This Gertrude Stein-like observation reflects a sad reality many firms just don t do marketing until the pipeline is dry. What s needed is a deep commitment from management and total alignment among staff to create consistent execution. If there s no chief marketing officer, marketing has to be made someone s job. To measure success, you measure baseline awareness or revenues in a segment, then measure it again after a year of steady effort. But to measure results, you must first execute.
Solid execution requires a realistic budget for marketing.
Continuous innovation driven by clients, technology, and competitors represents the only permanent marketing strategy. Sometimes you get lucky. As Y2K revenues evaporated, e-commerce came along. Yet even when you see it coming, there s a major transition. Steady-state is no longer an option.