• Forbes CMO Network, Thursday, January 7, 2010 10:42 AM

CMOs have to refocus their attention away from aggressive advertising and promotion and toward connecting the dots of every touch point between their brands and their customers, writes Forrester Research vp, research director David Cooperstein. They must become the "chef d'orchestre" for the company, not the manager of the box office.

I sense no disagreement out there, only questions. Like, "Okay, how?" Cooperstein offers Forrester's four pillars. 1. Align the company by customer group; 2. Synchronize the consumer lifecycle; 3. Offer visible value to the customer; 4. Use customer insights to direct company efforts.

Examples of companies that are executing along these lines are Best Buy and IHG, which offers a smorgasbord of brands such as Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn and Intercontinental. "IHG has moved from pure demographic targeting to aligning the brands with the needs of each travel experience," says Del Ross, its vp of U.S. sales & marketing.

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