![Obstacles To Innovation According To B2B Marketing Execs, Q4 2014 [CHART]](https://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/186425.gif "Chart - Obstacles To Innovation According To B2B Marketing Execs")
In a Q4 2014 study by Sparks Grove and Econsultancy, B2B marketing execs in North America ranked the pressure to deliver a consistent and positive customer experience (38%), product innovation (34%) and emerging business models and competitors (33%) as the top three organizational challenges driving the need for innovation.
Among marketing execs, 35% said that a traditional mindset was the biggest barrier to innovation. Risk aversion was also a key problem, as was low tolerance for failure.
The need for innovation isn’t limited to B2Bs, of course. Among US marketers polled in February 2015 by the American Marketing Association (AMA), Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and McKinsey & Company, 14.0% said innovation was a leading priority of customers. Though this percentage may seem low, it was up from 9.0% in August 2014, while quality, service and low prices—the most-cited priorities in August—fell or remained the same. Read the rest at eMarketer.
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