Marketing Begins Upstairs.
In a recent Seth Godin post, he draws the distinction between making and taking statements. The latter are approaches aimed at stealing market share, the former are designed to create new markets and as he rightly points out are distinguished by a company taking a stance and standing for something.
I'd go further than that. I think it emphasises my often-stated belief of the synonymity of marketing and corporate strategy. You can't stand for something if you only consider it at the promotional stage - that way lies greenwash etc.
By any proper definition, marketing includes product development. But ideally that follows from strategy. Marketing is not a department. A true marketing perspective has to permeate every element of the boardroom. It doesn't and that's where so many problems start.
posted by john dodds @ 2:40 PM
5 Comments:
you read seth godin posts? wow! who would have thought...
Actually I correct them. And Lauren don't forget that you're not going to be out of range much longer. so tread carefully.
you know that am just as glib in your company as i am from behind my keyboard mr, so the warning stays unheeded :)
I think even greenwash has its value. Change is very rarely revolutionary but mostly evolutionary and step by step. So greenwash is just the first step of companies pretending they are green, then once eveyone is spouting the same greenwash mission statements the herd starts to take a few tentative actions and realises the sky isn't falling down on them, and then they might possibly have a green strategy, and eventually (long after the innovators have moved on) they are implementing socially-resonsible environmental policies.
If only that were their motivation - but I'd have to disagree andrew, in a transparent world, greenwash will be found out very quickly. Better to take the few tentative steps and not boast about it than to boast about taking steps you're not taking.
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