According to certain sources, the term Marketing Operations (MO) was formally coined by analyst firm IDC in early 2005. However, it wasn't until about the end of 2011 that the term gained mainstream acceptance. Because the sets of associated systems that a marketing operations professional (MOP) are expected to use are still evolving, the MO role is still in a state of evolution right alongside it. This is why it's difficult to truly classify what it means to be a MO professional.