Perhaps I'm sounding like an old, semi-successful, ad guy, or perhaps I'm too well trained (a legacy phenomena), or perhaps I still love what I do! But recently, and too often, I'm referred to Clients and I encounter shockingly incongruous tactics that are not connected to a business need, a marketing objective, a product strategy or an advertising idea at all.
4 Real life examples:
1. I have been referred to a hospital network that said "All of our social media people are busy, but we are not sure what we are trying to do".
2. I have worked with a great agency that said they are having a strategy session with their client. I asked "What type of strategy?" The Zoom went quiet.
3. I've been eyeing a unique historied live event venue and they decided that Breakfast Television was where they should be playing. Likely this is more a product of a successful sales team.
4. A client on a mobile delivery system challenging Uber, for other things, said we should add this to our product functionality. I asked why, and again the Zoom/Meets when silent.
Reading and understanding the MD&A of your Client's company's corporate financial statements, their business model(s) and business strategies (Ops, IT, HR, Mktg., Sales, Product, R&D, etc.) and their SWOT (old school I know) are the levers of a successful B2B and B2C company and your understanding of their business. And understanding your CMO's understanding of these areas, perspectives, goals and strategies of these areas is the opportunity area for smart ad agencies. Ask these areas of questions. But don't stop there. The CMO will be all over this. Look at the adjacencies, read, read, read. Read analysts reports, and anything you can get your hands/eyes on.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not less inquisitive about ChatGPT than others. I've used it. And though I don't understand all of its power yet, like I don't understand all of the 7,200 different MarTech offerings, just some and I am trained in it, I do see the potential, even for strategists and that is the journey I am on.
Agencies,.... train your people! They want to be perpetual students of their craft so they exceed in their careers, grow and have opportunities. And that's a good retention strategy. And it will prove fruitful for your organization long term at many levels. Come on! Invest in the acumen of your teams. They are an ad agency's biggest asset.
For my full venting, visit my website at https://lnkd.in/gPruDTz
#ceo #ceomindset #cmo #cmoinsights #strategy #accountplanning #hr #hrcommunity #hrexecutive
Rob Assimakopoulos, Kristel Chalmers, Chris Sutherland, Chris Williams, CMChris Gokiert, Chris Foster, Dino Bianco, Andrew Howard, Lisa Mack, CM, Stephanie Nerlich, Karl WuLindsay Knight
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