From all my years in research and consulting, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about marketing worth sharing. Enduring fundamentals, mostly yet often overlooked. So, this year, I’m sharing some for your consideration. I hope they’re helpful. This week’s thought: Marketing is the conscience of business.
New Year. Same tendencies for trouble. Not a surprise. The lack of understanding of brands and the disregard for brand-building growth and maintenance principles continue to plague organizations, leading to unprofitable, short-term performance.
In December 2024, Omnicom merged with IPG, eliminating approximately 4,000 jobs. Among those displaced were hundreds of brand strategists who had spent their entire careers honing the art of positioning, differentiation, and cultural resonance. They didn’t lose their jobs because they weren’t talented or dedicated. They lost them because the infrastructure they relied on—the promise-making apparatus of the advertising age—collapsed from obsolescence.
There was a time in recent marketing history when the CMO’s role was to be the Chief Storyteller. Thankfully, those days are over. There are many who believe that during the “era” of creative titles for the CMO role, the CMO function suffered and still needs more corporate respect.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that, in the desire to control their narratives, companies are “desperately seeking storytellers.” While many writers who have labored in the realm of marketing communications are probably using their head-exploding and head-slapping emojis in texts crossing the globe, it should be reassuring that companies seem to believe that a well-planned story, expertly told, can create value. This is why, however, merely dusting off liberal arts diplomas and providing writing...
