THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
2017 : the public / private rivalry is over by Carol Magill , The Chartered Institute of Marketing ( CIM ) Ireland
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here you work no longer matters – marketers in every sector face mounting challenges and need to stay on top of their game , together .
As a public sector marketer it can sometimes seem harder to change what your brand delivers , or your brand promise .
But that doesn ’ t mean you ’ ve got it tougher than anyone else .
It ’ s often argued that marketers in the public sector have a more difficult time than their colleagues in private industry . After all , people who work for a company have greater influence on their situation , don ’ t they ?
Often public sector marketers find themselves working in large machines with big policy and service delivery mechanics . It can seem difficult in a Health Trust or Council for marketers to truly impact service delivery .
The promises they make to the customers can seem fixed and the quality of service they are able to deliver is affected by a number of complex factors
In the private sector it frequently seems easier to shift one lever or the other to bring brand promise in line with customer reality . That ’ s the argument , at least . But it ’ s no reason for public sector people to shrug and say : " There ’ s nothing I can do , I ’ ve been dealt a bad hand …”
The truth is , they don ’ t have it tougher – perhaps in the past , but not anymore . There are no constants in marketing today . Everything changes .
For example , how public might the public sector be in 2017 ?
We are seeing more partnerships across all sectors . Public / private partnerships have sprung up like mushrooms across many areas of the UK .
Partnership and collaboration is the name of the game as community planning now means that councils and central government , in particular , have a commitment to engage in an ongoing dialogue with their customers and to listen to their views .
This new approach , alongside the Northern Ireland Executive ’ s ongoing obligation to carry out consultations , offers marketers working within government additional opportunities to tap into their customer ’ s views and alter the landscape if required .
Meanwhile , there are plenty of private organisations that still see marketing as an adjunct to real business – a department tasked with putting a good spin on the company ’ s activities , rather than the wellspring of brand philosophy and behaviour .
With the blurring of lines between public and private , we should acknowledge that there ’ s no binary split between ‘ kinds ’ of marketer .
That ’ s not just a result of every role – public , private or third sector – coming with its own set of challenges .
It ’ s also because there ’ s something we all have in common as marketers : we live in an era of enormous change , and we all have to run to keep up .
It is increasingly clear that flexibility is now a key trait for success in the industry , wherever you choose to work .
So it ’ s time to stop splitting hairs about who has a more difficult job , and learn the best ways to tackle what ’ s just around the corner from marketers of all stripes – because the future is the biggest challenge for each and every one of us .
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