This is the Time to Get Serious about Marketing Ops


Yes, we're in the worst economy most of us have seen in our lifetimes. The hope of a new President has faded somewhat as the reality of the hole we are collectively in becomes more starkly apparent. It's no surprise that many companies (and the marketing staff within them) have become frozen, afraid to act, waiting for the uncertainty to just go away.

Now is the best time to remember the old proverb, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." It's how we deal with adversity that in the end defines us. The smart companies continue to market "in the trough."

Okay, enough of the cheerleading. Let's get a bit more practical.

In the past few years, companies have begun to figure out the importance of Marketing Operations as a means to run … Read more →

Applying Marketing Operations

Marketing Strategy Execution
Tiffany Goodman posted three whopper questions in the comment section of my June 1, 2008 blog posting on Adrian Ott's article, "Beyond the 4Ps: the 5Ts of Marketing Operations.&qout;  After answering her thoughtful questions as comments, I realized I should bring these to the top of the blog to spark some dialogue.

The answers to any of these questions could fill a book, so if I missed anything or you have a differentpoint-of-view, please pipe in!

How do corporate objectives affect marketing operations?

All marketing operations should start with the corporation's top 3–5 strategic objectives — often called the enterprise strategic agenda. The perceived success of marketing will be tied to how well … Read more →

Seeking Marketing Effectiveness Case Studies

I am working on a book on Marketing Operations, tentatively titled:

Change Marketing’s MO Now!
The Imperative for Marketing Operations in an accountability-obsessedbusiness world.

The general premise of the book is that organizations with a strong dedicated Marketing Operations function are better equipped to develop a world-class, integrated, strategic, fully accountable Marketing organization. It will describe:

  • A holistic vision and framework for Marketing Operations
  • How MO provides the CMO with a Chief of Staff equivalent and helps increase CMO tenure
  • How Marketing Operations helps raise the stature … Read more →