Reinventing Marketing Means Letting Go
Last week’s Association of National Advertisers’ annual conference, heavily focused on reinventing the marketing industry, was attended by over 1,000 people — a large percentage of which were CMOs. The mantra of the meeting came through loud and clear. It’s time to “let go.”
In his keynote address, P&G chief A.G. Lafley, pronounced that it’s time to “let go” and cede control of your brand to consumers. He underscored the need to move beyond transactions to more meaningful relationships. (This from the company renowned for micromanagement of its brands.) Burger King’s Russ Klein joined the chorus of marketing execs counseling companies to let consumers have brands their way.
Lafley spoke about the need to achieve the right balance of being in touch and in control and the resulting paradox — the more control we take, the less in touch we are.
This theme ran through nearly every presentation, from companies like Sony, Wal-Mart, Mastercard, Yahoo and others.
For some time now, marketers have been talking about “letting go” and engaging in a dialogue with their consumers. Instinctively we know we have no choice. We have to let go, because only then will the consumer engage in our brand, in the community our brand can create, and with each other with our brand. But is it just lip service that sounds good? How prepared are we to take on the challenges that comes with real dialogue — of not telling, but talking?
Marketers have been control freaks for a long time. The shift to engagement is a big mind shift. Engagement requires the act of listening, sharing, creating a dialogue. It is not a one-way conversation we manage/control/spin.
Jim Stengel, P&G global CMO was right on in his ANA presentation when he suggested that the first step is to stop thinking of consumers and consumer segments and start thinking of people – their individual needs, dreams, hopes and wishes.
This simple thing forces an immediate shift in thinking. And as a result, you naturally do things differently.
You market to consumers — you listen to people. You observe consumers –- you interact with people. You deliver messages to consumers –- you talk to people.
It’s a start.
This post was written by: Kim Mickelsen