Research Stage are:

Identify vendors: Research and shortlist potential martech vendors based on features, pricing, scalability, and industry reputation.

Understand the martech solution: Review vendor technical information, case studies, and customer reviews to understand each solutions capabilities and potential fit for your needs. Specifically looking at:

Features and functionality: Deep dive into the features and functionalities offered by the martech solution. Does it address your specific needs and provide the capabilities you require?
Integrations: Consider how well the solution integrates with your existing marketing technology stack and other essential business systems (e.g., CRM, CMS). Seamless integration is crucial for a cohesive workflow. Evaluate how well the martech solution integrates with existing tools and systems, including CRM, data analytics platforms, and other marketing software.
Scalability and growth potential: Can the martech solution scale with your business growth? Ensure it can handle increasing data volumes and evolving marketing needs. Ensure the solution can scale with your business and adapt to changing marketing strategies and technologies.
Customisation: Does the solution offer customization options to adapt to your specific workflows and processes?
Security and compliance: Evaluate the data security measures offered by the martech solution. Ensure it complies with relevant data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) based on your location and target market.

Examine the user experience (UX). Assess the usability of the solution for everyday users, not just IT professionals. A good UX can significantly impact adoption rates and productivity. Consider the learning curve and whether the vendor offers training and support.

In the research stage develop a list of key criteria to evaluate each software solution, including all the points listed above.

3. Selection stage

The selection stage of the marketing technology evaluation process goes beyond just comparing features; it involves a deep dive into how each option can serve your unique business needs and enhance your team's efficiency. This step involves engaging with vendors and reviewing their platforms through demos and free trials, rigorously comparing their offerings, and evaluating each vendor's reputation and support system.

Key steps in the Selection Stage are:

Request demos and free trials: Schedule demos with shortlisted vendors to get a hands-on experience with the software. Utilize any free trial periods offered to further assess usability and functionality.

Compare and contrast: Compare shortlisted software based on your selection criteria, demo experiences, and pricing plans.

Evaluate vendor reputation and support: Research the vendor’s track record, customer service reputation, and the robustness of their support and training offerings. Consider the vendor’s stability and long-term viability to ensure they will be a reliable partner.

4. Decision stage

Selecting the right marketing software for your organisation culminates in the decision stage, where careful negotiation and strategic assessments become paramount. At this point, it's essential to not only finalise the terms with your chosen vendor but also to secure the necessary internal approvals.

This stage involves a delicate balance of negotiating contract terms, pricing, and implementation specifics while also conducting a thorough risk versus reward assessment to ensure the chosen solution aligns with your company's long-term goals and scalability needs.

Navigating this final phase paves the way for a successful technology adoption that not only meets your current requirements but also supports your future growth.

Key steps in the Decision Stage are:

· Negotiate contract: Once you've chosen the preferred vendor, negotiate contract terms, pricing, and implementation details.

· Obtain approval: Secure internal approvals from relevant stakeholders before finalizing the purchase.

· Risk vs. reward assessment. Consider the trade-offs between the potential benefits (reward) and the risks associated with the solution. Evaluate factors such as implementation complexity, ongoing maintenance, and scalability.

Charting a path to Martech success

Whether you are just beginning to explore the possibilities of adopting new marketing technology solutions or upgrading your existing martech stack, the journey is strategic and demands careful consideration at every turn. From clearly defining your marketing needs and assessing the feasibility of new solutions to conducting thorough research on potential vendors and making an informed decision, each step is crucial in selecting a martech solution that aligns with your business objectives.

Remember, the goal is not just to adopt the latest technology but to choose tools that genuinely enhance your marketing capabilities, foster better customer relationships, and drive your business towards sustained growth.

As you navigate this process, keep your strategic goals at the forefront, ensuring that every decision contributes to the broader vision of your company's success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Join the FAPI Marketing Framework™ Academy to learn more about marketing team resource planning and team building.

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How difficult is it to implement the FAPI Marketing Framework?

By Chasefive Management • December 15, 2025

Implementing the FAPI Marketing Framework is conceptually straightforward, but it can be operationally demanding, especially the first time an organization adopts it at scale. Generally, implementation is moderately to highly difficult because FAPI functions as an organizational operating system, not merely a campaign or tactical framework. The framework itself is clearly defined as four sequential modules— Frame, Architecture, Production, and Insights —with fixed deliverables and terminology, so teams do not have to invent their own processes from scratch. The real difficulty lies in aligning current ways of working, roles, and data flows to this end‑to‑end structure, which represents a significant change for many marketing teams. Unlike lighter models such as AIDA or the 4Ps—which can be applied independently to a single ad, channel, or product—the FAPI Framework requires a fundamental shift in how marketing operates within the organization. Specifically, it requires restructuring how the marketing function interacts with other business functions (including the C-suite) and how day-to-day work is planned, executed, and measured. Because the FAPI Framework is an organizational marketing management framework rather than a creative or channel framework, it demands changes to governance, decision-making, accountability, and execution discipline across the marketing function. Breakdown of implementation difficulty The framework is composed of four sequential modules, with implementation difficulty typically peaking in the first two phases. ✅ Frame Difficulty level: Medium Requires C-suite involvement. The "Plan Master" must extract and formalize marketing strategy keystones from leadership. ✅ Architecture Difficulty level: High Requires translation. High-level business goals must be translated into a structured, executable marketing plan before any creative work begins. ✅ Production Difficulty level: Low Standard execution (campaigns, content, activation). Most teams already do this well; FAPI simply adds structure and discipline. ✅ Insights Difficulty level: Medium Requires rigorous analysis. Teams must perform ego-free analysis focused on business outcomes—not vanity metrics—and feed insights back into the strategy. The three key implementation challenges If you attempt to roll out the FAPI Framework in your organization, you must plan to address the following friction points: A. The “Strategic Gap” ( Frame Module ) Most marketing teams operate in a tactical bubble—they infer business objectives and immediately begin execution. FAPI explicitly forbids moving into execution until the Frame is clearly defined and approved by the C-suite. The challenge: You must require the CEO or Board to provide clear, written input on commercial objectives, competitive positioning, and priority audiences before any campaigns launch. Many leadership teams resist this level of specificity and accountability. B. Project leadership. The Need for a “Plan Master”. The FAPI Framework depends on a clearly defined role—often referred to as the Plan Master or Marketing Architect. This role is not simply a CMO; it acts as the translator between executive intent and operational marketing execution. The challenge: It is difficult to find or develop an individual who combines: The strategic authority to challenge and clarify executive direction. The operational rigor to manage detailed plans, dependencies, and workflows. C. Implementing sequential discipline FAPI is an intentionally sequential system. Architecture cannot be skipped to accelerate Production. The challenge: In fast-moving or agile environments, teams are accustomed to “test and learn” approaches. FAPI requires teams to plan and build first, which can feel slow or bureaucratic to organizations that prioritize speed over structure. Factors that reduce difficulty On the other hand, the framework is designed to be learnable and repeatable. Guidebooks, training, and a defined playbook structure lower the conceptual barriers for both beginners and experienced marketers. Organizations that already manage campaigns with clear objectives, standard processes, owned data, and regular performance reviews will find much of FAPI maps onto what they already do; for them, adoption is more about renaming and tightening than wholesale reinvention.

The Plan Master. The Central Force Behind High-Performance Marketing Management

By Chasefive Management • November 26, 2025

In high-performance marketing organisations, success doesn't happen by accident—it is engineered. The FAPI Marketing Framework™ codifies this principle by defining clear roles, structures, and processes that transform strategic intent into measurable marketing outcomes. At the core of this system sits a pivotal leadership role: the Plan Master . Often misunderstood as a mere project manager or senior marketer, the Plan Master is, in reality, the marketing operational architect , strategic interpreter , cross-functional conductor , and insights-driven decision maker behind the entire FAPI program. They are the "glue" that holds together the four modules of the FAPI Framework—Frame, Architecture, Production, and Insights—and ensure that strategy and execution flow as one continuous system. This article explains what makes the Plan Master role so central to marketing performance, why it exists, and how it elevates a business’s marketing capability far beyond traditional marketing management. How the Plan Master Operates Across All Four FAPI Marketing Modules The Plan Master is the only role that spans the entire framework. Their responsibilities shift and expand as the organisation moves through Frame → Architecture → Production → Insights. 1. FRAME MODULE: Vision Decoder / Encoder At this stage, the Plan Master ensures: Commercial objectives, competitive analysis, and audience definitions are complete and correct The senior leadership’s strategic direction is accurately captured in the framework All stakeholders understand and agree upon the strategic foundations before any planning begins The output of the Frame is strategic clarity—owned, maintained, and enforced by the Plan Master. 2. ARCHITECTURE MODULE: Operational Architect & Designer Key responsibilities include: Designing the operational Architecture for the marketing function Coordinating and producing the Marketing Playbook Defining the tactical marketing model appropriate for the organisation Overseeing financial management and ensuring a strong Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) In this module, the Plan Master becomes the blueprint engineer—turning goals into workflows, budgets, and actionable plans. 3. PRODUCTION MODULE: Coach, Drummer, and Operational Leader Once the plan is activated, the Plan Master shifts into execution mode: Leading kickoff meetings Supporting Production Executives Removing roadblocks and enabling the team to move faster Ensuring every task aligns with the Marketing Playbook Blending creativity with commercial discipline They keep the rhythm of the system—the “drummer” ensuring pace, tempo, and consistency. 4. INSIGHTS MODULE: Master of Insights The Plan Master also leads the measurement and optimisation engine: Establishing benchmarks and KPIs before execution begins Organizing data flows and reporting structures Interpreting results and turning them into improvements Driving continuous optimisation across all modules Their role ensures that marketing does not operate on intuition, but on structured learning and measurable performance. The Management Style That Defines a Plan Master The Plan Master’s effectiveness is not based solely on technical skill. Their leadership style is just as crucial. Servant Leadership They empower teams, rather than command them. Their focus is on enabling others to perform at their best. Diplomacy & Cross-Functional Influence Because team members often do not report directly to the Plan Master, influence—not authority—is their greatest tool. They negotiate for resources, align competing priorities, and maintain organisational harmony. Operational Decision-Making When priorities change or unexpected issues arise, the Plan Master makes decisive, informed choices that protect both strategy and delivery. Quality Control They champion standards, enforce SOPs, and ensure marketing output is consistently high in quality. Why the Plan Master Matters More Than Ever Modern marketing is too fragmented—and too high stakes—to be run through ad-hoc coordination, siloed specialists, or disconnected teams. Without a central figure to harmonize strategy, architecture, execution, and insights, businesses experience: Misalignment between strategy and operations Inefficient spending Repetitive mistakes Slow execution Lack of accountability Weak performance measurement The Plan Master eliminates these issues by creating a unified, structured, and continuously improving marketing operation.

Critical Concept Distinctions That Separate the FAPI Marketing Framework from Traditional Marketing Management

By Chasefive Management • November 19, 2025

Modern marketing is evolving fast, and with it, the expectations placed on marketing leaders, teams, and systems. While traditional marketing management has shaped decades of practice, the FAPI Marketing Framework introduces a fundamentally different—and far more advanced—approach to delivering marketing performance at scale. Below is a breakdown of the four most significant conceptual distinctions between FAPI-driven marketing management and the traditional model—each directly aligned to one of the four modules of the FAPI Framework: Frame, Architecture, Production, and Insights . Together, these distinctions explain why FAPI creates more predictable outcomes, higher-performing teams, and stronger alignment with business strategy.

20 Terms Every Marketer Should Know in the FAPI Marketing Framework

By Chasefive Management • November 6, 2025

The FAPI Marketing Framework relies on a precise and structured set of terminology to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment across every stakeholder involved in marketing planning, execution, and analysis. Whether you’re a business leader, marketing manager, or agency professional, understanding these terms is essential to mastering how modern marketing functions operate under a unified system. 1. FAPI Marketing Framework The FAPI Marketing Framework is a sequential marketing planning and management methodology designed to help business leaders build and manage high-performing marketing functions. It provides the structure needed to align strategy, tactics, operations, and insights—bridging the gap between leadership goals and day-to-day marketing activities. 2. Frame Module The Frame Module is the strategic foundation of the framework. It defines the long-term direction, purpose, and non-negotiable boundaries that shape all subsequent planning and decision-making. This stage ensures every marketing activity connects back to business intent. 3. Architecture Module In the Architecture Module, strategy turns into structure. It’s the tactical phase where strategic vision is translated into actionable plans, operational systems, and measurable performance expectations. 4. Production Module The Production Module represents the operational phase—where plans become reality. Here, Production Executives execute the campaigns, workflows, and systems defined in the Marketing Playbook, ensuring delivery meets expectations. 5. Insights Module The Insights Module is where marketing becomes intelligent. It focuses on interpreting data, generating learnings, and optimizing performance. The goal: to create a self-correcting system that continuously improves based on real results. 6. Plan Master The Plan Master acts as the central orchestrator of the framework—responsible for leading the project, managing cross-functional communication, and maintaining alignment between strategy and operations. 7. Functional Leads Functional Leads represent the key areas of marketing specialization (e.g., media, content, CRM, analytics). They provide input, resources, and domain expertise to ensure each component of the plan is feasible and integrated. 8. Production Executives Production Executives are the specialists in action. They are responsible for hands-on execution—running campaigns, managing channels, and implementing tools according to the Marketing Playbook. 9. Strategy Brief The Strategy Brief is the main deliverable of the Frame Module. It outlines the business vision, defines strategic goals, and presents a clear roadmap for achieving them. It serves as the north star for all marketing activity. 10. Marketing Playbook The Marketing Playbook is the key output of the Architecture Module. It’s a tactical blueprint that details what will be done, how, when, and by whom—defining every operational parameter required for coordinated execution. 11. Core Logic Core Logic defines how MarTech tools and systems are structured. It reflects the guiding logic—whether the technology setup is strategy-led (built to deliver outcomes) or operations-led (built for efficiency). 12. Productivity Lane The Productivity Lane represents the MarTech deployment focused on operational efficiency—systems that streamline workflows, automate processes, and track production-level metrics. 13. Performance Lane The Performance Lane complements the Productivity Lane by focusing on strategic and commercial outcomes. It connects data and analytics to business goals, measuring the true performance impact of marketing. 14. Coherence (Principle) Coherence is one of FAPI’s guiding principles—ensuring that all phases (Frame, Architecture, Production, and Insights) form a connected, end-to-end process with no gaps between strategy and execution. 15. Adaptability (Principle) Adaptability ensures that marketing plans remain flexible and self-correcting. Through continuous monitoring and optimization, the framework can respond dynamically to market changes and performance data. 16. User Journey Mapping User Journey Mapping defines the path a person takes as they engage with a brand—from initial awareness to purchase and beyond. It is essential for aligning content, messaging, and offers to each stage of the buyer’s journey. Bringing It All Together The FAPI Marketing Framework is more than a collection of concepts—it’s a living system that ensures marketing functions operate with discipline, clarity, and measurable accountability. Each term plays a role in creating a structure where strategic intent translates seamlessly into tactical execution and continuous improvement. When every team member—from the Plan Master to the Production Executive—speaks the same language, marketing moves faster, performs better, and delivers results that are transparent, measurable, and aligned with business growth.

From Strategy to Teams, the different Types of Marketing Frameworks

By Chasefive Management • November 4, 2025

Marketing frameworks help organizations bring structure, clarity, and consistency to how they plan and execute their marketing. Broadly, these frameworks fall into three main categories: Production Marketing Frameworks , Strategy Marketing Frameworks , and Organizational Marketing Frameworks frameworks. 1. Production Marketing Frameworks These frameworks focus on execution, the specific steps, tools, and methods used to deliver marketing activities. They help teams roll out campaigns or initiatives efficiently and consistently. For example, a User Journey Framework maps the stages customers go through from awareness to purchase, guiding tactical execution and content delivery. 2. Strategy Marketing Frameworks Strategic frameworks define the key pillars that shape a company’s overall marketing direction. They often analyze markets, audiences, and competitive dynamics to inform high-level decision-making. A well-known example is Porter’s Five Forces , which assesses the external competitive environment to guide positioning and market-entry strategies. 3. Organizational Marketing Frameworks An organizational marketing framework addresses how marketing functions are structured and managed within a business. They focus on processes, systems, roles, and performance management to ensure efficiency and alignment across teams.

Understanding the Marketing KPI Divide: Why Production-Level Metrics Don’t Translate for Business Leaders

By Chasefive Management • October 30, 2025

The modern marketing landscape is rich with data. Teams can track campaign clicks, bounce rates, and email opens with precision; yet business leaders still question whether marketing truly drives growth. This disconnect often stems from a gap between production-level KPIs, granular measures used by marketing teams, and business leadership metrics, which focus on strategy, commercial outcomes, and long-term impact. The Leadership Challenge: Relevancy in Marketing KPIs Problems arise when senior leadership misinterprets or undervalues marketing KPIs . Executives often want to see how marketing contributes to strategic goals, but when presented with overly granular metrics, they disengage. Misalignment of Metric Relevance Leadership Focus: The C-suite prioritizes impact metrics such as customer lifetime value, market share growth, or marketing ROI. Marketer Focus: Teams look at tactical measures like CPC, bounce rates, and engagement. The Result: When operational data is given to executives expecting strategic insight, clarity is lost. CPC means little to a CFO concerned with revenue growth. Lack of Trust and Strategic Disconnect Mistrust at the Top: Studies show that nearly 80% of CEOs lack trust in their marketing departments. Much of this distrust comes from poor alignment in metrics. Structural Failures: If strategic goals are not translated into meaningful KPIs, marketing execution becomes scattered. Resource Misallocation: Marketers waste an average of 26% of budgets on ineffective channels when metrics fail to reflect business priorities. The FAPI Marketing Framework stresses tailored reporting, ensuring that each stakeholder, whether CEO, manager, or executive, receives metrics aligned with their role and level of decision-making. Management vs. Production Metrics: A Dual-Lane View To clarify this divide, the FAPI Framework illustrates how management-level metrics differ from production-level metrics and why both are essential.