Tom French, Laura LaBerge, and Paul Magill
A Reflection by
We are all marketers now explores marketing in the era of deep customer engagement that goes far beyond the “push” marketing campaigns of simpler times. The writers observe how the product can no longer be separated from the marketing, marketing is part of the in-store or on-line experience, and the experience is the company, so that ultimately marketing is the company. They sum it up in their opening “Engaging customers today requires commitment from the entire company—and a redefined marketing organization.”
This article outlines the steps, processes and potential obstacles established business managers are likely to run into as they move their companies forward into the 21st century marketing arena. It traces the evolution of engagement as it moved into the pervasive marketing arena. This goes from product design, through position and follow up loyalty program communications. This article gives the foundation concepts that CEOs and other business managers need to move from traditional marketing strategies into the new pervasive marketing world.
The authors move towards the closing of their article by pointing out that today’s marketing is “data rich and analytically intense” “science-driven”and shifting towards “sophisticated data analysis” Targeted e-mail based on this system is as much as 18 times more effective than random e-mailings. They also cite the increasing practice of companies to “enter into creative arrangements” with others to trade and test data. . Finally they opine that the “major barrier to engagement is organizational rather than conceptual” and that “CMOs and their C suite colleagues must collaborate intensively” to adapt to the changes as they redefine their organization and make the transition, before the competition does.
I feel the writers did a good job of presenting and supporting their subject. They introduced enough background and conceptual foundation material so that anyone with an understanding of marketing and business management could follow and understand how it would apply to their business.
This article clearly targeted the CMO and the rest of the “C suite” all of whom could learn something about transitioning to the new era of marketing by understanding the basics of modern marketing concepts. For a small business where the CEO is also the CMO or perhaps occupies other seats in the organization, it is enough information for them to start looking into their options. For other larger, more sophisticated organizations, it may be enough so that the Board can start to understand what the bright young people in marketing have been trying to explain. Einstein once observed that any fool can make something more complex it takes a touch of genius to make things simpler. Perhaps Tom French, Laura LaBerge, and Paul Magill have that touch of genius because they succeeded in taking a complex subject and creating a clear understandable presentation.
