1. THE UPSIDE
DOWN CMOHOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK
JAMES F. O’GARA, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF ONMESSAGE
FEBRUARY 2013
2. Dizzied by technology? CRM, marketing automation, web-analytics, mobile
technology, big data … the list goes on and on. Technology has taken the field of
marketing by storm. This, in and of itself, is no revelation, but the fact that marketers
have let technology sway them from foundational strategies that drive success …
very much is.
There is no doubt that marketing executives have to clearly understand and embrace
technology as part of their strategy, but many have gotten so consumed with the
bits and bytes that they have lost sight of the preeminent key to marketing and sales
success – messaging.
Why do I say this? Just look at the social media posts, surveys, industry reports and
editorial coverage over the last couple of years. It has been completely consumed
by technology-related articles – but a critical missing component to most of the
coverageisthestoryabout“yourstory”andhowitcanbestrengthenedbytechnology,
analytics and customer data. While it’s essential that we understand how technology
works at a functional level, it is more important to know how it will play a role in
formulating and delivering a more clear, compelling and consistent message to your
target audience. A recent survey by IBM stated that only a third of marketers use
the online data they are collecting (through their technology solutions) to deliver
more targeted messages. The truth is that technology is just one part of the equation.
Ultimately, delivering a more focused, relevant message is the key to making
technology investments pay off.
ULTIMATELY, DELIVERING A
MORE FOCUSED, RELEVANT MESSAGE
IS THE KEY TO MAKING TECHNOLOGY
INVESTMENTS PAY OFF.
3. Channel Chaos Enters the Equation
A large percentage of the technology entering the
marketing arena is directly tied to new channels
through which customers can engage with a company’s
story – social media, mobile, apps, video, gaming,
search, etc. What was a fairly simple marketing mix
just a short time ago has become a web (literally) of
channels that marketing executives have to thoroughly
evaluate and determine how/if they should play a role
in demand generation strategies. The explosion of
technology solutions and channels has literally blown
the minds of many marketing professionals. It’s no
wonder the State of Marketing 2012 Survey by IBM
found the number one challenge CMOs face is the
growth of channel and device choices. Add to the mix
“peer pressure” coming from marketers and analysts
across the globe and we have a potential natural
disaster on our hands. Why is it a potential disaster,
you ask? Because making technology investments and
dabbling in new channels can cost you a lot of time
and money if not utilized in the right way. You might
be saying – well, we have to try new technologies and
channels if we are ever going to know if they work. And
you are right. By no means am I recommending that
you don’t get in the game. But what I do recommend
is that you have a sound game plan in place before you
send your team onto the field.
This game plan should start with a well-constructed
Messaging Platform (see below). A Messaging
Platform that consists of clear, compelling and
consistent messaging, tools and content is essential.
Because, let’s be honest, marketing lives and dies
by the message. It doesn’t matter if that message
is delivered via a Tweet, your website, mobile ad,
Facebook post or paid search advertising. What does
matter is that it is well defined and optimized for the
channel through which it is being consumed. The
well-respected David Ogilvy said it best: “What really
decides what consumers buy or not buy is the content
of your advertising, not its form.” So when you consider
a statistic in Forrester’s 2013 B2B Marketing Tactics
and Benchmarks Survey that states 70% of marketing
budgets will go towards demand generation channels,
you have to ask, without a solid Messaging Platform in
place, are these dollars being well spent?
THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK
What is a Messaging Platform?
A Messaging Platform drives clear, compelling and consistent messaging inside and outside of your organization. It starts with a
messaging foundation that clearly defines who you are, what you do, the value you deliver and key reasons to believe. The Platform
builds on the foundational message to provide a broad range of actionable tools including long-form messaging, elevator pitch,
boilerplate copy, FAQs and answers, social media profile messaging and more. With a strategic Messaging Platform in place,
organizations can infuse effective messaging into their company, culture and customers. Ultimately, achieving a higher return on
every connection they make.
4. THE NUMBER ONE
CHALLENGE CMOs
FACE IS THE GROWTH
OF CHANNEL AND
DEVICE CHOICES ... WE
HAVE A POTENTIAL
NATURAL DISASTER ON
OUR HANDS.
5. Messaging Lost in the Storm
So you might be saying, “Tell me something I don’t
know.” Well, the truth is, while any marketer would
vehemently agree that messaging is a vital component
to success, most marketing teams do not have a
disciplined approach to messaging development and
management. This is validated by recent research
that states only 3% of B2B sales and marketing
professionals say their company uses a repeatable
process when creating content and messaging tools
across the enterprise. Technology and channel
complexity has clouded the minds of most marketing
executives – not so much that they don’t realize the
importance of messaging – rather, that their time,
effort, dollars and resources have been all-consumed
with technology and channel activities. As a result,
when the time comes to turn on the new technology or
channel, the foundational messaging has not been
addressed in a disciplined and comprehensive fashion
to make the most of the investments made in these
areas.
That’s where many marketing executives have gotten
upside down. The emphasis and priority being placed
on technology and channels has severely weakened
the foundation of marketing success ... messaging.
We’ve lost focus on the importance of developing a
clear, compelling and consistent message that aligns
a company’s strengths and true point of difference
with customer needs. We’ve abandoned the time and
investments that are required to create a Messaging
Platform that will elicit optimal engagement across all
communication channels.
THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK
7. Establishing Sound Footing
Today, more than ever, marketing professionals must
make messaging research, validation, development
and management a priority. Otherwise, all of the
learning, investments and resources they are pouring
into technology and new media channels will be for
naught. Again, I want to stress the fact that marketers
absolutely must learn how to leverage technology
and new channels to optimize audience engagement.
However, the pendulum has swung so far in this
direction that disciplined messaging development and
management has fallen off the radar.
Regaining Our Equilibrium
The truth is messaging, technology and channels all
go hand-in-hand. One fuels the success of the other.
To maximize the investments in each area, marketers
need to level-set their priorities and efforts. They need
to re-balance the time, resources and dollars they
are investing in each of these areas. Much the way
technology and new channels can’t be ignored, neither
can your foundational message.
Ask yourself, and be honest, how much of your
time and your collective team’s time has been spent
researching, validating and strengthening your core
messaging? Now ask yourself how much time you have
spent investigating and implementing new technology
solutions or experimenting with new media platforms
and channels?
It’s time we bring strategic messaging development
back to the forefront of marketing. It’s time that
we invest the resources and dollars against the
fuel (foundational messaging) that will make our
technology and channel investments pay dividends.
This requires striking the proper balance between
messaging development and demand generation
initiatives. When this happens, your message will
stand out, your technology investments will reap
rewards, your channels will perform at higher levels
and your business will flourish.
THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK
