SUCCESS FACTORS IN TODAY’S MARKETING ENVIRONMENT

Preview of a CMA Guide

• Prepared by CMA’s Branding & Strategic Planning Council, our

guide discusses the key areas of focus that will steer successful

outcomes for marketing in an environment marked by change.

• We examine the kinds of capabilities and skills needed to support

this new marketing orientation and the influence these will have in

shaping a organization’s brand-driven culture.

THE ISSUE – A NEW MARKETING ENVIRONMENT

• Marketing through the lens of Art & Science

• 3 essential elements marketing must hone:

Leading with data based insights - “Science”

Drive digital marketing - “Science & Art”

Demonstrate critical communication skills – “Art”

CONTENTS

LEADING WITH DATA-BASED INSIGHT

The consumer has become increasingly empowered and the volume of data

available is at an all-time high. What this means for marketing:

• New competencies required: architecturing data, applying science, and

influencing action.

• Evolution of analytical modeling: practitioners must progress from

traditional descriptive analyses, to predicting outcomes, to prescriptive

models that encompass the entire value chain.

• Know how to lead with data-based insights: ask yourselves what is the

problem you want to solve, which analytic model is best suited to your

organization; service bureau vs. decentralized model; how quickly does

data need to work for you, do you need to invest in new technologies?

DRIVE DIGITAL MARKETING

The opportunity for marketers is to leverage digital to deepen customer

relationships and drive customer and brand value.

• Progress from a fragmented customer experience across channels to a

seamless and multi/omni-channel approach:

Align digital focus with your business and brand strategy

Link all customer touch-points

Collaborate across the organization

Execute and measure effectively

Develop internal digital capabilities – understand the skill sets that

will support digital strategy and execution

CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS

Understand that emotion, not data, connects people and engages

your audience:

• Leverage the power of storytelling: understand how to build

effective stories, deliver the stories and bring your brand attributes

to life through stories.

• Understand how to manage brand in two-way communication

channels: ensure you have brand alignment with how you will show

up across the ‘new’ communication mediums, know how to listen

and engage with audiences, put in place a strategy for addressing

what you hear.

THE AUTHORS

Cheri Chevalier, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft Canada,

David Coulson, eCommerce Solutions, Pitney Bowes,

Andrew Zimakas, Chief Marketing Officer, ING DIRECT,

Jo Ann Ely, Former Manager, Brand System

IBM Canada,

DOWNLOAD CMA GUIDE

http://www.the-cma.org/resource/guides/success-factors-in-

todays-marketing-environment

(Available to members of Canadian Marketing Association)