Commentary

Marketers' Challenge: How To Slay The Marketing SERPENT

I was in Athens, Greece last week. I am not telling you this to make you jealous, as the reason for my trip was not to enjoy a lavish holiday but to spend time with the media, digital and procurement teams from a very large global firm.

I was lucky enough to join the team on Sunday night, when we visited the iconic Acropolis with its famous buildings the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike. I learned many things from our outstanding tour guide,  like the word Acropolis means citadel, and so the Athens Acropolis is one of many (and arguably the most well-known) of Acropolises strewn across the old Greek empire.

I also learned that the Greek builders paid their laborers instead of using slave labor -- and as a result got much better results much faster than, for instance, the Egyptians and Romans (ring a bell, Mr. Procurement?).

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Inspired by Greek mythology, I then had a dream about marketing mythology. I dreamed about Apollo and his battle with the serpent. And I realized that, just as in old Greek mythology, marketers today are caught in an epic battle with their own SERPENT.

Yes, that marketing SERPENT is capitalized, as it is an acronym. I can tell you that in conversations with marketers, the SERPENT brings together many of the critical issues facing marketers today:

Security –Marketers frequently ask: How do I know that I am making the right choices in today’s highly fragmented and radically changed world? What can the agency, the media sellers or my own team provide to make me feel secure about my decision (typically a go/no-go decision), and also give me the security to defend my plan up the food chain (typically to members of the C-suite)?

Efficiency – Another, related question immediately follows the previous ones: Did I maximize the impact of my budget?

Relevance – Equally important is the question of whether the plan connects in a relevant way with key consumers. Am I using the touch points that my consumer uses?

Proven – To address the previous three issues (security, efficiency and relevancy) , what proof points should I look for? What proof points should I ask for? What proof points do we already have in our data infrastructure? So, in short, what data is there, so I know “it” will work -- or, afterwards, that ”it” worked?

Engaged – Also highly important is reaching the consumer beyond exposure. How do I know my target really engaged with the content I shared? Are “likes” important? Or comments? Or shares? How about sales? Isn’t that the ultimate expression of engagement?

New – This is also really important, as many marketers realize that technology and new connections probably hold the key to previous challenges of the SERPENT, such as proof/data, engagement and relevance. So what “new” stuff should I include? And how much? (My friend Joseph Jaffe would already be happy with 1%.)

Transparent – The final SERPENT challenge is a biggie, too: How can I ensure that my partners and their weaponry (i.e. strategies, plans, buys, etc.), which I really need to ensure I get the job done, are truly on my side?

Solving these issues -- in effect slaying the SERPENT --  would go a long way toward creating better marketing plans, and therefore delivering awesome results.

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