Plan Today, Win Tomorrow

Tuesday October 25, 2005

Memo to you, Type-A Busy Executive: To make 2006 your year, put the pieces together this year.

Sounds simple enough. But too often, marketing is an afterthought in the planning process, a second-stringer in the lineup of business imperatives. And when marketing's playing catch up, it's tough for a company to gain new ground.

Now's the time to do the advance work. Procrastination is pretty much a default way of booking a ratty room in the loser's column. And because losing's an ugly, ugly thing, we've developed a playbook of questions to ask now so you can star on a Wheaties box later:

Do you have a real hunger to win? Not to get all motivational on you, but the fact is, if you're not psyched about your business future, it'll probably fizzle. Relying on the same old tactics may be a viable strategy for muddling through, but success requires more. Ways to get your mojo working include voraciously reading up on what's new in marketing and diligently watching the moves of companies in your space and, just as importantly, other industries. And while Tony(!) Robbins(!) isn't on our payroll, it's part of any agency's job to bring excitement and a fresh perspective to marketing challenges. So if you're not getting lots of ideas and news from the players on your payroll, insist on it.
See our work for Red Hat.
Do you have a firm grip on your audiences? As your business evolves, you may face new stakeholders with new expectations. You may inadvertently be ignoring important groups. Employees. Investors. Customers. Regulatory agencies. Media. Now is the time to assess, set your sites and plan on roping in your own who's who. Recently, we worked with a big company with a keen need to communicate effectively with all its far-flung employees. Making use of technology, we found a solution, which brings us to the next question.
See our work for Progress Energy.
Do you make the most of new technology? We don't mean getting fleeced by every new fad. But the fact is, the tech wizzes out there really are developing new frontiers and solutions that you should at least consider. If you want to reach young people and you're not all over text messaging—dude, you may as well be living in ancient Mesopotamia. And bloggers? They can make you or murder you. Last year, we were hunkered down with a public interest group trying to beat the odds on a certain tough issue and succeed where many others had failed. One of our breakthroughs came via a twist of technology that didn't cost much, but delivered big and, yes, helped beat the odds.
See our work for Amendment One.
Do you maximize your messages? Every dollar you put into your business ought to matter. That means rapaciously gathering, packaging, using and re-purposing your content. Think about cable TV networks. They're the masters of repurposing—stretching 15 minutes of material into 15 hours of niche programming. If your resources are tied up in one TV campaign, your marketing dollars probably aren't working hard enough. If your team has generated data that you aren't dangling in front of press, prospects and potential partners, you may need additional packaging power. It was packaging that recently helped a client turn a little-known statewide campaign into a quantifiable smash with a national profile.
See our work for the NC Office of the Treasurer.
Do you hope for sun, but prepare for a hurricane? The folk/rock/country/jazz/all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips singer-songwriter Victoria Williams has a great line that goes, "That which you fear most will meet you halfway." Folks, fate is gonna slap you around. Get ready for it. Better yet, anticipate how to turn the tables by going on the offense. Eighteen months ago, we mapped out a relatively aggressive offense for a client that was often on defense. The client went for it. The results were so strong, they're going for it again this fall, but this time with more muscle and confidence.
See our work for the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund.

Feeling pumped? Ready to answer the challenges? Ready to win? Good. Now remember, your competition may have read this—or something better. And they're just as pumped. And if that makes you edgy enough to start looking critically at your game book, then you're one step closer to making 2006 your year.

Billy Warden is an account director at Capstrat. He planned diligently for you to read this.