THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO

HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK

JAMES F. O’GARA, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF ONMESSAGE

FEBRUARY 2013

Dizzied by technology? CRM, marketing automation, web-analytics, mobile technology, big data … the list goes on and on. Technology has taken the field of marketing by storm. This, in and of itself, is no revelation, but the fact that marketers have let technology sway them from foundational strategies that drive success … very much is.

There is no doubt that marketing executives have to clearly understand and embrace technology as part of their strategy, but many have gotten so consumed with the bits and bytes that they have lost sight of the preeminent key to marketing and sales success – messaging.

Why do I say this? Just look at the social media posts, surveys, industry reports and editorial coverage over the last couple of years. It has been completely consumed by technology-related articles – but a critical missing component to most of the coverage is the story about “your story” and how it can be strengthened by technology, analytics and customer data. While it’s essential that we understand how technology works at a functional level, it is more important to know how it will play a role in formulating and delivering a more clear, compelling and consistent message to your target audience. A recent survey by IBM stated that only a third of marketers use the online data they are collecting (through their technology solutions) to deliver more targeted messages. The truth is that technology is just one part of the equation. Ultimately, delivering a more focused, relevant message is the key to making technology investments pay off.

ULTIMATELY, DELIVERING A MORE FOCUSED, RELEVANT MESSAGE

IS THE KEY TO MAKING TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS PAY OFF.

Channel Chaos Enters the Equation

A large percentage of the technology entering the

marketing arena is directly tied to new channels

through which customers can engage with a company’s

story – social media, mobile, apps, video, gaming,

search, etc. What was a fairly simple marketing mix

just a short time ago has become a web (literally) of

channels that marketing executives have to thoroughly

evaluate and determine how/if they should play a role

in demand generation strategies. The explosion of

technology solutions and channels has literally blown

the minds of many marketing professionals. It’s no

wonder the State of Marketing 2012 Survey by IBM

found the number one challenge CMOs face is the

growth of channel and device choices. Add to the mix

“peer pressure” coming from marketers and analysts

across the globe and we have a potential natural

disaster on our hands. Why is it a potential disaster,

you ask? Because making technology investments and

dabbling in new channels can cost you a lot of time

and money if not utilized in the right way. You might

be saying – well, we have to try new technologies and

channels if we are ever going to know if they work. And

you are right. By no means am I recommending that

you don’t get in the game. But what I do recommend

is that you have a sound game plan in place before you

send your team onto the field.

This game plan should start with a well-constructed

Messaging Platform (see below). A Messaging

Platform that consists of clear, compelling and

consistent messaging, tools and content is essential.

Because, let’s be honest, marketing lives and dies

by the message. It doesn’t matter if that message

is delivered via a Tweet, your website, mobile ad,

Facebook post or paid search advertising. What does

matter is that it is well defined and optimized for the

channel through which it is being consumed. The

well-respected David Ogilvy said it best: “What really

decides what consumers buy or not buy is the content

of your advertising, not its form.” So when you consider

a statistic in Forrester’s 2013 B2B Marketing Tactics

and Benchmarks Survey that states 70% of marketing

budgets will go towards demand generation channels,

you have to ask, without a solid Messaging Platform in

place, are these dollars being well spent?

THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK

What is a Messaging Platform?

A Messaging Platform drives clear, compelling and consistent messaging inside and outside of your organization. It starts with a

messaging foundation that clearly defines who you are, what you do, the value you deliver and key reasons to believe. The Platform

builds on the foundational message to provide a broad range of actionable tools including long-form messaging, elevator pitch,

boilerplate copy, FAQs and answers, social media profile messaging and more. With a strategic Messaging Platform in place,

organizations can infuse effective messaging into their company, culture and customers. Ultimately, achieving a higher return on

every connection they make.

THE NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE CMOs

FACE IS THE GROWTH OF CHANNEL AND

DEVICE CHOICES ... WE HAVE A POTENTIAL

NATURAL DISASTER ON OUR HANDS.

Messaging Lost in the Storm

So you might be saying, “Tell me something I don’t

know.” Well, the truth is, while any marketer would

vehemently agree that messaging is a vital component

to success, most marketing teams do not have a

disciplined approach to messaging development and

management. This is validated by recent research

that states only 3% of B2B sales and marketing

professionals say their company uses a repeatable

process when creating content and messaging tools

across the enterprise. Technology and channel

complexity has clouded the minds of most marketing

executives – not so much that they don’t realize the

importance of messaging – rather, that their time,

effort, dollars and resources have been all-consumed

with technology and channel activities. As a result,

when the time comes to turn on the new technology or

channel, the foundational messaging has not been

addressed in a disciplined and comprehensive fashion

to make the most of the investments made in these

areas.

That’s where many marketing executives have gotten

upside down. The emphasis and priority being placed

on technology and channels has severely weakened

the foundation of marketing success ... messaging.

We’ve lost focus on the importance of developing a

clear, compelling and consistent message that aligns

a company’s strengths and true point of difference

with customer needs. We’ve abandoned the time and

investments that are required to create a Messaging

Platform that will elicit optimal engagement across all

communication channels.

THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK

TODAY, MORE THAN EVER,MARKETING PROFESSIONALS MUST MAKE MESSAGING RESEARCH, VALIDATION, DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT A PRIORITY.

Establishing Sound Footing

Today, more than ever, marketing professionals must

make messaging research, validation, development

and management a priority. Otherwise, all of the

learning, investments and resources they are pouring

into technology and new media channels will be for

naught. Again, I want to stress the fact that marketers

absolutely must learn how to leverage technology

and new channels to optimize audience engagement.

However, the pendulum has swung so far in this

direction that disciplined messaging development and

management has fallen off the radar.

Regaining Our Equilibrium

The truth is messaging, technology and channels all

go hand-in-hand. One fuels the success of the other.

To maximize the investments in each area, marketers

need to level-set their priorities and efforts. They need

to re-balance the time, resources and dollars they

are investing in each of these areas. Much the way

technology and new channels can’t be ignored, neither

can your foundational message.

Ask yourself, and be honest, how much of your

time and your collective team’s time has been spent

researching, validating and strengthening your core

messaging? Now ask yourself how much time you have

spent investigating and implementing new technology

solutions or experimenting with new media platforms

and channels?

It’s time we bring strategic messaging development

back to the forefront of marketing. It’s time that

we invest the resources and dollars against the

fuel (foundational messaging) that will make our

technology and channel investments pay dividends.

This requires striking the proper balance between

messaging development and demand generation

initiatives. When this happens, your message will

stand out, your technology investments will reap

rewards, your channels will perform at higher levels

and your business will flourish.

THE UPSIDE DOWN CMO | HOW OUR MARKETING PRIORITIES GOT OUT OF WHACK

About the Author and OnMessage

James F. O’Gara is the president and founder of OnMessage.

OnMessage is a messaging infusion company with a proven model

for helping companies develop a clear, compelling and consistent

message. Our methodology aligns a company’s strengths and true

point of difference with customer needs to create a messaging

platform that elicits optimal engagement across all communication

channels. This methodology, when combined with the company’s

employee training programs and demand generation services,

enables organizations to achieve the highest return on every

connection they make by infusing effective messaging into their

company, culture and customers.

For more information

To learn how OnMessage is helping companies change the way

leaders infuse messaging into their company, culture and customers

visit itsonmessage.com.

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