A reader writes:
Hi, I’ve worked in this local company for almost 3 years. I have been struggling to convince the owner that promoting our product is an essential element for the product to succeed in the market. How do I make a great Integrated Marketing Communication proposal so he’ll be convinced to throw big money at the campaign?
Let’s start with a quick diagnosis. You’ve been working in a company for three years, so naturally you know more about how to make your company successful than the man who owns it (and probably built it). You’re finding it difficult to do your job, so you want the owner to spend a lot of money on marketing, presumably in the hope it will make your job easier.
I believe I can help you out here. As you have (obviously) already figured out, spending lots and lots of money on Marketing is a good idea, because:
- You can claim credit if sales increase. If sales go up, you can claim that it was the money spent on marketing that resulted in the increase in sales. Since there’s usually no way to measure the impact of marketing activity, who’s to say otherwise?
- You can deflect blame if sales decrease. If sales go down, you can claim that they would have gone down even further if you hadn’t spent the money on marketing. Once again, who’s to say otherwise?
- You can pump up your operational budget. Chances are you’ll get to spend some of that big money yourself, which means that you’ll need a larger organization and maybe even end up with a little marketing empire.
- You’ll achieve job security. You get to dole out marketing dollars to advertising firms, research groups and collateral production companies, any one of which might offer you a job in the future.
As important as these goals are, you can only achieve them if you follow the four unwritten rules of corporate marketing:
Rule #1: Avoid any form of meaningful measurement. This goes with saying, of course, but you’d be surprised at how many marketing professionals let themselves get trapped into some form of external measurement (like the percentage of leads converted to customers) that might allow management to objectively assess their contribution to the company.
Rule #2: Use as much biz-blab as possible. Business buzzwords are the magical incantation that opens the golden chest of budgetary dollars. They make everything that you do look more important and add a sense of urgency to every Powerpoint presentation. Your term “Integrated Marketing Communication” is an excellent start. Keep up the good work!
Rule #3: Minimize the contribution of the sales team. When asked why you’re spending all that money on broad-based advertising, market studies and fancy brochures, always say “we’re driving sales.” Constantly reinforce the notion that the sales team consists entirely of glad-handers and order-takers who simply cherry-pick all the wonderful opportunities that your wonderful marketing has generated.
Rule #4: Consider yourself a strategic thinker. This is important. If you’ve got a conscience, you might feel guilty or stupid when you reflect that you’re wasting corporate money on pricey nonsense. The vaccination to such remorse is to drink the cool-aid of marketing geeks everywhere and pretend that marketing is an important expense without which a company withers and dies.
Anyway, enough sarcasm. If readers are actually interested in how to do marketing that actually helps sales reps to sell, check out my previous posts: Let’s Fix Marketing… For Good and Marketing Versus Sales. And if you want to sell a real market plan (hint: it’s all about lead generation), check out my classic BNET article: “How to Sell an Idea.”
