Don't blame the rain

In Sydney, Australia where I sit and write this, we’re in the midst of a heatwave.

Or so they say.

Out in the rural areas it's off the charts and will present challenges.

Here in the city though, it’s hot no doubt, with characteristic humidity (which is worse than just heat), but not so bad it’d prevent most people from going about whatever it is they do every day.

For outdoor workers, it’ll be less comfortable and I tip my hat to all of them. 

Still others will stay in for longer, maybe pace down a little but for the most part, one doesn’t hear “can’t do that, it’s hot” very often.

Contrast that with rain and how many times people say things like “can’t do that, it’s raining”.

This is in spite of the fact that most things that can be done on a normal day, in terms of getting out and about are concerned, can be done as equally and effectively in the rain.

The point is that rain is an extrinsic influence and when it comes into play, it’s often blamed for more than it’s actually responsible for.  The true defining factor is how we respond to what needs to be done and act, in spite of it.

With that in mind, a recent LinkedIn post by Mark Ritson stirred the soup of short-termism in marketing when he shared a link that reflected badly for longer term marketing investment.

The link is to a recent IPA: Bellwether survey of 300 Marketers from the top 1,000 UK companies on how they’re spending their marketing budgets.

(Side note: does 300 Marketers from 1,000 companies mean that 700 companies have no marketing people?)

The headline is that it’s stalled, after six consecutive years of growth, coupled with a shift in where it’s being invested.

It’s UK-based though it bodes poorly for marketing investment in brand STP, since I suspect it’s a pattern occurring in other markets as well.

Some of the labels are a bit outdated though the message is still clear. The chart shows how significant the shift away from investment in long-term marketing mix activities and channels to short-term ones is.  You can click through to the summary report here.

One swallow does not a summer make, so it’ll remain to be seen how this plays out over time, however it was the comment roll on Mark’s post that raised my eyebrows and compelled me to write this.

That is, the number of them citing external factors alone for why Marketers would shift budget to short termism was alarming.  

Because it was a UK-based survey, Brexit came up a lot (the survey commentary cited it too) and I expect that is a relevant factor, though perhaps not the existence of it so much as the reporting.  In that context it’s another point of proof that presentation of a situation in media, rather than the situation itself, is to blame.

But I digress.

The comments are presumably from Marketers whose role it is partly to espouse the idea of building and strengthening through strategy that drives tactics and execution, and not the other way around or worse, subverting the strategy step altogether and going straight to campaign.

At worst, if the comments truly reflect their attitudes then this is a concern for one key reason: responsibility.

If cheap prices is a brand’s platform, discounts is the strategy and the company’s economic survival is via volume and cost leadership, then it may be the balance skews more towards short-term actions.  It’s definitely a harder path to beat though even in this context, the company still wants to stick around, so actions to support long-term survival are still necessary.  

Ergo, balance remains very much in play.

Elevating above this though, standing for a position and promoting that develop, build and strengthen a differentiated brand requires a different approach and this is where a shift away from longer-term marketing mix and channel investment becomes a real problem.

On this point, The Long and the Short of it (Benet & Field’s excellent paper on balancing long and short term measures) is canon on the subject and should be in the tool kit of every professional Marketer.

Back to the survey and the results are taken from Marketers, presumably from a variety of brands pursuing either strategy (cost leadership or differentiation), which means on balance Marketers of the differentiation camp (the brands you’ve heard of) are the ones shifting their focus. 

And isolated, that’d likely make the results look even worse for long-term investment.

Now, no Marketer worth their salt would ever invest in long versus short-term.  It isn’t a binary argument, so that isn’t the issue.  

The issue is balance and how the needle is moving across the face of the dial in a direction, which at a time is the opposite of what it should be.

Given this, when marketing planning and selling in the strategy, do you emphasise the balance and favour longer-term building and strengthening activities (the STP part of Marketing) over straight-to-campaign short term thinking?

How often do you take the high road and stand for this idea, or find yourself falling into the trap of abandoning negotiation, taking the easy path and blaming the rain?

And instead of blaming the rain, how are you strategically planning for how to recognise and respond when extrinsic factors do come to bear?

As professional Marketers, ranking advocates in the role of Marketing and brand custodians, it’s on us to keep our sails to the right wind, lean in and demonstrate through action and measurability, the value and benefit of maintaining the right balance between short and long-term actions. 

And above all, having a strategy and sticking to it.

* David is a highly accomplished senior marketing executive leader with over 15 years experience leading the creation, design and management of integrated brand, marketing and communications strategy. 

With experience in verticals and premium brands that include consumer products and services (retail and B2B), automotive, motorsport, transportation and entertainment, David can claim to a strong record of achievement as a strategically-focused marketing team leader.

Invite, Entertain, Interact, Experience, Engage, Motivate is David's mark and the ties that bind his MO for delivering marketing success.

Visit davidturney.com.au