You can give marcom efforts leading role
Published on 07/02/2001 under Ad Management
When I served my year as chairman of the Chicago based Business Marketing Association in 1992-93, my traveling talk for chapter members was titled, “Pacesetter or Passenger?” In that speech, I challenged business-to-business marcom practitioners to at least participate in determining the marketing direction for their companies and clients (vis-à-vis having that direction set by others) It was a lofty goal, and I wish I could say my presentation made a difference. But today, as then, marcom people tend to be mostly concerned with tactical things, such as producing brochures, arranging trade show promotions and creating ads. The strategic direction is usually set by higher ranking marketing and product managers In many cases, the situation isn’t even that good, because I also see marketing and product managers coming up with “creative” ideas for ads and brochures, and the marcom people are left with the unrewarding chore of executing the creative visions of clients who dabble in this as a diversion from their regular duties. So what’s a poor marcom professional to do? How can you establish yourself as a leader, not a follower? If you’re just starting out in this business, or if you find yourself in an abusive situation where clients are running roughshod over you, how can you hope to turn this around? Here are a few suggestions:
Take it under advisement. When a client starts throwing out ideas or, even worse, describes in excruciating detail how something is to be done, don’t accept or reject it. Simply tell him that you’ll think about it, and reserve your right to mix his ideas with others in an effort to come up with the best possible creative solution. I often find that blended ideas are best, anyway.
If your client can recognize even a tiny portion of her idea in the final approach (and you would be really remiss not to point it out and give her full credit for her brilliance), then you can count at least one important project approver climbing rapidly on the bandwagon.
Cite credible sources. Knowledge is power, and since advertising is subjective, you need lots of knowledge to maintain control So credible third-party information sources and examples tucked away for just the right moment are extremely important, because sooner or later, someone is going to blast holes in your concept or program platform “That’ll never work,” they say, or, “Has anyone ever attempted that?”—as if it were unconstitutional to do something original. Or my personal favorite, “Our customers already know all these things. This is a total waste of money.”
Your customers are having a hard time remembering to pick up milk and bread on the way home from work tonight, so expecting them to remember and play back specific attributes of your products and services is unrealistic However, they can probably describe your company in general terms, which leads to my next suggestion:
Be brand-oriented. We’ve talked a lot about brand management in recent columns, but this is the one area in which b-to-b marcom people can really shine. If you want to insert yourself in the middle of a highly strategic issue that will ultimately be yours to manage, ask the CEO what “personality” the company should be communicating to its various publics. If you get a vague answer, that means the CEO hasn’t thought about the issue much. But he will, because it’s the kind of thing that determines the legacy he will leave behind.
Offer to conduct some research to find out what the marketplace thinks; this is valuable whether the CEO has a specific vision or not. It’ll tell you how far you need to go to build the desired personality and provide clues on which positions might be attainable. If someone else is firmly entrenched as the “most innovative” or “most dependable” supplier, then refine your branding strategy to go for something slightly different.
Study the business. Advertising is not easy, because there are so many aspects to master: Strategy, creativity, production, media, fulfillment, database programs—it’s mind-boggling. Therefore, the b-to-b marketing communications manager needs to be on top of all of these areas and more. That doesn’t happen overnight, so pick an area and learn everything you can about it as quickly as possible. Make it abundantly clear in meetings with clients that they’re dealing with a serious student of the profession.
I’ve already suggested that branding would be a good place to start. But databases are important, too. Know what databases can (and can’t) do, how to link them, how to keep them current and, most importantly, become the database keeper. (Not necessarily one who enters the data or even maintains the computers, but one who decides if data is to be entered.)
There are huge differences between the one who counsels and the one who is counseled, between the one who provides direction and the one who receives it. One is paid more than the other, to be sure, but one also tends to be more satisfied with his career than the other. However, if after several years of persistent effort you still find yourself in an environment in which your clients refuse to let you take on this counseling role, move on. I’ve seen enough client situations to know that some corporate cultures are simply bad news—they’re abusive and harmful to mental and emotional well-being, and you’d be better off finding a new situation where your efforts are rewarded and professional development is nourished.
As my wife likes to remind me when I get frustrated, “This is not a dress rehearsal.”