Strategic has been pitching a regional accounting firm for the past few months and this past week their director of marketing phoned to inform me they’ve decided to retain a “traditional” public relations firm, rather than us. They just need an agency that provides public relations services, not all of that business development stuff we do through Strategic’s Network of Relationships®.
People who meet me are quick to figure out that I’m a bit competitive, so coming up short on a new business pitch always burns. This is especially true when I haven’t been successful convincing a prospective client that Strategic’s integrated public relations/business development model delivers value and return significantly greater than a campaign that relies solely on the improved awareness and third ***** credibility generated from PR.
Two days later I’m flipping through the November 8th issue of B2B Magazine when I come across an article headlined “Marketing accountability demands increase.” Kate Maddox writes about a recent survey conducted by Patrick Marketing Group that found that 81 percent of the 75 senior marketing executives questioned acknowledged that there are now increased demands of accountability by C-level executives. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed went so far as to report that their company has established increased revenue as the return on the investment from marketing and PR expenditures.
At times, I find the amount of moaning marketing executives do about their lack of respect from the CEO to be incredibly grating. The Patrick Marketing Group survey reported that 43% of those surveyed cited lack of management support as their greatest frustration.
Get with the program. CEOs are held accountable for sales, profitability and valuation. Until marketing folks can point to how they directly support one or more of those three things than all we will ever be is a cost to be slashed.
In the same B2B issue, GE CMO Beth Comstock explains, “Part of the challenge when you want the seat at the table is that you have to be willing to step forward and be held accountable. You need to align your processes with the way the business is going.”
Back to the Strategic-less accounting firm. Here’s my prediction: they’ll spend six months executing their first-ever public relations program with some tactical success, see no measurable return and kill the program all together – convincing themselves that working with a PR firm ****s no value to their business. Maybe I have a case of sour grapes. But, I’ll bet you I turn out right.
November 26, 2004, 5:00 am
Strategic has been pitching a regional accounting firm...
Posted by jeffM
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November 21, 2004, 5:00 am
Day Trip
I just returned from a day trip to New York City to visit with a global software company that is interested in accelerating its business in the government markets.
Unlike many of the vendors selling to government agencies, the corporate communications director at this company quickly grasped the fact that government is not just another vertical. She also gets that trudging up to Capitol Hill with lobbyists and lawyers isn’t the way to influence purchasing decisions at the federal agency and department level.
Product positioning, messaging and communications all must be tailored to the unique requirements of the audience for marketing and public relations to have a true impact.
Appropriately, she compared communications to the government markets with the path this company follows when marketing in specific regions in Europe and Asia. We’ll see how this plays out.
The other part of my travel to NYC that was interesting was the cab ride from Penn Station to the software company’s office on Broadway. After an uneventful and quiet ride on Amtrak, I arrived in Manhattan about an hour before the meeting was scheduled to start.
As I hopped in the cab I told the driver where I was headed and that I had plenty of time. (My wife is from New York and I know how she tends to drive.) The 15 minute ride was similar to the car chase seen in the Matt Damon movie Bourne Identity. The cabbie was actually talking on his cell phone as he weaved in and out of traffic to avoid delivery trucks blocking lanes, with the occasional acceleration to make it through a yellow light.
I was at my sarcastic best when I thanked the driver for taking it easy. He said no problem and started driving off the moment I was out of the car.
After relaying the story to my wife of this harrowing experience her view was that the cabbie probably did take it easy during the ride. That’s how people drive in New York. You just need to expect it and you’ll be fine, she said.
Unlike many of the vendors selling to government agencies, the corporate communications director at this company quickly grasped the fact that government is not just another vertical. She also gets that trudging up to Capitol Hill with lobbyists and lawyers isn’t the way to influence purchasing decisions at the federal agency and department level.
Product positioning, messaging and communications all must be tailored to the unique requirements of the audience for marketing and public relations to have a true impact.
Appropriately, she compared communications to the government markets with the path this company follows when marketing in specific regions in Europe and Asia. We’ll see how this plays out.
The other part of my travel to NYC that was interesting was the cab ride from Penn Station to the software company’s office on Broadway. After an uneventful and quiet ride on Amtrak, I arrived in Manhattan about an hour before the meeting was scheduled to start.
As I hopped in the cab I told the driver where I was headed and that I had plenty of time. (My wife is from New York and I know how she tends to drive.) The 15 minute ride was similar to the car chase seen in the Matt Damon movie Bourne Identity. The cabbie was actually talking on his cell phone as he weaved in and out of traffic to avoid delivery trucks blocking lanes, with the occasional acceleration to make it through a yellow light.
I was at my sarcastic best when I thanked the driver for taking it easy. He said no problem and started driving off the moment I was out of the car.
After relaying the story to my wife of this harrowing experience her view was that the cabbie probably did take it easy during the ride. That’s how people drive in New York. You just need to expect it and you’ll be fine, she said.
