The System
March 31, 2008
The act of marketing is a commodity. You can get design, media placement, PR, web design, etc. anywhere. And the quality across the board is quite high.
Everything thing that reaches commodity state requires a “system” to manage the commodity. The System drives the costs out by being more efficient and more disciplined in the execution of marketing. By its nature, a system has metrics and measureables - both in how the marketing was executed and the results it produced.
Maybe it is because of the artistic nature of marketing people, but most don’t view themselves as commodities. As such, there tends to be no system other than the dreaded marketing punch list.
This leads to this process:
- Determine the Idea (brand)
- Build the System
- Measure and adjust
This means being a purist about the original idea - to allow no brand gaps or variances from who you really are. It also means being able to cast a cold eye on the System - to be willing to make changes to the process and the people to ensure that you are driving the cost out of marketing while maintaining the integrity of the brand.
If CMOs want the same respect within their organizations as the CFOs receive, consider this - the above is exactly what the CFO does. The “idea” is the business model, and the System is the financial model to achieve those goals. And the best CFOs have a perfect balance of both.
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