Hello, I’m Valeria Maltoni, and I’m a marketer. What exactly does that mean these days? That is aside from the obvious laundry list of tactics that are associated with the “marketing” brand. Yes, dear colleagues, let’s admit it — by and large, we’re still seen as order takers.
It’s also our fault. Before you move onto the next post, let’s agree on the qualities that make a good marketer today. We need to be good at (the highlights):
How many of you have put these skills to use in the course of your daily work? There is a reason why the list is ordered that way. Many of us climb the first couple of rungs of that ladder really well, yet we rarely get to the others. Why?
The problem, as I see it, is that we don’t do a good job at selling ourselves. Ladies and gentlemen, what people often see is the end result, the campaign, the ads, the program. So they come to the obvious conclusion that that’s where marketing resides. Marketing = tactics.
You’re not convinced yet. You’re thinking that rookies make that mistake; they are too inexperienced to articulate the value of what they do to senior management. Consultants do a better job at this. Their clients hire them on the strength of their being able to articulate what they bring to the table.
What if I told you a brief story that illustrates how a top-notch marketer made the classic advertising rookie mistake? The following story is extracted with slight edits for length from the book Rebuilding Brand America by Dick Martin, former VP Public Affairs at AT&T.
After 9/11, the President decided that we needed to do a better job telling the Brand America story. So who did he turn to? Charlotte Beers, the first woman to rise to the top of two agencies, Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson …. – making her the most prominent woman in advertising.
Secretary Colin Powell turned to “the Queen of branding,” “the Queen of advertising,” or “the Queen of schmoozing,” as people called her. His idea was that we needed to sell democracy, the product of a free enterprise system …. – the American value system.
Beers went at it in earnest, doing her research, meeting with people, and working around the clock to come up with the “Shared Values” campaign, a $15MM effort. The response was good, but the campaign didn’t work. Why?
Ms. Beers gave her client what he wanted rather than what he needed. Two major forces where against her:
1. She was not familiar with the intricacies and bureaucracies of reconciling the mandate from Secretary Powell and the complex web of communication offices at the State Department and across the administration. Her sense of urgency blinded her to the fact that she needed to research and understand the dynamics of this organization.
The lesson: know the environment in which you move really well, do your due diligence, speak with key stakeholders, and find the gatekeepers and the internal network’s nodes.
2. She jumped on a running train. She sat in on conference calls where the president’s communications director, Karen Hughes, was already leading State and Defense Departments staffers in writing the message of the day and plotting political strategy.
What happens when you’re put in charge of getting a message out and someone else is already doing it? The due diligence would have uncovered that many of these decisions had already been made. How about going back to the people who put you in charge and request that the business support you as the new lead?
The lesson: your first priority should be to set strategic direction. Find those people within your organization who set the tone from the operational side and partner with them.
You may also find, as Ms. Beers did, that there aren’t enough staff and resources allocated to your department. That will need to wait for another conversation.
Repeat after me, next time someone comes to you requesting a brochure, or a web site, or an ad, what do you say?
Let’s climb that ladder, shall we?
Tags: business, Charlotte_Beers, Dick_Martin, Marketer, Marketing, messaging, Valeria_Maltoni
For a marketer to climb the ladder it takes an investment in building the right skills necessary to be a better marketer. People get comfortable, they gain core competencies in a key niche but never stretch themselves, grow and try new things. Continuous improvement, ala Toyota, and mastering the soft skills (communication, negotiation etc…) are two ways out of the “order taker” box. There are probably more…
Great article. Now you’ve given me another book to read, too.
From my perspective, it’s foolish to try to “rebrand” America from the top down. America’s brand is defined by its people. At best, you can identify it, as Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1830s, and you can influence it through a slow, iterative process of values-based education, but you cannot “brand” it as you would a product.
Valeria,
First and most important, it is great to see your thinking here at the Fix. Way to go!
Second, I think in the corporate environment it is difficult for any functional area to do a good job selling itself, as silos make us strangers and our ideas strange.
Third, I like your step approach and I would add at the bottom, identifying our best customers and our best potential customers, identifying their wants and needs, and sharing that information with every department, including ideas to increase sales by meeting customers wants and needs.
Paul — A kindred spirit (Mozart’s Concerto & Sonata for Two Pianos) welcome to the conversation. Yes, kaizen is part of the answer and very much a part of my philosophy. The mistake we often make is being too eager to please. Cam hits it on the head.
Cam — that is a very good book. We had Dick Martin speak at one of our events and his message (the message of the book) is exactly what you highlight here. To foster understanding you need to educate and promote cultural exchanges. World, meet America; America meet the world. No filters, no taglines, no ads.
The US Information Agency used to do that, its director reporting straight to the President as principal adviser in matters of strategic communication. Edward E. Murrow was one of USIA’s most famous and influential directors (under JFK). Murrow set journalistic standards that gave the agency unquestioned credibility around the world.
Good post, Valeria.
You’re right. It’s not just about listening to the client (very important), but about having the experience, integrity and guts to tell him what he really needs is something a bit different from what he’s asked you for. I know it’s a common problem for outside consultants and I’m sure it can be equally challenging for marketers inside, when their boss has said specifically what he wants.
Lewis — Thank you for the warm welcome.
There you go, unless the management team understands and appreciates the value of marketing, this remains a functional area — detached from the company’s top level.
Identifying who your customers are and what they need is paramount. And David hits a high note.
David — many of us have experience. I think we also have integrity and guts. What we may lack is the diplomacy and skill to negotiate enough attention so we can tell the truth as we see it. What the client (internal or external) wants may be very different from what they need.
Welcome to Daily Fix. Provocative post.
In my view, thinking strategically should be the first rung on the ladder, not the last. First strategy, then tactics.
And I have to comment on the Ogilvy example you use.
Ms Beers managed to spend $15 million dollars on the campaign. And she didn’t realize before it began that the Bush White House has the most tightly controlled communications system perhaps in the history of American government until after all the money had been spent?
Gimme a break.
She apparently did NOT do her due dilligence. She did what agencies have been doing for milleniums – spent the client’s money.
You are right that we as marketers need to tell the truth as we see it, and we also have to be willing to walk away – even from a $15 million budget – when management is not going to listen to a word we say.
B.L. –
First off, I’m a great admirer of your thinking. Welcome to the conversation and thank you for the kind words.
I’ve made that mistake inside organizations, I was hired to bring in a breath of fresh air, help the company grow… and did not figure out where the real power lay.
To be strategic, we need to figure out immediately where that is. Or we end up talking with folks who can say no but will never be able to say yes — and that gets us stuck in execution and way down on the ladder.
The million dollar question though is what does it mean to be a marketer today? To you?
Valeria – adding my welcome to the many voices.
Like the step approach. Must say that what came to mind first was, as BL said, the steps seemed out of order to me. If your intention was to use the step concept as a model, reading top down made more sense and then switch execution and measuring.
Perhaps we need to add 2 steps: Begin with: Does the client respect marketing (and you)? End with: Is the strategy right for the brand and will it move the brand forward (however that is defined)?
Thank you, Toby.
I am taking notes and will have a final step chart to share with you all, if interested. We can print it and use it as a reminder. I know I will as I get ready to start a new job next week.
Your first question is mine too. No respect, no chance to make an impact.
What does it mean to be a marketer today?
Oddly, the same thing that it meant yesterday and yesteryear.
We’re responsible for identifying, creating and maintaining value for the audiences we want time, money and loyalty from. Now, today it’s easier for me to “listen” (thanks 2.0), but it can also be harder for me to communicate (thanks 2.0 clutter). I’m just focusing on your opening question and how much my definition hasn’t changed. The strategy, messaging and programs are different with each product/service I’m working with–but the role hasn’t changed. Maybe that makes sense. Maybe not.
But…what does make sense is your blogging here now–I’m so happy to say Welcome Aboard!
Hi Valeria,
You know I am not a marketer, but it seems to me that the latter could and perhaps should be turned upside down. It may not be a perfect fitting, but I would after a short introduction to the client and the setting start from the top and work my way towards the execution.
Perhaps is this simply not what I perceive it to be, but simply an illustration of the various levels of marketing from the operational level, over the tactical to the strategic level in which case it obviously shouldn’t be turned around.
It seems I am finally getting it as I write. Still will I leave what I already wrote so you can follow my line of thought. The latter is indeed an illustration of levels and not a game plan. When making the plan you do however work your way from the top down.
At least I think so. You comment at the end about “climbing the latter” probably threw me mentally.
PS: Even thinking about using marketing to brand a country and shape public opinion (and this is not against the marketers, but against the notion as such!) gives me an bad feeling I must say. I know I am being terribly naive, but where have the times where actions spoke louder than words (or marketing slogans) gone?
I guess I should have previewed my comment or stop commenting at this late hour. I actually managed to misspell “ladder” twice. Sorry for the confusion. Simply think “ladder” when I write “latter”.
Sorry…
CK — thank you for adding your experience and insight to the conversation. As I look at your definition, I think that it should apply to every single position/job. Think about it. If I’m here it is all thanks to the community of experts and kind people I found at the Daily Fix. Nice people indeed win.
Jan — thank you so much for coming over and sharing your thoughts. I love it when audiences spill over from one publication to another. The visual is a bit confusing as it represents two things. We do start at the top and build our way down — and in that Toby made the correct observation that the last rung should be measurement. I was too ambitious. I wanted the ladder to also represent how others see us, from the bottom to eventually up. This is a smart crowd though and we got it all figured out.
As for branding a country. Many countries and cities do that on a regular basis. Think about the bidding process for the Olympic games. Branding is not inherently wrong, it just needs to be attached to the right strategy and supported with the appropriate tactics. I see the US having this amazing opportunity to brand itself in a 2.0 (overused, I know) fashion by helping its people, advocates, ambassadors, scientists, thinkers, diplomats, regular folks communicate with the rest of the world. The news unfiltered.
What does everyone else think?
What’s it mean to be a marketer?
I’m with CK on this – same thing it always did. I define strategies that help clients meet their goals using tactics including the best available tools.
How I see the ladder:
- synthesizing information (due dilligence)
- spotting trends
- thinking strategically
- determining tactics
- selling ideas, then goods and services
- executing
- listening to feedback
- engaging in conversation
- measuring
BL
Valeria, your ideas are quite valid in an era where the digital touch is so important to make marketing stand. And I must remind all of us here (yes, I am a marketeer too…) that I do not see still a solid training in IT skill and web 2.0 (read as marketing 2.0) in business schools in what concerns Marketing students. What does it mean? If we do not incorporate solid knowledge in this area, by ourselves and also to be able to move further up in your ladder, parts of the marketing job might be required to another department… Tech, for sure. What are your thoughts on this?
Merit to Roy Young that has been studying this issues for quite some time (WMM – Why Marketing Matter) in order for us not to loose touch of the key drivers of the relevance of Marketing.
One last point on branding countries and cities. Taking from your last post have you noticed changes in Paris since yesterday? They are putting in the street their newest city branding campaign, which only reveals a pure healthy concern for their image abroad. Facing other world cities do they need it, as they are the nº1 travel destination worldwide?
Main point here: even a city that drives 15.3 million visitors a year (figures of 2006) and is a huge turistic success must be aware and be active branding (in this case, rebranding) it´s values. Some events, like the global election of the new 7 wonders of the world, also help excite populations around their greatest locations, feeling their values. City branding still has a huge way to grow.
Valeria, and a warm welcome to you here at DailyFix.
M.
BL — that order makes sense. I find that sometimes a few of the steps happen together. For example, I tend to spot trends as I synthesize information that help me with the direction in which I’m going with my strategic thinking.
I listen to feedback very closely as I’m selling ideas. The key to success is often understanding critical path and stakeholders inside an organization. I do that in formal presentations and conversations with people from different departments and areas inside and outside the company. I involve customers (sales teams and clients) as much as possible in testing the ideas as I process proposed tactics. I measure against goals and then repeat.
By now we have a circle
Miguel — thank you for your nice welcome and thoughtful comment. I’m for high tech and high touch, always. People buy from people they like. People want to be with people they are comfortable with and trust.
The recent 7 wonders of the world is a good example of branding done well — as a conversation with audiences. And I agree, the Coliseum, one of the voted wonders, is breathtaking. I was born and lived in Italy for many years. I studied the classics in depth. Yet, I was not prepared for what I felt when I first stood there. Wow!
Branding is no substitute for substance. You need to have that first.
Valeria – To your question, I stand by my earlier statement that a government cannot “brand” a country, city, etc., effectively. The brand already exists in the people, by their values, their works, and their attitudes.
Just as we get the government we deserve, so do we earn the brand we develop over time.
That’s not to say government is helpless, but the government is a reflection of the people. It is more likely to destroy a brand than to “fix” one, anyway. Putting too much stock in what government can accomplish to “brand” a nation is to provide in them so much power that it is unlikely to ultimately to result in much good.
You say, “Branding is no substitute for substance,” which is exactly in line with my point. Without substance, there is no real brand. A brand is not an illusion, but the result of the fulfillment or neglect of a promise.
No fancy PR spin or clever marketing tactic is going to change the deficiencies of the people and the opportunities that either exist in the region or are hindered by regulation.
Your post and this discussion has inspired me to reread “Democracy in America.” Thank you for that, as it’s always an enjoyable experience!
Marketing. Let’s be honest, here.
The problem is most biz owners never truly concentrate with a marketing
mindset. They are preoccupied with distractions that burn time and add
no marketing leverage.
Fixing the copier. Hassling with callers. Stocking shelves.
They do eveything ELSE but focus on bringing in the money.
People with a pool store worry about the signs, or the chlorine
display or the types of kiddie rafts.
They should be worrying about creative ideas and marketing that brings
people into the store–like schmoozing with their high trafficked
retail neighbor next door about a cross-promo to each other’s foot
traffic.
Ever see a Blockbuster next to a Domino’s? Ever see those coupons on
each other’s counter-top?
Welcome to the community, Valeria!
Just a short note to say that I agree with CK. When we as marketers can’t enlighten our clients or bosses on what they NEED to do, rather than what they WANT to do, it’s time to find a new client or job. That’s not always easy when our integrity is wrapped up with our need to pay the mortgage, use employee health insurance plans, etc. But, how effective can we be if we don’t walk the talk ourselves?
Cam — we can talk about it over a nice glass of red wine at some point. We’re saying the same thing. Public affairs and public relations can be done with integrity and yes, the brand needs to be owned from the inside. No slapping a coat of paint on it.
A.C. — welcome to the conversation. You make some interesting observations. Most businesses may be too small to want to hire a marketer or marketing firm… or are just not aware that there is expertise available to them inside the shop.
Elaine — thank you for your warm welcome. Walking the talk is part of it. The other part is continually educating our customers on the value of adopting a marketing mindset.
Good direction for the up and comers..i shared it with my entire staff to get them thinking outside of their self imposed boxes!
One things that seems missing as you challenge us to be real marketers… Every level marketer and every task master needs to ask for more.. it is not going to land on their laps. If they are really great at executing or measuring and do not pro-actively strecth themselves to create and sell ideas… they will never get there.
Hello Tracy –
Welcome to the conversation. I would go beyond creating new ideas and selling the execution (well thought out); I am suggesting that we are actually on the verge of a major opportunity:
* Reinventing marketing as we know it.
We talked about what it means today. Next time, we’ll talk about what it can become. We should lead…