The 4 A’s of Marketing
During my last
post, I mentioned the “big-bang disruption” coming down the pipe for marketers. I also promised to share with you the four A’s of marketing to create marketing heroes.
In my mind, the four A’s will elevate the marketer to the upper echelon of high-performance marketers (the 13%) that can take action to address disruptions and achieving measurable results (For more information on the 13%, please
reference McKinsey and ANA’s recent report on Marketing 2020).
Agile Marketing
The first new A of marketing is AGILITY. Disruption is here to stay, so you better get comfortable. Marketers can make
disruption work by architecting teams for agility. Strict organizational structures are so “last year”. Need someone to figure out Instagram? Get that new kid in finance to help out.
To get agile, HBR discusses the
Ultimate Marketing Machine and the notion of SWAT teams. Marketers, you should create a culture of SWAT teams to help with mission-critical customer needs. Surround yourself with agile players – hold your team accountable to CHANGE. Any team member that relies on the age-old “we’ve always done it this way” should probably get re-trained or hit the road.
Marketers, you can experiment (and measure) with your own team. For instance, what percent of your time or your team’s time is set aside in a week a day or a month to experiment? Is your schedule just what is in your Outlook calendar or do you actually plan fluid sessions for creative knowledge share and attempting something new? If it’s the former, it’s time to prioritize Agility.
Finally, it’s time to commit to anticipating and planning for future disruptions. For instance, take a moment to contemplate what 3D printing will do to your business? What about your marketing tactics? A consultant I recently met with was talking about 3D printing everything you need (food, do it yourself items, and clothes). After my mind melted, I started to wonder how the mass adoption of 3D printing would impact my world. I wouldn’t have to order tickets for my next trade show. Better yet, I could get my kids a Lego blueprint for the holidays next year.
I can go on and on about
Agile Marketing. But the first step to Agility is seeing the disruption. Make sure you set aside some time to look out at the horizon.
Be Agile. Be a Hero.
Next time, I’ll cover the second A of new marketing:
Accountability.
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