Attention all vice presidents and directors of marketing: Making smart or poor decisions with strategy and deployment rests with you. When things go well, everyone will want to share the spotlight. When marketing plans don’t yield satisfactory results, the spotlight will rest on you alone. So, when you’re in charge of marketing, the buck stops with you.
As someone who has run an internal marketing department within a large organization knows, involving others, including other departments, can be helpful. It can create “buy in” and positively affect internal operations that impact direct customer touch points.
Many organizations run their marketing decisions like a democracy. Sometimes there may be a place for that, such as when providing feedback on ad creative options. The final decision on what ads say, look like, sound like and where they are placed should be made by the lead marketing executive. If you are responsible for moving the sales needle or get the blame when business goes down, getting your marching orders from a bake sale committee that includes the IT director and receptionist simply puts you out of control of your success or failure.
When joining a new organization, set boundaries early. Let your company leadership know that you want the keys to determine your own destiny. If you fail, then it’s your fault, and you get the blame and a change can be made. If you win, the company wins. Let’s face it. Turnover at larger organizations with lead marketing executives is typically high. So, why not push to have the keys.
What about the stories of heads of marketing who stay in those positions for decades? How do they do it? First, the company leadership trusts them. That comes with proving yourself. They likely don’t have the boss’ wife calling the shots on where to place TV or print ads. Setting boundaries, if done with a degree of political savvy, can provide the credibility you need to start on the right footing. Then, you better deliver results.
In the end, that’s what it’s all about: Developing the right strategies and messages and choosing the right targeted vehicles to carry those messages — that’s your job. All this other internal political stuff is also important to ensure you can do your job. It’s kind of silly to spend a lot of time managing how you operate internally, but it can determine whether or not you are successful.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
