PUBLIC RELATIONS the frontier where customer needs meet organizational capabilities , Marketing and Communication leads are uniquely positioned to draw on all functions across the organization . The ability to deliver on the growth agenda and demonstrate tangible impact will depend heavily on the strength of the collaborative alliances the Marketing and Communication leads can forge across the C-suite and beyond .
“ The addition of granular analytics can unleash creativity more effectively to drive deeply personalized customer interactions using iterative approaches . Analytics helps marketers make decisions at a faster clip by using marketing and communication sensors to monitor changes in consumer behavior and make budget reallocations .”
Unleashing the full power of creativity and analytics will not be possible without a strong relationship with the CEO . It is therefore important to be bound together with a common vision and a strong foundation of trust . Marketing and communication leaders will need to draw on their full power as unifiers to bridge this gap , bringing together the creative and analytical branches of the organization , driven by purpose to create the solutions that can ignite and sustain growth over the long term .
In line with this , Marketing and Communication leads have to be jacksof-all-trades . While they do not have to be perfect experts when it comes to technology , they must understand technology to stand side by side with the Chief Technology Officer ( CTO ) and understand data architecture .
In today ’ s world of analytics , the delivery of mass-personalized content requires Marketing and Communication leads to understand how data flows in the company and how to deliver that across multiple systems .
Today , the organization needs every function to be rowing in the same direction to deliver growth . That is why Marketing and Communication professionals must serve as unifiers . Successful unifiers become strategic integrators sitting at the intersection of talent , technology , strategy , and communications .
Speed of action only goes so far if other players in the ecosystem fail to move as quickly or are misaligned to a company ’ s values and goals . To achieve extraordinary impact , orchestrating ecosystems and partnerships will be key in dealing with the new pace of change , complexity , and disruptions .
PR and marketing leaders must be thoughtful about what skills they need in house and which are better left to outside specialists who become part of a networked team of resources , there when marketing leaders need them but willing to recede when they don ’ t .
A well-defined purpose can also help marketers sculpt the product and brand portfolio , providing a guide for adapting and growing brands . Values will vary from organization to organization , but brands should serve both the organization and the customer , and in many cases a higher purpose . At the CPF Group , we refer to this as “ building brands for mutual value .”
For a long time , we did not identify our bearing as either a house of brands or many brands with their own distinct identity and proposition . However , after numerous engagements with stakeholders , we noted that brands should be driving transformative , sustainable growth for their category . Through our ‘ building brands for mutual value ’ vision , we are reimagining the whole concept of brand building and the value they can bring to the next generation .
By harnessing the power of key brands to drive real change on key social and environmental issues , we can deliver mutual value for our pensioners , members , the partners we work with , and the planet we all live on . This level of clarity , in my view , helps organizations continuously refine their growth agendas .
Creativity is so fundamental to the marketing and communications discipline , going back to its very roots , that every marketer and communications professional should have a firm grip on the building blocks of visual representation , messaging , and media .
However , creativity also includes the ability to bring novel and disruptive new ideas to the surface , where those ideas can be refined , tested , and either scaled or discarded . That last part , however , is heavily dependent on the strategic analytical muscle , especially the ability to collect proprietary data and use it to generate insights that can drive value . Purpose helps set the overall direction , ensuring that every product or service , no matter how disruptive or surprising , is true to the brand identity and recognizable as such by customers .
Top Marketing and Communication professionals understand what motivates customers at a deeper level and can identify changes in customer behavior almost before they manifest . To achieve that level of customer knowledge , companies will need to develop insights that can help identify changes in demand markers based on when , where , and how fast customers are moving .
Even in the most volatile of times , there are companies that are driving growth that is twice as high as their peers ’ through creativity and analytics . By drawing on the full power of the growth triple play , Marketing and Communication leads can increase their odds of success , elevating their profile and their organization to new heights , and creating impact along the way .
For those that get it right , it can be the start of a new era where marketing is ascendant . In order to do so , they must act on new ideas and leverage rigorous data-bound execution . The most resolute Marketing and Communication leads can rise above the chaos to lead the charge , inspiring their organization and their customers along the way . ■
Irene Mbonge is the Group Head , Corporate Communication & Public Affairs at CPF Group . Talk to her on this or related issues via mail at :
Mbonge . Irene @ gmail . com
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