This is going to be a short and sweet blog post, so relax. You’ll get through it in 30 seconds.
Today Brand Week posted an article titled ‘45% of CMO’s See Agencies as a Time Suck’. Okay. Two sides to every story. Although I don’t see it as my job to defend ad agencies, sometimes clients don’t always give clear direction. People are overworked, understaffed and the data available to work with isn’t always the best.
That said, the article goes onto state that only 21% believe they are getting the best work the agency is capable of. Wow. That reminds me of the Congress approval rating.
Worse yet, Jupiter (study publisher) states that a whopping 89% of CMO’s are under greater scrutiny to show…and prove results. Eighty nine percent. Couple this with the fact that only fifty percent of marketers and agencies say that delivering ROI is their number one priority.
Let me repeat this. Eighty nine percent of CMO’s are under pressure by THIER bosses to demonstrate hard, measurable results. Only 50% of agencies make this a priority. Twenty one percent of CMO’s think they are getting value for their dollar.
As my friend Jonathan Salem Baskin (Dim Bulb Blog) said to me in an email,
umm…50% of marketers see their #1 purpose as delivering ROI? what the hell are the other half doing? this is frightening stuff…
Results matter. I get the fact that creative is difficult to quantify. However, strategies and tactics can be measured and everything should have a business result. If it doesn’t, what’s the point? Last time I checked, most brands didn’t set out to be (or today, want to be) not-for-profits.
As a CMO friend of mine remarked to me, “When I walk into the board room to present my results, I face a bunch of people who care about only one thing. Results. Hard, measurable results. Full stop. What delivers and can prove the right results is part of the solution. What doesn’t is part of the problem. Period. End of discussion.”
Something worth keeping in mind.
Principal
Engaging your customers is at the heart of successful marketing programs. For more than 20 years, Cheryl has been building and executing content and thought leadership strategies designed to do just that. She is excited to be applying that well-honed skill to a help companies like Microsoft, Cisco, 3M, Intel, Capital One and Barclaycard tap into their stakeholder communities and build sophisticated content strategies.
Her experience base spans a range of industries – from technology and financial services to retail, travel, consumer products and healthcare. Cheryl has served as an integral member of her clients’ marketing teams, providing counsel on marketing and brand strategy, thought leadership, media relations, product introductions, and event management.
Prior to joining ComBlu, Cheryl spent 10 years leading corporate marketing for large, complex organizations.