Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
I think the face is changing in two ways. First is I think there’s a more of a recognition
that attention needs to be paid to strategic marketing. In the context of in today’s
economy, growth is so difficult to achieve in an organic way that business leaders are
finding out that they have to be much more surgical in their plan. They have to really
be targeted in their efforts. They have to understand the needs of targeted customers.
And they have to build value propositions that are going to resonate and feel unique
to those target segment customers. So all in all I think marketing is getting a more
strong presence, if you will, or a seat at the table in business decisions right now.
And I think it’s good for business. So I think that’s probably the first big change,
is that marketing’s getting a seat at the table.
I think the second changing face is this notion that B to C principles can transfer into the
B to B space. And whether it is a result of the modern digital way of marketing with social
networking and videos and advertising, I don’t know what the drivers are. But I do know that
executives in business are looking to learn from sound B to C practices in this B to B
worked. Growth is the initiative for all companies right now. You know, the excuses are gone.
The bad year is over. 2009 is behind us. 2010 is the year to, if you’re not seeing your
own recovery, it’s your year to start your recovery. And the way they’re do-- the way
world class business leaders are doing that is they’re thinking, okay, traditional methods
of casting a wide net on the marketing and having sales create a certain number of contact
points to drop so many deals through the funnel is just not working any longer. Executives
are turning to the marketing department, “Give me a strategy that will bring me growth, growth
that I can take to the bank. The kind that I can make money with.”