The Globalisation of Marketing – The Power of Purpose
This article, written by Kate Makuen, Head of Communications and Marketing, was originally featured in our 2018 Bridging the Gap report, focusing on the UK communications, digital, and marketing interim market. Kate is a marketing leader based in London with experience spanning five global financial institutions. Her expertise includes strategy, brand, content, campaigns, and proposition development. She is passionate about digital transformation, diversity, and innovation.
The Role of Marketing in Business Growth
Barry Diller once said that where there is differentiation, there is value. Marketing creates differentiation to scale business growth and drive change throughout organisations by enabling new ways of working. Interim marketing leaders can often bring a new perspective to an established team, while permanent members of staff can challenge themselves with different frameworks. Five priorities come to mind: brand, content, technology, channel integration, and people.
Brand Management
Balancing the need for a global approach with the imperative for local relevance is a challenge for marketing. Successful brands combine a sense of purpose with a focus on the customer and employees as brand ambassadors. Brand strategy encompasses not only the promise a company makes to the customer but also to its employees, shareholders, investors, rating agencies, journalists, and regulators. Understanding how to measure advocacy across different constituencies is crucial. For customers, we have the Net Promoter Score (NPS), but what about other audiences? Research must be conducted by local vendors in local languages to ensure brands are globally consistent and locally relevant.
Content as a Strategic Asset
Marketing services to complex organisations requires a deep understanding of buyer behaviour and internal procurement practices. The benefits of products and services can be explained not only by the pain point or problem that the service provider is solving for the customer but by providing a new framework or lens to view the problem. For instance, GDPR adoption can be seen as an opportunity to embed a universal digital platform in a business rather than just a problem to solve.
Embracing Technology and Channel Integration
Technology Adoption
Embracing technology helps marketing get close to the customer while empowering staff. In many industries, companies are speaking to institutions and individuals in a B2B2C chain. This complexity requires a logical, holistic approach. Research combined with sales-led customer feedback allows marketing to represent the voice of the customer in campaigns compliant with local regulations. Marketing automation technology connects marketing, sales, and customer service to provide a unified face to the customer.
Channel Integration
Utilising social media with non-social channels leads to a superior customer experience. Less than half of companies in a recent survey had a defined strategy that integrated social into their existing CX programmes. Mapping the entire social customer journey is critical. Most companies use social media for brand awareness, but improving engagement with customers and prospects is yet to be realised. Digital transformation is often required to streamline processes and create a smooth journey. Marketing can lead by digitising its operating model, adopting a unified platform, and archiving all activity to meet legal, compliance, and audit requirements.
Leadership and Innovation in Marketing
Leading People
Marketing can lead by example to discover sustainable business practices relevant for the entire organisation. Competitiveness can be driven by marketing in the search for innovation. Staying sharp and nimble requires quick thinking and agile project management techniques. Innovation flourishes where people maintain an open-minded approach to learning. Marketing can examine its own frameworks and assumptions, advocating for continuous change and learning as a growth mindset.
A global marketing team drives business growth while playing a key role in the governance of the franchise. The purpose of marketing is evolving into brand protection, cybersecurity, risk management, and sustainable business practices. “Le marketing profite à tous” – marketing benefits everyone.
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References:
- Barry Diller is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia, Inc.
- Hootsuite. (2018) The Social Customer Experience. Available at: Hootsuite (Accessed: July 2018)
About VMA GROUP:
LinkedIn VMA GROUP is a leading international interim and permanent communications, digital, and marketing recruitment, and executive search specialist. Our practices cover internal and change communications, external communications, public affairs, marketing, digital, and agency services. We have a reputation for providing leading consultancy services and advice supported by in-depth knowledge of the professions we recruit for. Our thought leadership and benchmarking studies are go-to resources for the communications and marketing industry. VMA GROUP has offices in London, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Brussels, but we work globally.
