First 100 days

Being president of the largest economy on earth (just) may not feel immediately comparable to being a marketing director...but the same principles apply. How would we evaluate Obama as Marketer in Chief?

Principle 1. "Hit the ground running" - 9 out of ten on this one. The waves caused by the decision to close 'Gitmo' alone merit this score.

Principle 2. "Suppress the marketing psyche" - 10 out of ten here. We identified the key 'anti-marketing' characteristics as humility, patience and empathy. Obama does a good job of exuding, (or at least successfully faking) all of these.

Principle 3. "Resist the quick wins itch" - just 5 out of ten on this. The critical factor is to listen and learn, rather than rush-through ill-conceived plans. It depends which side of the political divide you sit as to how you judge the fiscal stimulus, but what's certain is that widespread buy-in. Many groups in US society are alienated by these initial decisions.

Principle 4. "Build the role of the whole function" - 7 out of ten. The jury's out on this one, It's open to question how far Obama is legitimising his approach to big-tent, collaborative government, rather than cult of personality. More work to do on this, for sure.

Principle 5. "Recruit internal allies" - 9 out of ten. Obama has fine-tuned the language of government to appeal to all functions.

Principle 6. "Adapt your personal experience to the prevailing culture" 9 out of 10. Obama is successfully resisting the urge to turn government into a community campaign - something his detractors feared - but is still bringing his background and values to bear.

Principle 7. "Build your front bench rapidly" 5 out of ten. A stuttering start on this one, with days passing between appointments and legal challenges standing in the way of momentum.

Principle 8. "Treat your advisers as partners" 10 out of 10. Obama's relationships with external collaborators - notably other world leaders have been exemplary to date. He shows exceptional willingness to listen.

Grand total. 64 out of 80.

"B+"

Barack is a highly popular member of the school. He has been active on a number of fronts and is clearly highly talented. However, he needs to learn to make friends with his own classmates and ensure he finishes all the projects he starts.

Posted by Editor at 12:14 PM | Permalink

Shopper marketing. It's just like consumer marketing, only for real decision-makers.

With 70% of decisions now made in-store and traditional 'push-media' increasing fragmented, attention is now turning to building conversation with shoppers, rather than end-consumers of products.

The previous assumption of marketing was that you created products for the person who actually used your product and hoped they would use their 'pester-power' to influence whoever did the shopping.

Today's assumption is that you should talk directly to the shopper, which means the store itself has become the most important medium.

OxfordSM research this trend with Europe's leading marketers, and discovered that 'shopper marketing' will outgrow even digital marketing in the next 3-5 years. If getting a grip on shopper marketing isn't in your 100 day plan...it probably should be.

You can read the Shopper Marketing report HERE.

Posted by Editor at 11:57 AM | Permalink

Clearly, marketers, like many others, increasingly make their job selections based on social and ethical values. They’re dealing with customers, many of whom are now concerned about the operating values of the parent company ‘behind the brand’. An even larger consumer segment care about the social, ethical and environmental impact of the brands they buy. So, it’s interesting to see Ethical corporation’s is making the link between the ‘First 100 Days’ theme and social responsibility. Writer Mallen Baker applies the lessons of the research to the newly ensconced CEO. He points out that it’s critical for CEOs to demonstrate quickly they are committed to corporate responsibility and are working towards a ‘truly embedded values culture’. The same applies to the newly arrived marketing director…he must seek to understand the values of the organisation and build a clear values driven culture. Mallen also calls on newly appointed managers to assess social, ethical and environmental factors as part of their 100 Day risk assessment plan. His comments raise an interesting challenge for marketers. How to incorporate issues of social responsibility within their pre-plan? And how to make build a marketing strategy which respects the values of customers and a wider society?

Posted by Editor at 2:55 PM | Permalink

Communities and Corporations....a clash of cultures? or an opportunity for social software?

In OxfordSM's training work with major corporations, we constantly grapple with ways to optimise the sharing of marketing insight and best practice around fragmented marketing functions.

However, even more critical is the way that marketing culture spreads into other functions.

And more critical still is the way that market-led behaviours are institutionalised within front-line encounters and back office relationships.

At least part of the answer lies in an open-source approach...as highlighted in this Economist piece.

However, bringing open-source thinking into marketing demands a radical culture shift, from one that sees customers and colleagues as static knowledge-repositories, to one which sees them as dynamic collaborators.

The question is...can marketing communities actually ever perform a decision-making role within a corporate environment? or must they play the role of agent provocateur...?

Posted by Editor at 10:48 AM | Permalink