Remembering The Fundamentals Of Marketing In A Digital Age

In this digital age, where a single viral video on TikTok can seemingly spark a new trend within 24 hours, the change of pace that marketers must keep up with is immense and, understandably, daunting. As a result, we're becoming so caught up on what's shiny and new that we risk losing sight of the crux of successful marketing—our customers.

According to HubSpot's 2024 State of Marketing Report, 75% of marketers believe personalized experience drives sales and repeat business (pg. 7). This driver is why it's now more important than ever to remember the core fundamentals of your practice. Your building blocks should be the "four P's": product, price, place and promotion. The customer sits above all four as an ultimate goal; the rest stem from their needs and changing habits. What product does your customer want, what price do they want it at and where do they want it?

Developed in the 1960s by E. Jerome McCarthy, the four P's demonstrate the necessity for executives to mix different methods depending on variable market forces. Doing so helps marketers design plans that fit their time's dynamic social and political realities, specific to attracting a target market.

The three P's—process, physical evidence and people—introduced by Booms and Bitner in 1982—are necessary additions. This is ultimately the best recipe that caters to consumers today because the four P's help you position your product according to the customer brief, but the three P's then strengthen this by helping you understand where to position it, for whom and how.

A customer-centric focus outlasts any trend.

Amid the evolving landscape, AI and automation have transformed marketing more in the past three years than over the past 50, according to the HubSpot report, and keeping laser-focused on these principles remains core to meeting business objectives and satisfying audiences. Tech is an enabler; customers are the core focus.

We see many brands struggle because they have ignored these principles in favor of catering to the whims of a digital audience that's not necessarily their own. Time and effort are concentrated on making something go viral, with many forgetting to understand and meet customers' unique needs.

Despite the fundamental shifts in the tools we employ, the essence of marketing persists in businesses actively tuning in to their customers' needs and delivering solutions that resonate authentically with them. As Fairfax M. Cone said: "Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions, it rarely moves anyone."

First, a marketing team needs to define the business brief through a diagnosis phase: "What problem are we solving for the customer? What are we doing to solve it? Is there a market opportunity?" Then the four P's can get underway and a misalignment between the campaign created and the customer brief is avoided.

These are not dusty old concepts but rather basic principles that are adaptable and able to work in synergy with the latest technological innovations. The parameters outline future successful campaigns and allow you to keep up and embrace new ideas simultaneously.

Before big data and generative AI revolutionized the way we work, the challenge was creating the right, tailored message for your audience. In the race to keep up, broader trends that become prevalent across multiple industries end up causing a disorientating effect because businesses lose sight of the needs and wants of their specific audience in a bid to cater to the masses.

With 64% of marketers already using AI and automation (pg. 31), it's clear that technology is propelling growth, but the challenge is harnessing this growth to meet your customers' needs. How do you use these tools to create personalized, targeted campaigns? The market we're operating in has changed, but when did it become outdated to understand the brief?

It's a simple formula, but it works, and the variable nature of each "P" avoids falling victim to a one-size-fits-all approach. Often, I witness these metrics being overcomplicated or overlooked by today's marketers, or many make the fatal error of trying to retrofit their campaign to the customer's brief at the end of the process rather than at the beginning.

Basic principles do not lead to basic campaigns.

As Pete Markey of Aviva said, the four P's "are essentially about understanding the wants and needs of customers and how to extract value from that." Why have such fundamentals become increasingly ignored in the digital age? One explanation may be that marketing teams hire purely based on a candidate's digital skills, rather than checking whether they fully grasp the basics of marketing, too. Digital literacy and strong analytical capabilities need to be interwoven with creativity.

The P's should be our backbone to creating a customer-centric approach. I anticipate brands blending agility with a steadfast commitment to marketing principles as they navigate the delicate balance between innovation, profitability and expansion in the future. Once you devise a plan that fulfills each parameter, execute your campaign through the right tech stack—this combination should lead you to success.

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Metadata: Originally published on Forbes.com on 04 April 2024.

The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose And Processes

Chief marketing officers (CMOs) are the ones responsible for understanding and representing the customer within the business, identifying new market opportunities and developing strategies that align with overall business goals. Our insights drive progress.

However, to truly play a transformative role, it’s important to acknowledge and harness our unique position that enables us to draw on the talent from departments across our organizations.

Swapping Isolation For Collaboration

CMOs can bind and unify an organization; to be successful, it is important to develop a core understanding of how data, money and resources flow around the company. By positioning yourself at the intersection of technology, strategy and communications, you can become the epicenter of broader business transformation. However, many struggle to fully utilize this opportunity to leverage talent across businesses.

As Gartner reported in December 2022, cross-functional collaboration is currently yielding unfavorable outcomes for businesses, with senior marketing executives who described their approach as “independent” outperforming self-described “collaborators” on annual revenue targets by almost a quarter when looking at customer acquisition goals. However, it’s important to note that it’s not the concept of cross-function collaboration that’s the problem, but the way it’s being executed.

The solution to the problem is to replace isolation between silos with collaboration and communication. As Aaron Dignan, founder of The Ready, said, “There’s no such thing as a big company … it’s 50 small companies that are just under the same banner with a set of shared principles in a marketplace with each other.”

A company’s size is irrelevant—it’s how effectively the divisions within it communicate with one another that determines whether it will function efficiently and successfully. CMOs are responsible for shaping a narrative that employees can unify behind. As such, it is critical to embed values and communicate a clear vision that everyone—no matter where in the company they work—believes in.

Indeed, the goal of a CMO is to effectively deliver values and brand promise across the customer journey—a journey that involves many (if not all) other functions, from supply chain to client handling. To forge a sense of collaboration while still preserving efficiency, agility and hitting targets, CMOs need to represent the voice of the customer when providing input and advice to other functions.

This is the case when helping the communications function with internal messaging. CMOs need to use persona-based, human-centered strategies so they can represent the customer as effectively internally as they do externally. The challenge is ensuring that this communication is both tailored to individual functions while retaining a joint underlying message. As experts in communications, we can collaborate with other executives in different business functions to provide guidance on what strategy and messaging will resonate most within their team to create a positive, long-term result.

The Right Tech, The Right Way

A study by EY and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School found that putting humans at the center of the drivers of business transformation can improve the odds of success by 2.6 times. This successful transformation relies on CMOs’ effectiveness to instill collaboration, care, inspiration and empowerment into the teams they build and lead.

The research found that 71% of workers agreed that for a corporate vision to become concrete, leaders must communicate clearly why the change is needed, not just what they want their employees to do. As such, it’s obvious that genuine belief can only be built from evidence. Members of the C-suite simply stating their business objectives will only result in a half-hearted effort to collaborate.

A key ingredient that will help CMOs spur cross-functional collaboration is the right technology. In EY’s research, nearly half (48%) of respondents said their organization invested in the right technologies to meet their needs, versus only 33% in companies who qualified as going through “low-performing transformations.”

However, it has to be the right technology and used correctly. Research from Howspace in January 2023 found that technology is currently reducing collaboration rather than improving it, with employees stating that it’s geared more toward independent work. This needs to change; part of our role as CMOs is to ensure that we are leveraging technology in a way that encourages, as Ilkka Mäkitalo, CEO of Howspace, states, “synchronous and asynchronous work to take place seamlessly in a fluid environment.”

Technology has long been a part of CMO efforts. Data is central to providing a more connected, intelligent and anticipatory customer experience. The intertwinement of data, creativity and innovation has meant CMOs have been increasingly partnering with CIOs and other executives to build technology and automation into their marketing and advertising.

This synergy has been amplified by the generative AI boom at the end of last year. Excitement about the potential impact has reverberated throughout our industry—like countless others—because it is, as you know, huge. Adding generative AI into current marketing strategies has the ability to transform any workflow and be an effective tool across the business.

This is an example of when cross-functional collaboration is necessary. We need to work with other executives to inform the functions of the business (whether that be supply chains, procurement or R&D) about generative AI’s transformative capabilities, remove any hesitations and agree upon a companywide strategy of how to best implement it.

Final Thoughts

Nurturing ecosystems and fostering partnerships is key for any CMO when dealing with change, complexity and disruptions. It’s a fundamental skill we need to possess if we are to be successful in communication and change management. Ultimately, employee satisfaction, drive and output increase when they’re embedded in collaborative teams—75% of employees rate it as necessary to their role. Remaining siloed will only hold us back.

Today, more than ever, it is important to empower employees, implement efficient processes, and demonstrate the importance and context of working in synergy with other business functions; that way, the corporate whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.

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Metadata: Originally published on Forbes.com on 14 December 2023.

The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose, and Processes

In my latest article on Forbes, The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose and Processes, I discuss how CMOs are in a unique position that enables us to draw on the talent from departments across our organizations.

Leadership collaboration

The goal of a CMO is to effectively deliver values and brand promise across the customer journey—a journey that involves many (if not all) other functions, from supply chain to client handling. To forge a sense of collaboration while still preserving efficiency, agility and hitting targets, CMOs need to represent the voice of the customer when providing input and advice to other functions.

Nurturing ecosystems and fostering partnerships is key for any CMO when dealing with change, complexity and disruptions. It's a fundamental skill we need to possess if we are to be successful in communication and change management.

You can read the article at Forbes here.

How do you execute your marketing strategy?

I have recently answered a LinkedIn advice quesiton on Marketing Strategy.

Question: How do you execute your marketing strategy?

My answer:

Setting clear and well-defined objectives is a cornerstone of any effective marketing strategy. It starts with the business brief - a well-written and documented brief that nails the objective, the offer, the target, the timing, and the budget. Some of the best brief templates today are still the original BBDO and JWT briefs from many decades ago. Once you've nailed the brief, then start your diagnosis. The fundamentals are still relevant, and the IPA in the UK have just released a new report on mastering the art of the brief. Go and grab this great resource at ipa.co.uk.

Mastering the Art of Marketing Briefs: Insights from IPA's Latest Report for Campaign Success

An AI image of a professional woman who is engaged in reading a business brief. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

Marketing briefs are vital in the strategic planning and execution of business and marketing campaigns. They are the foundation for aligning campaign goals, strategies, and expected outcomes among all involved parties, including business, marketing, and creative teams.

A recent report by the IPA, in partnership with BetterBriefs and contributions from top marketing leaders like Daryl Fielding, Merry Baskin, Peter Field, Wiemer Snijders, Mark Ritson, Emma Perkins, Rosie and Faris Yakob, James Hurman, and Orlando Wood, delves deeply into this topic.

This comprehensive document, released on November 14, 2023, builds upon the global study of marketing briefs conducted by BetterBriefs. It emphasizes the importance of crafting effective briefs and how they lead to the efficient use of client time and the optimal utilization of an agency's talent and energies. The report's main aim is to foster discussions around briefs and guide towards creating better ones, acting as an extension to their previously released best practice guide on the subject.

Effective marketing briefs are essential because they:

• Clarify Objectives: They set achievable goals aligning with the overall business strategy.
• Enhance Communication: Briefs ensure that all team members understand the project's objectives and constraints irrespective of their role.
• Save Time and Resources: Well-constructed briefs minimize the need for revisions and rework, leading to more efficient use of resources.
• Facilitate Creativity: Briefs must allow creative teams to focus on innovation within defined boundaries by providing clear guidelines and expectations.
• Measure Success: They establish benchmarks and criteria for evaluating the campaign's effectiveness.

Understanding and implementing the principles outlined in this report can be a game changer for businesses, marketing professionals, and creative teams aiming to enhance their campaign success.

I have worked with my teams to implement a documented approach to business, marketing, and creative briefs as I believe this is important to set ourselves up for success.

The full report is available for download at the IPA website, and I recommend you go and grab a copy to read.

Harness the power of interactive SMS for customer engagement

An AI image of a professional woman who is engaged in reading an SMS message on her smartphone. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

The digital age has gifted us with numerous channels for customer engagement. While many of us have capitalised on email and social media, there's an often-underestimated tool that's a credible option to bypass overflowing inboxes: Interactive SMS. Forbes Communications Council recently curated insights from 19 communication experts on how to use interactive SMS for unparalleled customer engagement.

From innovative concepts like SMS scavenger hunts to the age-old strategy of creating a sense of urgency, these experts have delved deep into the art of SMS communication. One standout tip encourages businesses to "share time-sensitive and behind-the-scenes updates, new offers, and sneak peeks via SMS." This not only fosters exclusivity but also builds anticipation among customers.

Hungry for more innovative ways to boost your customer engagement through SMS? My contribution is the ‘cherry on top’ at number 19. Dive into the full expert panel article, "19 Innovative Ways To Use Interactive SMS To Engage Customers," and unlock a trove of actionable insights.

Read the full article on Forbes

Mastering internal business conferences: A deep dive

An AI image of a meeting space that event professionals have prepared for a business event that is about to begin. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

Organising a seamless internal business conference is no small feat. In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to gather, inspire, and engage is more crucial than ever. But how do you curate an internal business conference that checks all logistical boxes and leaves a lasting impact?

Dive deep as we unravel insights from 11 members of the Forbes Communications Council, unveiling the challenges and, more importantly, the solutions to orchestrating a conference that truly resonates.

Why should you read "11 big challenges facing organisers of internal business conferences"?

1. Comprehensive Insights: The article isn't just a cursory look into internal business conferences. It offers in-depth insights from expert members of the prestigious Forbes Communications Council, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise.

2. Real-World Challenges: Understanding the complexities and challenges of organising an internal business conference is essential for anyone in a managerial or organisational role. This article lays out the most pressing concerns faced by professionals in the field, making it a must-read for those looking to streamline their internal events.

3. Practical solutions: Beyond identifying problems, the article provides actionable solutions and strategies. From tackling budget constraints to ensuring active engagement, readers will find many valuable tips to make their next conference successful.

4. Evolving trends: The world of business conferences is changing, especially in a post-Covid landscape. With challenges like reigniting the spark for in-person events, staying updated on the latest trends and challenges is crucial.

5. Universally applicable knowledge: Even if you're not directly involved in organising conferences, the strategies for clear communication, active engagement, and personalised messaging are essential parts that are relevant in other types of business management and communication.

Uncover expert insights as we spotlight the primary challenges and offer solutions. Ready to elevate your next conference? Join us for an enlightening exploration - the article is available on Forbes here.

How AI can drive your blog strategy to new heights

I'm thrilled to share that I've recently been featured as a contributor in a Forbes article exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in optimizing blog performance. The article features insights from 14 experts, including myself, discussing how AI can be creatively leveraged to drive more traffic to your company blog and enrich the user experience.

My take on AI in blogging

In my contribution, I focused on how AI can help in refining content creation and blog strategy. In an ever-competitive digital landscape, creating quality content alone isn't enough. It's crucial to stay ahead of the curve by incorporating smart strategies that engage and retain your audience. Here's how AI can come to the rescue:

• Streamlined content creation: AI-powered tools can drastically reduce the time cpent on drafting and editing blog posts without compromising on quality. From grammar corrections to sentence structuring, AI can ensure your content is flawless and ready to go live.
• Trend analysis: Keeping up with what your audience wants to read is challenging. AI can analyze online trends and suggest topics that will likely resonate with your target audience.
• A/B testing: Are you unsure which headline would draw more clicks or which CTA would get more conversions? AI can conduct real-time A/B tests, helping you understand what works best for your audience.

What else did the experts say?

The article goes in-depth on a variety of AI applications like generating recommended topics and keywords, analyzing posts for improvements, gathering advanced visitor insights, and much more.

For example, Jessica Wong from Valux Digital suggests that AI-driven topic recommendations based on market trends can significantly increase regular site visits. Mike Neumeier from Arketi Group advises using AI for competitor analyses and content audits to reveal missed opportunities.

Why should you care?

If you’re a communications professional or a business owner, understanding how AI can improve your blog’s performance can be a game-changer. It’s no longer a question of if you should integrate AI into your strategy but how to do it most effectively.

Wrapping it up

AI isn't just the future; it's the present. Leveraging its potential can exponentially increase your blog traffic, engage your readers more profoundly, and offer them a more personalized experience. So, if you haven't thought about integrating AI into your blog strategy yet, now's the time!

Interested in reading the full article? Check it out here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Feel free to reach out to me directly. Happy blogging!

The first click matters: My take on YouTube marketing strategies

Recently I had the opportunity to contribute to a Forbes Expert Panel on strategies for marketing on YouTube. The article entitled ["20 Key Strategies For YouTube Marketing"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/08/22/20-key-strategies-for-youtube-marketing/ is an expert roundup that features strategies for effectively leveraging YouTube's massive platform, which boasts over 2.7 billion logged-in monthly users.

I talked about the importance of making that first click count. Specifically, my input focused on the necessity of having impactful video titles and keyframes, as well as the need for constant monitoring and measuring of your content's performance.

Why the first click matters

In today's saturated online environment, the first impression is often the deciding factor for viewer engagement. If you can’t catch a viewer's eye with your video title and keyframe (the preview image of the video), they're likely to scroll right past your content. This is where impactful titles and eye-catching keyframes come in. Make your titles clear but compelling. Make your keyframes intriguing but relevant. You want to ignite curiosity while also assuring the viewer that the content they're about to see is worth their time.

Test, measure, and adapt

But drawing the viewer in is just the first step; maintaining their engagement is equally crucial. That’s why it’s so important to consistently monitor how your content is performing. This enables you to understand viewer behavior, assess video performance, and adapt your content strategy accordingly.

Time blocks for monitoring

When I talk about monitoring, it’s not just a one-time activity immediately after posting the video. The performance should be checked in predefined blocks of time which could be minutes, hours, or even days, based on the expected traffic and engagement patterns. This ongoing monitoring allows for real-time adjustments that can make all the difference in the world.

Wrapping up

Marketing on YouTube is a dynamic endeavor. It’s a combination of art and science, creativity and analytics. My contribution to the Forbes article reflects this duality. I highly recommend reading the full article as it not only shares my insights but also the wisdom of 19 other experts in the field.

You can read the full Forbes article here.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss YouTube marketing strategies further, feel free to reach out to me directly.

A reflection on modern marketing strategies: My contribution to Forbes' expert panel

I'm excited to share that I've been featured as one of the contributors in a Forbes Communications Council article published on August 21, 2023, titled "A Deep Dive Into The Tools And Trends Shaping Business Strategies".

The article brings together insights from 20 marketing experts, including me, exploring current marketing tools, channels, and trends that businesses should either adopt or rethink.

My take on conversion rate optimization

In the article, I discuss the importance of prioritizing Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) in our marketing strategies. At ION, we shifted our focus from paid campaign landing pages to optimizing our consolidated company website for conversions. The move was not just a tactical one; it was deeply strategic. By investing in an ongoing testing program, we've managed to improve the conversion rate of our new website. The result? We're on track to surpass our lead generation goals for 2023.

Why conversion rate optimisation matters

Conversion rate optimization is not a new concept, but its importance has grown manifold with the increasing competition online. Brands today cannot afford to lose visitors due to poor website experience or confusing customer journeys. That's why we decided to choose a CRO platform carefully and integrate it with our overall marketing strategy.

Key takeaways from other experts

The article features a multitude of insights from other industry leaders:

Kathy Sucich of Dimensional Insight explores the merits of shifting social media resources based on engagement metrics. Cord Himelstein from HALO talks about the diminishing returns of text messaging for B2B lead generation. Alyssa Kopelman of Healthline Media shares her success in leveraging LinkedIn for enhanced audience engagement. ... and many more.

Looking ahead

It's a challenging yet exciting time to be in marketing. Strategies that were effective a few years ago may no longer hold the same impact today. Adapting to these fast-paced changes is not optional; it's a necessity.

For all the marketing professionals out there who are keen on learning about the latest trends and tools shaping the industry, do check out this insightful article. And while you're there, remember to read contribution 19.

Read the full Forbes article here

Would you like to discuss any of these strategies in detail? Feel free to connect with me. Let's shape the future of marketing together!